Sun Microsystems Inc. next week plans to announce an ambitious initiative, informally called N1, that's aimed at helping companies better utilize their data center computing resources while reducing systems management complexity.
At its SunNetwork 2002 user conference in San Francisco, the company will also disclose details about an emerging desktop Linux initiative and new IT security software. But N1 is the top priority on the SunNetwork agenda, according to Sun officials.
N1 is Sun's code name for a set of software and hardware that's aimed at giving IT managers the ability to dynamically allocate hardware, software, storage and network technologies to support distributed applications -- or services, as Sun is now calling them.
"The idea is that N1 will match an application, or service, with the correct resources that will optimally handle that workload," said Tony Iams, an analyst at D.H. Brown Associates Inc. in Port Chester, N.Y.
Instead of permanently tying an application to a specific set of IT equipment, the N1 offering is designed to let users shift resources as processing needs fluctuate, Iams said. IT managers will also be able to set resource usage prioritization policies to govern the allocation process, he added.
News source: ComputerWorld - Systems utilization tops SunNetwork agenda
