SPARCstation 5
| File:Sun Microsystems logo.svg Sun Microsystems logo | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | February 24, 1982 in Santa Clara, California, United States |
| Founder | Vinod Khosla, Andy Bechtolsheim, Bill Joy, Scott McNealy |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California , United States |
| Products | SPARCstation series (including SPARCstation 5) |
| Website | www |
SPARCstation 5 (also known by its codename Aurora) is a workstation developed by Sun Microsystems as part of their SPARCstation series. Introduced on March 29, 1994, its price ranged from US$3,995 up to US$11,395 (which corresponds to roughly $18,495–$57,995 in 2025 currency). Designed as an affordable successor to the 1992 SPARCclassic, it utilizes the sun4m architecture and is enclosed within a pizza-box style case. Additionally, Sun released a SPARCserver 5 model that lacked a framebuffer.
A more basic variant, the SPARCstation 4, was launched in February 1995. Both models were also sold under the "Netra" brand name as preconfigured web server systems without framebuffers or keyboards. The SPARCstation 5 achieved remarkable commercial success, becoming the fastest-selling Unix workstation at that time, with sales reaching 100,000 units in just nine months and exceeding 400,000 units throughout its production period. Its successor, the Ultra 5, was released in January 1998.
Processor support
The SPARCstation 5 is compatible with Sun Microsystems' microSPARC-II CPUs running at 70, 85, or 110 MHz, as well as a Fujitsu Microelectronics (FMI) TurboSPARC processor clocked at 170 MHz. Fujitsu also provided a TurboSPARC CPU Upgrade Kit operating at 160 MHz for earlier microSPARC-II based units. Due to the absence of an MBus slot, this system supports only single-processor configurations.
Memory
Equipped with eight DSIMM slots, the SPARCstation 5 can accommodate up to 256 MB of RAM using either 8 MB or 32 MB memory modules. Its memory architecture is compatible with that of the SPARCstation 4.
Storage
Internally, it supports two fast-narrow SCSI drives using 80-pin SCA connectors and single-ended signaling. The system also includes provisions for a SCSI CD-ROM drive and floppy disk drive. While external SCSI peripherals are supported, IDE/ATAPI devices are not compatible.
Networking
The workstation features an integrated AMD Lance ethernet chipset providing standard 10BASE-T connectivity and supports additional networking standards such as 10BASE2 and 10BASE5 through an AUI transceiver. For enhanced network speeds, a 10/100 Mbit/s hme network interface card can be installed. Network booting capabilities are enabled via RARP and TFTP protocols through the OpenBoot ROM. System-specific data including MAC address and serial number are stored in NVRAM; if the NVRAM battery fails, booting is prevented until reprogramming occurs.
Expansion and graphics
The design incorporates three SBus expansion slots typical for Sun hardware of this period. The third slot shares its location with a distinctive AFX connector unique to the SPARCstation 5 model. Only one expansion card—the S24 or TCX framebuffer—was produced for this port, delivering true 24-bit color graphics compared to the standard 8-bit output of the SBus CG6 (known as LEGO) framebuffer card.
SPARCstation 4
The SPARCstation 4 (code-named Perigee) debuted on February 6, 1995, as an economical alternative succeeding the SPARCclassic, priced at US$3,995. It employs the same microSPARC-II processors available at speeds of 70, 85, or 110 MHz as found in the SPARCstation 5 but offers only one SBus expansion slot rather than three. Storage is limited to a single 1.05 GB hard drive with maximum memory capacity capped at 160 MB across five DSIMM slots.
Unlike the SPARCstation 5’s integrated audio subsystem, this model requires an optional audio card installed in a separate slot. Graphics are handled by an onboard pixel-accelerated adapter (the TCX) supporting up to 8-bit color and resolutions reaching 1152×900 pixels—or up to 1280×1024 when paired with optional VSIMM memory modules. A new lower-cost 17-inch monitor option was introduced alongside this system. Notably absent is the AFX graphics connector found on the SPARCstation 5.
Ethernet connectivity on the SPARCstation 4 includes a standard AUI connector, differing from the non-standard cable requirement seen on the SPARCstation 5.
This model marked the final entry in the SPARCstation product line before being replaced by the Ultra series of UltraSPARC-based workstations in November 1995.
SPARC Xterminal 1
The SPARC Xterminal 1 utilized the identical chassis as the SPARCstation 4 and was promoted as an X terminal lacking onboard storage. In contrast to the previous SPARCclassic X, it was equipped with a less powerful 50 MHz microSPARC CPU and allowed memory upgrades from 8 MB up to 128 MB via four DSIMM slots, whereas the workstation supported up to 160 MB.
Rather than running Solaris, both the SPARC Xterminal 1 and SPARCclassic X operated specialized network-based software. Sun provided an enhancement kit that transformed these devices into full workstations by swapping the motherboard for one from a SPARCstation 4, adding a hard disk, and increasing memory capacity.
Operating systems
The SPARCstation 5 is compatible with the following operating systems:
- SunOS version 4.1.3_U1B and later
- Solaris editions from 2.3 Edition II through Solaris 9
- Linux (noting some compatibility challenges on TurboSPARC models)
- MirBSD/sparc
- NetBSD/sparc
- OpenBSD/sparc
- NeXTSTEP (TurboSPARC models are unsupported)
- OPENSTEP/Mach (TurboSPARC models are unsupported)
External links
- Obsolyte: SPARCstation 5
- Parts List for SPARCstation 5
- "Sun AFX bus speeds graphics", discussing AFX bus and graphics cards in Electronic News