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Sun Microsystems Unveils Open Cloud Platform

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Editor's Note: There are as yet unverified reports that Sun and IBM are involved in talks that could result in IBM's making an offer to purchase Sun. These reports have resulted in a sharp run-up in Sun's stock price. MC Press Online spoke with IBM, and an official company spokesperson said the company does not comment on rumored acquisitions or divestitures. We will announce any agreement as soon as it is released.

 

At its CommunityOne developer event, Sun Microsystems showcased the Sun Open Cloud Platform, the company's open cloud computing infrastructure, powered by industry-leading software technologies from Sun, including Java, MySQL, OpenSolaris and Open Storage. Signaling a massive opportunity to open the world's nascent cloud market, Sun also outlined that a core element of its strategy is to offer public clouds and previewed plans to launch the Sun Cloud, its first public cloud service targeted at developers, student and startups. Both are key elements in Sun's strategy to bring openness and interoperability to the cloud computing market. To register for the Sun Cloud Early Access program, go to sun.com/cloud.

As part of the company's commitment to building communities, Sun also announced the release of a core set of Open APIs, unveiled broad partner support for its cloud platform and demonstrated innovative features of the Sun Cloud. Sun is opening its cloud APIs for public review and comment, so that others building public and private clouds can easily design them for compatibility with the Sun Cloud. Sun's Cloud API specifications are published under the Creative Commons license, which essentially allows anyone to use them in any way. Developers will be able to deploy applications to the Sun Cloud immediately, by leveraging pre-packaged VMIs (virtual machine images) of Sun's open source software, eliminating the need to download, install and configure infrastructure software. To participate in the discussion and development of Sun's Cloud APIs, go to sun.com/cloud.

Sun envisions a world of many clouds - public and private - that are open and interoperable. With the Sun Open Cloud Platform, Sun is driving a paradigm shift away from proprietary clouds that limit choice and lock in customers toward a world of open and interoperable clouds. Leveraging the best in world-class open source technologies, the Sun Open Cloud Platform brings together Java, MySQL, OpenSolaris and Open Storage to deliver breakthrough efficiencies in cost and scale, and easier and faster software development. Based on innovative designs from a company with a rich history in network computing and Internet infrastructure, the Sun Open Cloud Platform is ideal for developers who value openness, flexibility and ease of use.

"Sun's approach to cloud computing blends our expertise in developing open source software and communities with unique design innovation. Sun's Open Cloud platform is the first step in delivering on our vision of a world that has many clouds that are both open and interoperable," said Dave Douglas, Senior Vice President, Cloud Computing, Sun Microsystems. "Our cloud architecture empowers developers with the expanded interoperability and freedom of choice they need to easily take advantage of the agility, efficiency and cost benefits of cloud computing."

Sun Cloud - Datacenter in the Cloud

At the core of the Sun Cloud will be the first two services - Sun Cloud Storage Service and Sun Cloud Compute Service - which will be available this summer. Customers will be able to take advantage of the combined benefits of open source and cloud computing via the Sun Cloud to accelerate the delivery of new applications, reducing overall risk and quickly scaling compute and storage capacity up and down to meet demand. Sun is leveraging its extensive portfolio of products, unparalleled world-class professional services and extensive expertise in building open communities and partner ecosystems to deliver the Sun Cloud. Sun will also take the technologies and architectural blueprints developed for the Sun Cloud and make them available to customers building their own clouds, ensuring interoperability among clouds.

Sun is leveraging several technologies to make its Sun Cloud incredibly easy to use - from deploying applications to provisioning resources. At the core of the Sun Cloud Compute Service are the Virtual Data Center (VDC) capabilities acquired in Sun's purchase of Q-layer in January 2009, which provide everything an individual or team of developers needs to build and operate a datacenter in the cloud. The VDC provides a unified, integrated interface to stage an application running on any operating system within a cloud, including OpenSolaris, Linux or Windows. It features a drag-and-drop method, in addition to APIs and a command line interface for provisioning compute, storage and networking resources via any Web browser. The Sun Cloud Storage Service supports WebDAV protocols for easy file access and object store APIs that are compatible with Amazon's S3 APIs.

Cloud Partner Ecosystem

Sun announced that leading partners and key advocates for cloud standards are supporting its goal to deliver an open cloud platform. It will help ensure that developers have a robust ecosystem of applications and services to speed the creation and deployment of cloud-enabled applications and to simplify management. Cloud Foundry, RightScale and Zmanda are three of the many cloud application providers, cloud management solution providers, Service Providers and cloud consulting companies partnering with Sun. Eucalyptus, an open source infrastructure for implementing cloud computing, is also supporting Sun's approach to drive standards-based, open source cloud platforms and applications, enabling users to integrate with other platforms and services. Go to sun.com/cloud for more information on becoming a Sun Cloud partner.

"I'm excited that Sun has expanded the available alternatives in cloud platforms. I believe Sun's products will help the market move to more choice, broader applicability and broader adoption," said Chris Richardson, Founder of Cloud Foundry. "Using Cloud Tools and Cloud Foundry, organizations will be able to quickly and easily deploy their Java applications to either the Sun Cloud or Amazon EC2."

"We're committed to working with Sun to expand the choices available to developers through open source cloud technology," said Dr. Rich Wolski, Director of the Eucalyptus Project. "We support Sun releasing its Cloud APIs into the public domain and will work to understand how the Eucalyptus platform can ensure compatibility among all clouds. We believe in Sun's continued commitment to a community-centric approach and that it will be extremely valuable to developers."

"Sun's approach to building an open and transparent cloud platform that maintains freedom of choice is in line with our strategy," said Michael Crandell, CEO, RightScale. "RightScale's cloud management platform enables organizations to rapidly deploy and manage business-critical applications across multiple clouds, with complete control and portability. RightScale will fully support the Sun Cloud, providing Sun customers with a robust cloud management solution that extends the inherent flexibility of the Sun Cloud."

"We have been working with the Sun Cloud and have been especially impressed with its open APIs and interoperability. Our developers were able to very quickly integrate our backup products with the Sun Cloud Storage Service," said Chander Kant, CEO, Zmanda, a Sun Cloud partner. "We look forward to providing enterprise-class cloud backup services to our customers by leveraging the Sun Cloud."

About Sun's Cloud Computing Business Unit

Announced in July 2008, Sun's Cloud Computing Business Unit was created to provide customers with easy and affordable access to a proven, open, flexible and scalable cloud platform. With a commitment to open source, building vibrant communities and a vision of "The Network Is The Computer" for more than 25 years, Sun is ideal for companies that want to leverage cloud computing. Sun delivers some of the world's most popular, open source, cloud-enabling technologies from industry-leading server platforms to open source software including Java, OpenSolaris, ZFS, Dtrace, GlassFish, xVM VirtualBox and MySQL, which is already the leading open source database for cloud solutions.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Microsystems develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership.

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