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                                                        The Florida SunFlash

                    SUNERGY Newsletter Part 5

SunFLASH Vol 40 #5					          April 1992 
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*5*  Making the Move to SOLARIS 2.0  *
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Companies who use computers today need increasingly powerful systems  to
remain competitive; but they want these products to be based on industry
standards.  To deliver the distributed computing capabilities users  are
demanding,  the  UNIX(R)  operating  system  is  quickly emerging as the
software platform of the '90s.  Among the existing UNIX versions and new
UNIX-like  products  being  developed,  there  is  one leading standard:
System V Release 4 (SVR4).   It  is  the  preferred  platform  for  many
reasons.   Besides  further  expanding  the  capabilities of distributed
computing,  it  unifies  today's   leading   UNIX   operating   systems,
representing  80  percent  of the market's installed base.  In addition,
SVR4 is available and being shipped today, which is a major advantage to
buyers  who  cannot  afford to wait for new products, nor take the risks
inherent in basing  their  computing  resources  on  untested,  unproven
solutions.

Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC), a  business  unit  of  Sun
Microsystems,  has  fully  committed to the SVR4 standard (which will be
part of SunSoft's Solaris(R) 2.0 distributed computing environment)  and
is  now  working with customers to plan and implement their migration to
SVR4.  The migration process can be long and difficult;  thus  SMCC  has
developed   a  deliberate,  methodical  strategy  that  will  bring  its
customers to SVR4 while allowing  them  maximum  use  of  their  current
computing resources in the interim.

This document outlines the key benefits  of  migrating  to  SVR4,  shows
where SVR4 fits into the SMCC product framework, describes the migration
process itself, and details the  types  of  migration  support  SMCC  is
providing its customers.

WHY SVR4?

SVR4 merges the best features of  the  most  popular  versions  of  UNIX
(SunOS(TM),  Xenix,  BSD and System V), and thereby serves as a platform
for  unifying  the  UNIX  market.   Designed  specifically   for   high-
performance   network-based  applications,  SVR4  adds  a  wealth of new
capabilities such as symmetric multiprocessing with  multithreading,  to
"turbo-charge"  mission-critical  applications  such  as  databases  and
transaction processing.  SVR4 lets users get optimum performance out  of
their     hardware    and    software    resources,    offering    added
internationalization  capabilities,  security  enhancements  and   other
features to the UNIX environment.

According to UNIX International, more than 1,000 vendors  worldwide  are
shipping  SVR4-based products.  This list includes 983 software vendors,
62 hardware vendors and  42  distributors.   There  are  currently  more
than 2,300 applications using SVR4.

SVR4 offers distinct advantages  to  each  of  SMCC's  primary  customer
groups - developers,  end  users and system administrators.  It provides
them with the performance and features they need to do their  jobs  more
effectively  today,  and  will give them access to emerging technologies
such as multimedia and  object-oriented technology in  the  future.   In
essence,  SVR4  provides  customers  with  the  technology  base for the
advanced new products being developed by Sun Microsystems  companies  in
the coming years.

For Developers:  A Consistent ABI
---------------------------------
The unification of UNIX under the SVR4 platform means there  will  be  a
single,  consistent  Application  Binary  Interface  (ABI)  for software
developers, which assures them of more seats available for the  products
they  produce.   Because of the scalability of SVR4-compliant UNIX, many
different computers made by a variety of vendors-from PCs  to  mainframe
and  supercomputers-will be able to run SVR4 software, further expanding
the market.

Meanwhile, the ABI available for SPARC(R) assures developers that  their
applications  written  for SVR4 will run unchanged on SPARC systems from
any vendor.

For End Users: Interoperable, Easy-to-Use Applications
------------------------------------------------------
The SMCC SPARC platform has the largest compatible RISC application base
in  the  industry;  more  than  4,000 third-party products are currently
available.  With many software vendors now  standardizing  on  the  SVR4
platform, users are assured that they will continue to have a wide range
of applications to choose from.

SVR4 applications will be designed for distributed  computing,  allowing
more  users  to  conveniently  access  applications stored remotely from
their desktop computers.  And because the SVR4  ABI  lets  systems  from
different vendors work together, applications are interoperable from one
computer to the next.

