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Next-gen Cobalt Raq server 'due this summer'

Matt Loney ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 13 Feb 2002 10:55 GMT

Sun Cobalt is planning an update to the popular Raq line of server appliances, due to launch this summer. According to a source close to the company, the server, which is expected to be called the Raq 550, will launch around June. The Cobalt Raq 550 is likely to support dual processors, said the source.

The launch will add flesh to Sun's recent announcement that it plans to build on the Cobalt product line with new servers -- both general purpose servers and server appliances that perform a specific task. In a conference call last week, Sun president and chief operating officer Ed Zander said the company plans to start selling general-purpose Linux servers based on x86 hardware.

The servers will be a dramatic departure for the company, which for years has advocated its own Solaris operating system and Sparc processor. They will be aimed at the "edge", where NT servers currently hold sway, but small Linux vendors have established a substantial presence, said Zander.

"A broad offering on x86 may be a necessary response to pulling support for Intel in Solaris 9," added Zander.

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