Sun have made some headlines in recent months through the release of their Ultra 20 workstation and a number of new servers based on the AMD CPUs. For some this is seen as major change of direction for a company that is well known for the use (and continued interest and development) of the SPARC (Scalable Processor Architecture) CPU. With so many new machines being based on the AMD CPU it will be surprising to some that Sun’s new mobile units are based on SPARC technology.

The Sun Ultra 3 Mobile Workstation is based an 64-bit UltraSPARC CPU. There are two main models, a 15” unit that comes with a UltraSPARC IIi CPU at 550 or 650MHz, and a 17” model with a 1.2GHz UltraSPARC IIIi CPU. Both are standard CPUs—these are not cut down or restricted versions designed to work within a laptop—and that is a key parameter for identifying the target market for the unit.

The 17” Workstation

Each mobile workstation supports up to 2GB DDR ECC SDRAM—unusual for a laptop, but common in the equivalent desktop and server environments on which the mobile workstation is based. The RAM is backed up by up to 80GB of hard drive storage and a full range of ports, including Gigabit Ethernet (100Mbps on the UltraSPARC IIi models), four USB ports (2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 1.1), PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse and two serial ports (RS-422). The unit also includes a set of stereo speakers and full-audio capability with microphone and line in and dual headphone sockets through a set of four jacks on the back of the unit. Wireless networking at 11Mbps (802.11b) is also available as an option.

The displays are either a 15” unit at 1400x1050 or a 17” widescreen unit at 1440x900. The displays are coupled to the mobile equivalent of a high-performance 2D graphics card supporting 24-bit colour. For a Sun workstation the lack of 3D support is unusual, but there are obvious limitations to supporting high-end 3D hardware in a unit that is tightly packed with enough heat-generating electronics as it is. You can also connect the unit up to a monitor through the standard VGA connector on the rear.

The CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive is a useful addition, and it has the added bonus that the drive can be used independently of the computer for audio playback. A set of buttons on the front left of the unit are used to control the drive. Also on the front, on the right hand side, is a smart-card reader slot which works with Sun’s security software to enable authorized use and network authentication only by those with a suitable smart-card.

The 17” Workstation, closed

Prices range from $3400 for a basic, UltraSPARC IIi/15” model up to over $9000 for the UltraSPARC IIIi/17” model. I tested a 17” unit with 1GB of RAM, the UltraSPARC IIIi CPU and a 60GB hard drive, just below the top end of the scale.

First impressions

What probably isn’t clear from the specifications is the size of the mobile workstation. It dwarfs my Sony Vaio with a 15” display. It even makes my 17” Powerbook feel svelte and handy by comparison. The Ultra 3 Mobile Workstation is slightly wider and deeper than the Powerbook, and over 1.5” thick. There is also a fairly large power brick when you want to power the unit from the wall.

Big it may be, but it is a lot smaller than a comparable Ultra IIIi desktop unit, and it comes with a handy built-in display!

However, you shouldn’t judge everything by its outer dimensions or appearance. It is the components under the hood that make the difference. The Ultra 3 Mobile Workstation isn’t marketed as a laptop. In fact, I’ve had my wrist slapped on that count a couple of times. The correct description for the unit is in the title—“mobile workstation”. And that is exactly what you are getting. Big it may be, but it is a lot smaller than a comparable Ultra IIIi desktop unit, and it comes with a handy built-in display!

To get the level of power that is on offer within this unit would be difficult, even when looking at some of the “desktop replacement” units available within the Intel/AMD space. Actually, a desktop unit with the configuration of this workstation would be impressive. In a portable unit it is astounding. And key to that power is the Ultra IIIi CPU.

The use of a SPARC CPU in a laptop is not new—Tadpole have been producing laptops based around different SPARC processors for many years. The main appeal with this unit is the full-blown, 64-bit, CPU—normally only found in a workstation or server that has been squeezed into a portable form factor.

Software and binary compatibility

The UltraSPARC CPU provides full binary compatibility between your laptop and SPARC-based server environments. The unit comes with a standard version of Solaris 10 installed and therefore includes the Sun Java Desktop System and Gnome for the user interface. Also included is a suite of software designed to aid developers, including Sun Studio 10, Studio Enterprise and Studio Creator.

You can also see a market for this unit from users moving in the other direction—the execution of existing applications in a mobile environment. The SPARC CPU is frequently used within military and government departments. Having a mobile unit that is binary compatible with existing applications and environment would save on redevelopment costs. I can also imagine a workstation like this being used in environments where server power is required in a portable size, for example as a server for trade shows or for use in training environments.

You get the distinct impression though that Sun see their key market as developers who want a portable, binary compatible, workstation for developing Solaris software

You get the distinct impression though that Sun see their key market as developers who want a portable, binary compatible, workstation for developing Solaris software. This is probably best demonstrated by the software bundle included with the laptop. The large screen makes it easy to work with multiple documents and the resulting code you develop can be executed on SPARC based servers without any recompilation or changes required.