Microsoft and Sun Expand Strategic Alliance, Including IPTV

Microsoft and Sun Microsystems agreed to enable deployment of Windows Server on Sun x64 systems. Specifically, Sun will offer Windows Server on its x64 hardware and will provide additional utilities and value-added software offerings to server systems carrying Windows Server. Windows Server 2003 will be available on Sun x64 systems within 90 days.

The companies also agreed to work together to ensure that Solaris runs well as a guest on Microsoft virtualization technologies and that Windows Server runs well as a guest on Sun’s virtualization technologies.

In addition, Sun and Microsoft will continue to collaborate to advance the worldwide deployment of the Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV and multimedia platform on Sun servers and storage systems.

The companies said the new agreement builds on the initial cooperation pact initiated in April 2004. Since then, Microsoft and Sun have collaborated on interoperability for Web services, identity management, thin clients, systems management and Windows Server engineering.

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• In July 2007, AT&T selected use Sun Microsystems’ servers and modular arrays for its U-verse IPTV service. Specifically, AT&T decided to deploy Sun Fire X4600 servers and Sun StorageTek storage arrays, which will provide access to the U-verse TV Video-on-Demand library.
  The servers and arrays will be rolled out in new deployments of IP-video super hub offices and IP-video hub offices in the AT&T U-verse network. The AT&T solution from Sun will also include Sun Fire X4500 servers, which combine the performance of a four-way Sun x64 server and the highest storage density available.

  AT&T U-verse digital TV offering has chosen Sun for one of world’s largest deployments of the Microsoft Mediaroom platform, which includes server and client software.