Tatung markets two-processor version of SuperSparc-based workstation line

Electronic News, August 17, 1992 by Jonathan Cassell

SAN JOSE, CALIF.--Tatung Science & Technology Inc. became one of the first Sparc-compatible manufacturers to introduce a SuperSparc-based line of systems, but with a narrower line that does not match the densely-packed design which allowed Sun to condense multiple processors into a single package.

Tatung is scheduled to ship systems comparable to a lowend SparcStation 10 workstation and a SparcServer 10 late in the third quarter. A high-end Sparcstation 10 clone will start shipping in next year's first quarter.

The low-end Compstation 99 Superscalar Series will include many of the features of Sun's Sparcstation 10 Model 30 and Model 41 workstations, including a choice of 36MHz or 40MHz SuperSparc processors and the high-speed Mbus. However, the first version of Tatung's workstation will be able to support only two microprocessors, as opposed to four for the Sun systems.

"The Compostation 99 offers superscalar performance to those people who don't need a four-processor Sparcstation 10," said Majid Eskandari, Tatung director of market programming.

"Sun has an awful lot crammed into one box," said Charles Ledford, manager of the advanced systems group for Sparc systems vendor CompuAdd Computer Corp., which is developing its own Sparcstation 10 products.

"We're now doing modeling of an Mbus-based product. We're testing the thermal characteristics of the product and focusing on how to maintain a certain enclosure and seeing how we can improve on Sun's design," Mr. Ledford said.

Tatung will also ship in the third quarter the Super Compserver, a deskside version of Sun's Sparcserver 10. Because of its larger enclosure, the Compserver will have the capacity for up to four processors. It will also have eight SBus slots and up to nine drive slots.

The Super Compstation Series, equivalent to Sun's Sparcstation 10 Model 52 and Model 54, will debut early next year and will feature up to four processors with performance of up to 218Specmarks, Tatung indicated.