For System Administrators: Access to GUI-Based Management,
Enhanced Security
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SVR4 includes many new services and utilities that will make the  system
administration task simpler.  For example, SVR4 contains an SNMP (Simple
Network Management Protocol)  agent,  which  allows  the  system  to  be
managed by any SNMP platform, including the SunNet(TM) Manager GUI-based
product.  SunNet Manager allows system  administrators  to  monitor  and
fault-check  systems on large, heterogeneous networks at a glance.  SVR4
also enhances UNIX security with features such as shadow password files,
password aging and auto-logout.

Access to Emerging Technologies
-------------------------------
Sun believes that SVR4 is the wave of the  future  in  part  because  it
offers  a  standard  platform  for  emerging  technologies  as  well  as
delivering increased internationalization capabilities.  Sun is actively
involved in continuously expanding the potential of SVR4 by working with
organizations such as UNIX International and UNIX System Laboratories to
enrich this standard operating system with new features and capabilities
that will meet the computing needs of the future.

IMPLEMENTING SVR4: THE SOLARIS DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING SOLUTION

UNIX was invented by AT&T's Bell Labs  more  than  20  years  ago.  Thus
AT&T's SVR4 is the product of all this experience and reflects the input
of developers, end users, system administrators and customers over  that
time.

Meanwhile, SunOS also benefits from the years of experience  with  UNIX.
This  mature,  stable,  tested  operating  system incorporates almost 10
years of refinement.  SunOS is at  the  heart  of  Solaris,  a  complete
operating environment that includes the tools and services users need to
take full advantage  of  their  computer  equipment.Solaris  comes  from
SunSoft,  another  operating unit of Sun Microsystems.  SMCC then ports,
tests, tunes and adds some features to this  environment  and  makes  it
available to its hardware customers.

Besides SunOS, Solaris contains ONC(R), a suite of  networking  products
and services (including NFS(R), the de facto standard for file sharing);
the OpenWindows(TM) windowing environment, which uses the  OPEN  LOOK(R)
graphical   interface;   and   the   DeskSet(TM)   desktop  productivity
applications.

Solaris is a tightly integrated suite of technologies and products  that
maximize  the  power  of UNIX, ease development and greatly simplify use
through an  intuitive  interface  that  brings  the  friendliness  of  a
personal computer to a high-performance workstation.

Timetable
---------
The joint Sun/AT&T development effort on SVR4, initiated  in  1987,  was
completed  in  1990,  and Sun has been moving toward SVR4-based SunOS as
its default operating system since that time.  Solaris 2.0,  which  will
contain this new version of SunOS, will be shipped in mid-1992.

THE MIGRATION PROCESS

SMCC recognizes that the migration process is a  demanding,  long-  term
project  for  most companies.  It can be an arduous, time- consuming and
potentially expensive proposition.   There  are  applications  to  port;
device  drivers,  driver/kernel  interfaces  and  windowing  systems  to
convert; new libraries to add; users to re- educate; and more.

There is no simple  way  to  state  how  the  migration  process  should
optimally    proceed    within    an   organization;   every   company's
circumstances-current compatibility status, numbers and types of systems
used,  etc.-are  all  different.   In general, however, the migration to
SVR4 should occur through a  carefully-planned process, moving from  one
area  of  technology or one department within an organization at a time.
SMCC calls this the "islands  of  migration"  approach.   Few,  if  any,
companies  will  find  it  expedient  to  complete  all their migration-
related projects contemporaneously.

SMCC has prepared exhaustive documentation on the migration -- including
the SunOS 4.1.1-to-Solaris 2.0 Migration and Compatibility Guide, a wide
range of  technical  white  papers  and  release  reports,  and  product
specifications--to facilitate the education process.

Migration Support Tools
-----------------------
SMCC has taken every step to assure that the  migration  process  is  as
nondisruptive   and   efficient   as   possible.   In  addition  to  the
documentation mentioned above, SMCC has also developed a "Migration Kit"
for  customers  that  contains  porting  tools for developers and system
administrators,  migration  planning  guides  and  documentation.    The
Migration  Kit will be available free of charge.  SMCC will also utilize
its existing porting centers to assist customers.

SMCC is establishing a new model in the industry  for  the  quality  and
breadth  of  its  porting  tools.   For  example,  the Pipeline Tool for
developers--part of the Migration Kit--is  particularly  user  friendly.
This   easy-to-use,  mouse-based  product  scans  application  code  for
standards compliance (with SVID-3 {System V  Interface  Definition}  and
SCD2.0  {SPARC  Compliance  Definition}) and recommends solutions to any
incompatibility it encounters.

