Sun to bundle server with OS
Sun plans to throw in its WebServer software with the Solaris OS package next year.
The Sun WebServer will be available for free download in the first half of next year off Sun's Web site. The offering will include an easy configuration tool as well as a one-step routine to convert existing Web server extensions so that they work with the WebServer, according to Sun officials.
"This isn't going to be the thing that puts all the other Web servers out of business," explained Brian Croll, Sun's director of Solaris server product marketing. "This is really for people who are really serious about [Web server environments]. It's really meant for business."
The Sun WebServer software will begin the beta process at the start of the new year. It is expected to officially become part of the Solaris platform with the next release of the operating system, due next spring.
The WebServer is targeted at larger accounts, such as government and educational institutions or Internet service providers (ISPs). Sun will include high-availability features in its WebServer with its Solstice HA software package because of the needs of its larger clients. Java Servlet application programming interfaces will also be included for processing transactions for applications such as databases. A Java Servlet is the server-based equivalent of a Java applet.
Sun's Netra business unit has previously chosen to use Netscape Communications Enterprise Server software, but Croll indicated that Sun's WebServer will be offered on all of Sun's hardware. "It will be available on all Solaris platforms," he said.
SunSoft also announced that its Solstice Workshop, a Java-based development platform for management applications, has entered its beta. The Solstice Workshop product is scheduled for general availability in March 1997. The Java Management Application Programming Interface (JMAPI) will also be revised this month, enabling Simple Network Management Protocol information to be translated into Java using JMAPI.