Sun Extends SAP R/3 Solution with Cray and Amdahl Alliance; Industry's Most Scaleable Network Computing Solution Targeted at Mainframe Reengineering Projects

Business Wire, July 20, 1995

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 1995--Sun Microsystems, Inc., announced today that it has extended its binary-compatible SPARC(R)/Solaris(TM) network computing solution for SAP's R/3 application suite to meet the needs of the largest mainframe reengineering projects. Built for SAP's three-tier client/server architecture, the new solution is anchored by the CRAY SUPERSERVER 6400 database server with up to 64 processors. The R/3 application modules are run on Sun(TM) SPARCserver(TM) systems.

Sun has signed agreements with Cray Research, Inc., and Amdahl Corporation to deliver highly scalable, enterprise-wide SAP R/3 database server solutions to meet the needs of today's most demanding global business customers. Sun and Cray will jointly sell their respective server lines, which are based on Sun's SPARC/Solaris architecture and tuned for SAP R/3 performance at one of the the Sun/SAP Competence Centers. Amdahl will market, sell and support these SAP R/3-tuned products as a single integrated SPARC/Solaris offering under Amdahl branding.

The three companies plan to provide joint staffing of the worldwide Sun/SAP Competence Centers. Sun already has in place a large contingent of systems and SAP experts at its SAP centers. Cray and Amdahl will be adding significant system resources to those already provided by Sun. Customers will benefit from this new alliance in improved SAP performance across the Cray/Sun/Amdahl systems, as well as enhanced system management, service and support for commercial users.

The SAP R/3 product is a highly integrated set of client-server application modules (sales and distribution; manufacturing and logistics; financials and accounting; and human resources) designed to control and track business operations throughout an entire enterprise.

With the certified Sun/Solaris SAP R/3 solutions now including the binary-compatible Cray SPARC/Solaris servers -- and with the addition of Amdahl's worldwide corporate-focused sales and service organization -- the largest enterprises can take advantage of the most scalable, highest-performance SAP solution available today. In addition, companies can select from servers that include some of the best SAP performance in the marketplace.

Under a 1992 technology agreement between Cray Research and Sun Microsystems, Cray developed and now markets the CRAY SUPERSERVER 6400 (CS6400) system, which uses Sun's leading platform technology with Cray-engineered features for high performance and scalability. Amdahl is a reseller of both Sun products and the CS6400 enterprise server, which Amdahl markets under the brand name Amdahl SPARCsummit 6400E (AS6400E).

Great SAP Performance; Competency Centers

The companies have achieved outstanding performance on the three-tiered SAP R/3 benchmark using a CS6400 database server and Sun SPARCserver 1000E servers. The Cray and Sun computer systems operated the Solaris 2 environment. Benchmark tests conducted at Sun's SAP Enterprise Lab, Mountain View, Calif., demonstrated the ability of the Cray/Sun solution to support more than 800 "benchmark users" on the sales-and-distribution application benchmark, at a sub-1.5-second response time.

"Many corporations would like to run their entire enterprise with the SAP R/3 product," said Edward Zander, president of Sun Microsystems Computer Company. "The scalability of these SPARC/Solaris servers from Sun and Cray, along with Amdahl's experience in providing enterprise solutions and support, gives these customers an unprecedented option for reengineering and consolidating their entire operation with open client-server systems."

Sun Microsystems Computer Company (SMCC) is a world leader in the design, manufacture and sale of network computing systems and is a division of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Recognized for quality and innovation, the company's SPARCstation and multiprocessing SPARCservers each hold the No. 1 UNIX marketshare position. These systems are used primarily by businesses, educational institutions and governments worldwide for technical, commercial, industrial, and software development applications. -0-

Note to Editors: Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, and Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCserver, SPARCstation and SPARCcenter are licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. SPARCsummit is a licensed trademark of Amdahl Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. -0-

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