In addition, SMCC has made key products needed in the migration  process
available  to  customers  in advance.  For example, OpenWindows 3.0, the
window system environment to be included under Solaris 2.0,   is   being
offered  today   so   that   companies   can   begin   the   process  of
converting their applications to run under SVR4's  OPEN  LOOK  graphical
user interface.

While SMCC supports users and resellers in their move to  SVR4,  SunSoft
has  a  program  to assist application vendors in this task. Solaris 2.0
Early Access, for the SPARC development environment, is now available to
SunSoft Catalyst developers.  Through this offer you receive Solaris 2.0
Early Access software and  tools  to  help  you  with  your  development
efforts.  SunSoft has designed a porting kit, has tools available and is
also including a predetermined number of hours of technical support.   A
porting hotline will be part of this effort.

SMCC will continue to support customers in their  migration  efforts  in
every  way  possible.  The first step, however, is up to them: they must
prepare their individualized migration strategy.  To  assist  with  this
effort, SMCC has defined the following basic framework for the migration
process-a  checklist  of  steps  that  typically  must  be   taken-which
customers can adapt to their situations.

THE MIGRATION CHECKLIST

The major porting effort for most applications will  involve  compliance
with  SVID-3  and  SCD  2.0.   Tools  for  this process are available to
simplify the transition.  SMCC  recommends  that  its  customers  follow
these steps:

1) Use SunOS 4.1.X as the starting point.
-----------------------------------------
SunOS 4.1.x creates a common source  base  for  4.1.x  and  Solaris  1.0
applications.   It  is  fully  SVID-2  compliant  and  95 percent SVID-3
compliant.   Tools  developers  need   to   create   Solaris   2.0-ready
applications  are available in SunOS 4.1.x versions, and a wide array of
third- party products round out the development environment.

2) Link to System V libraries.
------------------------------
System V is the default operating mode for Solaris, so by  linking  with
System  V  libraries,  customers  can ensure binary compatibility across
future  Solaris  releases.   The  adoption  of  System  V  libraries  is
simplified  by  the  use  of  the  previously  mentioned  Pipeline Tool,
available through SMCC.

3) Convert to OpenWindows 3.0.
------------------------------
OpenWindows Version 3.0 is the window system environment for the Solaris
2.0  platform.   OpenWindows  contains  the  merged  X11/NeWS(TM) window
system, the graphical OPEN LOOK user  interface  and  the  DeskSet  user
productivity  tools.   The drag-and-drop/cut-and-paste  functionality of
OPEN LOOK allows applications to interoperate with other applications on
the desktop with a consistent look and feel.  SunSoft's ToolTalk(TM) and
the OpenWindows Developer's Guide(TM),  available  through  SMCC,  allow
developers  to  quickly  and  easily  develop  and integrate OpenWindows
applications.

4) Dynamically link for improved portability.
---------------------------------------------
Dynamic linking allows standard library functions and system calls to be
linked   into  applications  at  run  time.   Unlike  statically  linked
programs, a dynamically linked executable file does not contain code for
all  of  the  functions  it calls.  Instead, the dynamic linker resolves
calls to standard (shared)  library  functions  at  run  time.   Because
system  calls can be implemented differently on different machines, this
separation of the application from the underlying system is crucial  for
conformance with the ABI.

5) Select an ANSI C strategy.
-----------------------------
A C compiler that complies with the ANSI C  standard  will  be  provided
with  Solaris 2.0.  This compiler will make migration easier by offering
varying degrees of ANSI compliance.  Customers will be  able  to  choose
Common C, with no ANSI C compliance; accept a mix of Common C and ANSI C
constructs; or fully comply with ANSI C, depending on their situation.

CONCLUSION

SVR4 is the standard UNIX solution customers  have  demanded  for  high-
performance, distributed computing.  Unlike so-called standard operating
systems promised by other vendors, SVR4 exists and is  available  today,
and  Sun's  implementation,  Solaris  2.0, will be available soon.  SMCC
has committed its future product strategy to the  Solaris  platform  and
has invested heavily in migration support tools  and  services  for  its
customers.  Solaris is the wave of the future, and SMCC will continue to
do  everything  possible  to  assure  that  customers  benefit  from its
potential.