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May 29, 2006 9:01 PM PDT

Ubuntu coming soon to Sun's Niagara

Last modified: May 30, 2006 7:00 AM PDT

Sun Microsystems' embrace of Linux has gained a key backer as Canonical announced its next release of Ubuntu will support Sun's Niagara servers.

The companies jointly stated Tuesday that Canonical's Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Long Term Support) will run on Sun's T1000 and T2000 servers, which use the UltraSparc T1 processor formerly known as Niagara. The new version of Ubuntu is set for release on Thursday, said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical.

Earlier this month at the JavaOne conference, Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz strongly hinted that such an arrangement was in the works.

"Ubuntu is gaining a ton of momentum," Schwartz said at the time. "It is arguably one of the most important--if not the most important--Linux (distributions) out there."

Ubuntu, popular on desktops, is increasingly popping up on servers that are hosting Web pages or applications, Shuttleworth said. Those areas are also well-suited for the T1000 and T2000 servers, which can process up to 32 separate threads simultaneously. The Ubuntu release will become the first distribution of Linux to officially support the new servers, he said.

Linux developer David Miller was the first to get Ubuntu up and running on Niagara in February. Sun is increasingly embracing the use of Linux on its servers. The company's OpenSparc project allows developers to download key portions of the T1 architecture in order to build applications or port Linux distributions such as Ubuntu.

Sun is not actively recruiting Linux vendors to the OpenSparc project, but it is trying to make it easy for them to support Sparc, said Fadi Azhari, director of outbound marketing for Sun. "Certification comes from the vendors. We believe that is the best way to build a community," Azhari said.

Sun does not plan to ship Ubuntu 6.06 LTS with T1000 and T2000 servers, but Canonical will make the new version available for download on its site, Shuttleworth said. Canonical has yet to port Ubuntu to Sun's hypervisor, which would allow T1000 and T2000 users to run Ubuntu and Solaris side-by-side in separate virtual environments, but that work is under way, he said.

See more CNET content tagged:
Ubuntu, Sun Microsystems Inc., T1, Linux, Jonathan Schwartz

Add a Comment (Log in or register) 6 comments
A missed opportunity?
by hutchike May 29, 2006 11:44 PM PDT
If Sun isn't selling T1000 & T2000 boxes with Ubuntu pre-installed, or selling support for Ubuntu, then this sounds like a missed opportunity. I thought this was the reason for Sun buying Aduva (http://www.aduva.com/) - to remotely manage patches for Solaris and Linux servers, and compete directly with Red Hat Network? But it's great to see a modern popular Linux running on new UltraSparc processors - the future looks good!
Reply to this comment
A missed opportunity?
by hutchike May 29, 2006 11:44 PM PDT
If Sun isn't selling T1000 & T2000 boxes with Ubuntu pre-installed, or selling support for Ubuntu, then this sounds like a missed opportunity. I thought this was the reason for Sun buying Aduva (http://www.aduva.com/) - to remotely manage patches for Solaris and Linux servers, and compete directly with Red Hat Network? But it's great to see a modern popular Linux running on new UltraSparc processors - the future looks good!
Reply to this comment
Great move
by firstlast May 30, 2006 2:37 AM PDT
Since they are starting to give 5 year support on servers and 3 year support on desktop this might be my choice for my new server.
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Pixel image editor - http://www.kanzelsberger.com
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Great move
by firstlast May 30, 2006 2:37 AM PDT
Since they are starting to give 5 year support on servers and 3 year support on desktop this might be my choice for my new server.
---
Pixel image editor - http://www.kanzelsberger.com
Reply to this comment View reply
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