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SPARCstation was the name given to a series of SPARC-based computer workstations developed and sold by Sun Microsystems. The SPARCserver series comprised desktop, deskside (pedestal) and rackmount server models. The desktop SPARCservers were effectively the same as the equivalent SPARCstation models, but intended as servers and hence usually headless (i.e. lacked video cards). For example, the SPARCstation 20 and SPARCserver 20 were almost identical in motherboard, CPU, case design and most other hardware specifications. Conversely, some of the deskside SPARCservers were also available in workstation configuration as SPARCstations.
The first SPARCstation was the SPARCstation 1 (also known as the Sun 4/60), introduced in 1989. The series was very popular and introduced the Sun-4c architecture; this was a variant of the Sun-4 architecture previously introduced in the Sun 4/260. Thanks in part to the delay in the development of more modern processors from Motorola, the SPARCstation series was very successful across the entire industry. The last model bearing the SPARCstation name was the SPARCstation 20. The series was replaced by the Sun Ultra series in 1995.
Most desktop SPARCstations and SPARCservers shipped in either "pizzabox" or "lunchbox" enclosures, making them easily identifiable from other Sun computers. The SPARCstation 1, 2, 4, 5, 10 and 20 were "pizzabox" machines. The SPARCstation SLC and ELC were integrated into Sun monochrome monitor enclosures, and the SPARCstation IPC, IPX, SPARCclassic, SPARCclassic X and SPARCstation LX were "lunchbox" machines.
SPARCserver models ending in "30" or "70" were housed in deskside pedestal enclosures (respectively 5-slot and 12-slot VMEbus chassis); models ending in "90" and the SPARCcenter 2000 came in rackmount cabinet enclosures. The SPARCserver 1000's form-factor was a large rack-mountable desktop unit.
Later versions of the SPARCstation series, such as the SPARCstation 10 and 20, could be configured as multiprocessor systems as they were based on the MBus high-speed bus and could accept multiple central processing units packaged in MBus modules.
Until the launch of the SPARCstation 10, all SPARCstation/server models were also assigned Sun 4-series model numbers. Later models received S-prefix model numbers.
Pizza-box Machines
| Name | Model | Codename | Platform | CPU | CPU MHz | RAM (MAX) | Announced | End of Sales | End of Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPARCstation 1 | 4/60 | Campus | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86901A LSI L64801 | 20 MHz | 64 MB | May 1999 | ||
| SPARCstation 1+ | 4/65 | Campus B | sun4c | LSI L64801 | 25 MHz | 64 MB | May 1999 | ||
| SPARCstation 2 | 4/75 | Calvin | sun4c | Cypress CY7C601 | 40 MHz | 128 MB | Dec 1999 | ||
| SPARCstation 10 | S10 | Campus-2 | sun4m | SuperSPARC I/II | 33, 36, 40, 50, 60, 75 MHz | 512 MB | May 1992 | Oct 1994 | Oct 1999 |
| SPARCstation 5 | S5 | Aurora | sun4m | microSPARC II TurboSPARC | 70, 85, 110, 170 MHz | 256 MB | Dec 1998 | ||
| SPARCstation 20 | S20 | Kodiak | sun4m | SuperSPARC I/II hyperSPARC | 50, 60, 75, 100, 125, 150 MHz | 512 MB | Sep 1997 | ||
| SPARCstation 4 | S4 | Perigee | sun4m | microSPARC II | 70, 85, 110 MHz | 160 MB | Jul 1997 | ||
| SPARC Xterminal 1 | S114 | Perigee | sun4m | microSPARC | 50 MHz | 128 MB |
Lunchbox Machines
| Name | Model | Codename | Platform | CPU | CPU MHz | RAM (MAX) | Announced | End of Sales | End of Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPARCstation IPC | 4/40 | Phoenix | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86901A LSI L64801 | 25 MHz | 48 MB | Dec 1999 | ||
| SPARCstation IPX | 4/50 | Hobbes | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86903 Weitek W8701 | 40 MHz | 64 MB | May 2000 | ||
| SPARCclassic | 4/15 | Sunergy | sun4m | microSPARC | 50 MHz | 96 MB | Nov 1992 | May 1995 | May 2000 |
| SPARCstation LX | 4/30 | Sunergy | sun4m | microSPARC | 50 MHz | 96 MB | Nov 1992 / Aug 1993 | Jul 1994 | Jul 1999 |
| SPARCstation ZX | 4/30 | Sunergy | sun4m | microSPARC | 50 MHz | 96 MB | Aug 1993 | March 1994 | |
| SPARCclassic X | 4/10 | Hamlet | sun4m | microSPARC | 50 MHz | 96 MB | Nov 1992 | May 1995 | May 2000 |
Integrated Monitor Machines
| Name | Model | Codename | Platform | CPU | CPU MHz | RAM (MAX) | Announced | End of Sales | End of Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPARCstation SLC | 4/20 | Off-Campus | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86901A LSI L64801 | 20 MHz | 16 MB | Nov 1996 | ||
| SPARCstation ELC | 4/25 | Node Warrior | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86903 Weitek W8701 | 33 MHz | 64 MB | Oct 1998 | ||
| SPARCstation Voyager | S240 | Gypsy | sun4m | microSPARC II | 60 MHz | 80 MB | Mar 1994 | Dec 1995 | Dec 2000 |
Enterprise (Server) Systems
| Name | Model | Codename | Platform | CPU | CPU MHz | RAM (MAX) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPARCserver 330 | 4/330 | Stingray | sun4 | Cypress CY7C601 | 25 MHz | 72 MB |
| SPARCserver 370 | 4/370 | Stingray | sun4 | Cypress CY7C601 | 25 MHz | 72 MB |
| SPARCserver 390 | 4/390 | Stingray | sun4 | Cypress CY7C601 | 25 MHz | 72 MB |
| SPARCserver 470 | 4/470 | Sunray | sun4 | Cypress CY7C601 | 33 MHz | 96 MB |
| SPARCserver 490 | 4/490 | Sunray | sun4 | Cypress CY7C601 | 33 MHz | 96 MB |
| SPARCserver 630MP | 4/630 | Galaxy | sun4m | Cypress CY7C601, SuperSPARC I | 40, 50, 60 MHz | 1 GB |
| SPARCserver 670MP | 4/670 | Galaxy | sun4m | Cypress CY7C601, SuperSPARC I | 40, 50, 60 MHz | 1 GB |
| SPARCserver 690MP | 4/690 | Galaxy | sun4m | Cypress CY7C601, SuperSPARC I | 40, 50, 60 MHz | 1 GB |
| SPARCserver 1000/1000E | S1000 | Scorpion | sun4d | SuperSPARC I/II | 40, 50, 60, 85 MHz | 2 GB |
| SPARCcenter 2000/2000E | S2000 | Dragon | sun4d | SuperSPARC I/II | 40, 50, 60, 85 MHz | 5 GB |
Note that the above configurations were those supported by Sun Microsystems. Various third-party processor upgrades were available for SPARCstation/server systems, most notably Ross hyperSPARC MBus modules rated at clock speeds up to 200 MHz. As mentioned above, some models listed as SPARCstations were also available in SPARCserver configuration and vice versa.
External links
"SPARCstation"