The SPARCstation, SPARCserver and SPARCcenter product lines were a series of SPARC-based computer workstations and servers in desktop, deskside (pedestal) and rack-based form factor developed and sold by Sun Microsystems
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, 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.
Desktop and deskside SPARCstations and SPARCservers of the same model number were essentially identical systems: the only difference being that systems designated as servers were usually "headless" (that is, configured without a graphics card and monitor), and sold with a "server" rather than a "desktop" OS license. For example, the SPARCstation 20 and SPARCserver 20 were almost identical in motherboard, CPU, case design and most other hardware specifications.
Most desktop SPARCstations and SPARCservers shipped in either "pizzabox" or "lunchbox" enclosures, a significant departure from earlier Sun and competing systems of the time. 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. These systems could accept one or two single or dual central processing units packaged in MBus modules.
Until the launch of the SPARCserver 600MP series, all SPARCstation/server models were also assigned Sun 4-series model numbers. Later models received S-prefix model numbers.
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Models are listed within their category in approximately chronological order.
| Name | Model | Codename | Platform | CPU | CPU MHz | RAM (MAX) | Announced | End of Sales | End of Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPARCstation 1 | 4/60 | Campus | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86901A or LSI L64801 | 20 MHz | 64 MB | 1989 | May 1999 | |
| SPARCstation 1+ | 4/65 | Campus B | sun4c | LSI L64801 | 25 MHz | 64 MB | 1989 | May 1999 | |
| SPARCstation 2 | 4/75 | Calvin | sun4c | Cypress CY7C601 | 40 MHz | 128 MB | 1990 | Dec 1999 | |
| SPARCstation 10 | S10 | Campus-2 | sun4m | SuperSPARC I/II or hyperSPARC | 33, 36, 40, 50, 60, 75, 80, 90, 100, 125, 150, 180, 200 MHz | 512 MB | May 1992 | Oct 1994 | Oct 1999 |
| SPARCstation 5 | S5 | Aurora | sun4m | microSPARC II or TurboSPARC | 70, 85, 110, 170 MHz | 256 MB | 1994 | Dec 1998 | |
| SPARCstation 20 | S20 | Kodiak | sun4m | SuperSPARC I/II or hyperSPARC | 50, 60, 75, 90, 100, 125, 150, 180, 200 MHz | 512 MB | 1994 | Sep 1997 | |
| SPARCstation 4 | S4 | Perigee | sun4m | microSPARC II | 70, 85, 110 MHz | 160 MB | 1995 | Jul 1997 | |
| SPARC Xterminal 1 | S114 | Perigee | sun4m | microSPARC | 50 MHz | 128 MB | March 1995 |
| Name | Model | Codename | Platform | CPU | CPU MHz | RAM (MAX) | Announced | End of Sales | End of Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPARCstation IPC | 4/40 | Phoenix | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86901A or LSI L64801 | 25 MHz | 48 MB | 1990 | Dec 1999 | |
| SPARCstation IPX | 4/50 | Hobbes | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86903 or Weitek W8701 | 40 MHz | 64 MB | 1991 | May 2000 | |
| SPARCclassic [Note 1] | 4/15 | Sunergy | sun4m | microSPARC | 50 MHz | 128 MB | Nov 1992 | May 1995 | May 2000 |
| SPARCstation LX | 4/30 | Sunergy | sun4m | microSPARC | 50 MHz | 128 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 |
| 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 or LSI LSIS1C0007 | 20 MHz | 16 MB | Nov 1996 | ||
| SPARCstation ELC | 4/25 | Node Warrior | sun4c | Fujitsu MB86903 or 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 |
| 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 | S630 | Galaxy | sun4m | Up to four Cypress CY7C601 or SuperSPARC I | 40, 50, 60 MHz | 1 GB |
| SPARCserver 670MP | S670 | Galaxy | sun4m | Up to four Cypress CY7C601 or SuperSPARC I | 40, 50, 60 MHz | 2.5 GB |
| SPARCserver 690MP | S690 | Galaxy | sun4m | Up to four Cypress CY7C601 or SuperSPARC I | 40, 50, 60 MHz | 3.5 GB |
| SPARCserver 1000/1000E | S1000 | Scorpion | sun4d | Up to eight SuperSPARC I/II | 40, 50, 60, 85 MHz | 2 GB |
| SPARCcenter 2000/2000E | S2000 | Dragon | sun4d | Up to 20 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, for instance the 80 MHz Weitek POWER μP for the SPARCstation 2 or IPX, or the 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.
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