Web Hosting Provider, Sun, Highlights New Networking Resources Platform

San Francisco, California - (The Hosting News) - April 15, 2008 - Technology firm and web hosting provider, Sun Microsystems, Inc., recently revealed a research and development project, intended to provide a hosting platform for delivering Internet-based services.

Project Caroline was on the agenda of a Sun Labs Open House which took place at Sun offices in Menlo Park, California. The platform comprises a programmatically configurable pool of virtualized compute, storage, and networking resources, according to Sun. The Project Caroline Web page states that the project is designed to serve an emerging market of small and medium-sized SaaS providers.

According to information released by the company: ''Anticipating needs driven by new SaaS business models and processes, Project Caroline helps SaaS providers develop services rapidly using high-level programming languages like the Java programming language, Ruby, Python, and Perl to update in-production services frequently and to automatically flex their use of platform resources to match changing runtime demands.''

Services can programmatically allocate, monitor, and control virtualized compute, storage, and networking resources via Project Caroline. Interfaces are featured for managing platform resources. Developers can build services that update and flex platform resources usage. Project Caroline resources are exposed via high-level abstractions, including virtual machines, networks, and network-accessible file systems and databases. A horizontally scaled pool of distributed resources is presented as a single system to provide developers with a unified platform for allocating and controlling resources.

Also on the Open House agenda were e OMS, pertaining to a royalty-free media system; Project Live, approaching software distribution and configuration by combining the firmware model with customization; and the Lively Kernel project for Web programming. Other agenda items included: Project Wonderland, an open-source toolkit for building 3D virtual worlds for business and education collaboration; Project Darkstar, which is a gaming server; and Project MiRTLE (Mixed Reality Teaching and Learning Environment).

Sun began offering web hosting services, based upon the Solaris 10 Operating System, and Sun systems and storage, through a partnership with Joyent and NaviSite. The offer is available for eligible U.S. based members of the Sun Startup Essentials program, designed to help early-stage companies get to market more quickly on Sun's enterprise- class technologies at a cost that fits their needs to conserve cash.

The hosting requirements of Web 2.0 and Internet Services startups typically differ from those of traditionally established companies, due to their increased need to grow and expand services with fluctuating customer demands. Sun is working closely with Joyent and NaviSite to help address these requirements and is now able to offer these emerging companies all the advantages of the extremely flexible and scalable Solaris 10 OS based infrastructure.

In addition to offering deeply discounted servers, storage and services to Web 2.0 and early-stage companies, the Sun Startup Essentials program also offers free technical advice via email and access to free software, such as Apache, MySQL and Perl (AMP), Ruby on Rails optimized to run on the Solaris 10 OS. The program also offers eligible companies the option of reduced price web hosting services through Sun partners including Joyent, Layered Technologies and NaviSite.

Joyent and NaviSite are using Solaris Container virtualization technology, part of the Solaris 10 OS, the most advanced OS on the planet, to deliver the secure and high-performance infrastructure to help deploy next-generation web applications that can scale based on demand. Sun's partners also provide value-add services to manage and monitor their hosted environments. With highly flexible hosting offerings, customers can choose to start with a small capacity and grow flexibly as their business and community grows.

The Sun Startup Essentials program is designed to help eligible U.S. based startup companies get to market faster while conserving cash. The program offers its members a range of discounted Sun products and services, including its award-winning Sun Fire x64 servers and Sun Fire servers with CoolThreads technology, and Sun's select StorageTek line of products, including modular disk arrays, NAS and tape storage products.

In addition to offering products and services to eligible U.S. based members, Sun also is offering free technical advice via email and access to free software such as Apache, MySQL and Perl (AMP) optimized to run on the Solaris 10 OS. Program members can also select the web hosting infrastructure from Sun partners based on Sun technologies along with services they need, in case they choose not to build and operate the infrastructure themselves. Sun develops technologies designed to power comprehensive markets, in more than 100 countries.

To learn more about Sun's web hosting program, please visit: www.sun.com/startupessentials.

For more information about Sun, please visit: http://sun.com.