REDWOOD SHORES and PALO ALTO, Calif., - December 14, 1998 -- Bolstering their
positions as Internet leaders, Oracle Corp. and Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced
an agreement to allow both companies to enhance their product offerings by exchanging
key technologies. The agreement permits Sun to combine components of the Oracle8iTM
Internet database into the SunTM SolarisTM operating environment to support Sun
middleware applications running high-volume Internet business applications. Oracle
will use the core of the Sun Solaris Operating environment to deliver the industry's
first database server appliances.
Specifically, the agreement allows both companies to distribute and support combined
offerings of the Oracle8i database and the Sun Solaris operating environment. The
non-exclusive agreement will allow Sun to provide its customers with highly scaleable
capabilities for Internet and e-commerce applications by leveraging combined Oracle
database technology. As a result, the Sun Solaris environment will feature enhanced
file storage, email, calendaring, directory, session information and system management
by taking advantage of database technology.
Oracle will use the Sun Solaris core with the Oracle8i Internet database for its
upcoming database server appliance, code-named Raw Iron. Sneak previewed by Larry
Ellison just over three weeks ago, Raw Iron is a low-cost, preconfigured database
appliance. By tightly integrating the operating environment core and the database,
Raw Iron will hide complexity and provide scaleable, database servers with low operational
costs.
"Today, nine of the top ten business e-commerce sites and ten of the top ten
consumer e-commerce sites are powered by Oracle," said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.
"Databases are the engines of Internet Commerce. The combination of Oracle8i
database and Solaris, the world's leading enterprise operating system, will provide
buyers with the benefit of technology integration while preserving the customers'
choice to use either of the products separately. Both Sun and Oracle believe that
technology innovation must not limit choice."
"Sun likes to work with market leaders. We went with the leader in online
networks, the leader in browser technology, and now we're teaming with Oracle, the
leader in enterprise class database solutions," said Sun CEO Scott McNealy.
"This is yet another move forward for Sun in building and enhancing our enterprise
software solutions to grow and cope with customer demands as they incorporate the
Internet and e-commerce into their business."
In addition to the exchange of core technologies, Oracle also announced that it
has selected the Sun Solaris environment as the inaugural operating system for its
soon to be launched Application hosting business, Oracle Business OnLine. The Solaris
operating environment with the added benefits of the Oracle8i database creates an
operating environment that is uniquely suited to support Internet based applications.
About Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is the world's leading supplier of software for information
management, and the world's second largest independent software company. With annual
revenues of more than $8.0 billion, the company offers its database, tools and application
products, along with related consulting, education, and support services, in more
than 145 countries around the world. For more information about Oracle, please
call 650/506-7000. Oracle's Worldwide Web address is (URL) http://www.oracle.com/.
About Sun Microsystems
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The ComputerTM,"
has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW), to its position as a leading
provider of high quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide
intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $10 billion in
annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide
Web at http://sun.com. @Macarlo, Inc. @Macarlo's Shareware & Web OS/2 Java Lobby Member
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