Sun Microsystems will integrate drivers for S2io
Technologies's Xframe 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter into the Solaris
operating system for Sparc, AMD's Opteron and Intel Xeon
servers.
In addition, S2io will partner with Sun to develop a TCP/IP
offload engine with remote direct memory access functionality to
enhance performance and scalability in intense computer and server
environments.
Both announcements are aimed at high-performance server
environments and mission-critical applications, said Dave
Zabrowski, president and CEO of S2io. "This is another clear
example of the growing demand for 10Gigabit Ethernet and its unique
ability to offer a clear path for server optimisation while
protecting existing datacentre investment," he said.
Sun is developing new high-performance TCP/IP architecture for
Solaris, called FireEngine. "Working with S2io will help us to
jointly address customer demand for higher levels of server
performance due to the exponential growth of data," said Glenn
Weinberg, vice-president for Sun's operating platforms group.
Adding the Xframe 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter technology to
Solaris helps to address the large performance bottleneck that
interfaces between servers can cause, said Jag Bolaria, an analyst
at The Linley Group.
"The demand for 10 Gigabit Ethernet is still relatively small,
but S2io is getting in early with customers who will probably be
looking at the technology before long," he said
S2io's Xframe 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter will also give Sun an
offering that many competitors do not yet have, said Bolaria.
"It's a good deal for S2io to align with Sun, and it's a good deal
for Sun because it will have a jump on this technology," he
said.
Bob Francis writes for InfoWorld