SunPCi
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Predecessor | SunPC |
| Products | Single-board computers integrating PC motherboards into Sun workstations |
| Parent | Sun Microsystems |
SunPCi represents a lineup of single-board computers designed to integrate PC motherboards into Sun Microsystems SPARC-based workstations through the PCI bus. This integration allows these workstations to operate as IBM PC compatible machines. Each SunPCi card includes an x86 CPU, memory, expansion interfaces, and built-in graphics capabilities, enabling a full Wintel operating environment to function within a Solaris host. The SunPCi software running on Solaris emulates PC disk drives and presents PC applications inside an X window on the native desktop, with the option to connect an independent PC monitor.
History
SunPCi was developed to overcome compatibility issues encountered by Unix workstation users when exchanging files with Microsoft Windows PCs. Although software emulators were available by 2000, they typically suffered from limited speed and responsiveness. The adoption of PCI bus architecture in Sun workstations made hardware-based solutions practical.
These cards followed the earlier SunPC models designed for Sun's SBus or VME platforms. Initially, Sun relied on a purely software approach using the application binary interface and DOS emulator named Wabi. The introduction of SunPC brought enhanced performance by incorporating an x86 hardware accelerator. In 1992, Sun launched the SunPC Accelerator SX (16 MHz 486SX) and DX (25 MHz 486DX) for SBus systems. This accelerator was necessary to run Windows versions requiring 80386 or 80486 CPUs; otherwise, SunPC emulated an 80286 processor through software. By 1997, a 133 MHz 5x86 AMD SBus co-processor became available.
The Ultra 5 workstation debuted in November 1998 with an optional SunPCi card supporting Windows 95 or NT. By 1999, Ultra 5 models came equipped with SunPCi cards powered by a 300 MHz AMD K6-2 processor and between 64 and 256 MB of RAM. Although performance lagged approximately 40% behind comparable desktop PCs, this solution offered cost savings compared to purchasing separate systems. Reviews emphasized its competitive pricing and satisfactory performance for business use, particularly when employing a dedicated monitor linked directly to the SunPCi card. Noted drawbacks included the necessity for separate Windows licenses and slower MS-DOS disk driver speeds.
In 2000, the SunPCi II featuring a 600 MHz processor was introduced, followed by version 2.2 of its software in 2001 which supported multiple accelerator cards within a single workstation or entry-level Sun Enterprise server. By 2005, the SunPCi IIIpro was released for platforms such as the Sun Blade 150.
Hardware
Sun characterized the coprocessor card as a fully functional PC constructed from standard PC components, conforming to established PC hardware architecture standards.
| Model | CPU type | Clock speed | Part number |
|---|---|---|---|
| SunPCi | AMD K6-2 | 300 MHz | 375-0075 |
| SunPCi | AMD K6-2 | 400 MHz | 375-0095 |
| SunPCi II | 600 MHz | 375-0131 | |
| SunPCi IIpro | 733 MHz | 375-3051 | |
| SunPCi III | 1.4 GHz | 375-3116 | |
| SunPCi IIIpro | 1.6 GHz | 375-3203 |
Software
The SunPCi I coprocessor, equipped with version 1.3 software, is compatible with Solaris versions 2.5.1 through 8 on the host system. Support for Solaris 9 was introduced alongside the SunPCi II hardware and version 2.3.1 software. While the SunPCi III operates on Solaris 10 with the application of patches, this capability is not available for the SunPCi II.
Originally created to run Windows 95 or NT, these cards were designed with a PC architecture that anticipated compatibility with upcoming Windows releases. The officially supported operating systems for the SunPCi IIIpro include:
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional and Server
- Microsoft Windows XP
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003
- Red Hat 9 Personal/Professional
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 WS/ES
Additionally, users have successfully utilized other operating systems on select SunPCi cards, such as NetBSD and Debian Linux.
See also
- Sun386i, Intel-based workstation developed by Sun Microsystems