View source for Sun-4

{{Short description|Series of Unix workstations and servers}}
'''Sun-4''' is a series of [[Unix]] [[workstation]]s and [[server (computing)|server]]s produced by [[Sun Microsystems]], launched in 1987. The original Sun-4 series were [[VMEbus]]-based systems similar to the earlier [[Sun-3]] series, but employing [[microprocessor]]s based on Sun's own [[SPARC]] V7 [[RISC]] architecture in place of the [[68k]] family processors of previous Sun models.
Sun 4/280 was a base system used for building an early [[RAID]] prototype.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Berkeley Hardware Prototypes|url=https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~pattrsn/Arch/prototypes2.html|access-date=2021-10-27|website=people.eecs.berkeley.edu}}</ref>
== Models ==
Models are listed in approximately chronological order.
:{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Model
!Codename
!CPU board
!CPU
!CPU MHz
!Max. RAM
!Chassis
|-
|'''4/260'''
|Sunrise
|Sun 4200
|[[Fujitsu]] SF9010 IU,<br>[[Weitek]] 1164/1165 FPU
|16.67&nbsp;MHz
|128 MB
|12-slot VME (deskside)
|-
|'''4/280'''
|Sunrise
|Sun 4200
|Fujitsu SF9010 IU,<br>Weitek 1164/1165 FPU
|16.67&nbsp;MHz
|128 MB
|12-slot VME (rackmount)
|-
|'''4/110'''
|Cobra
|Sun 4100
|Fujitsu [[MB86900]] IU,<br>Weitek 1164/1165 FPU<br>(optional)
|14.28&nbsp;MHz
|32 MB
|3-slot VME (desktop/side)
|-
|'''4/150'''
|Cobra
|Sun 4100
|Fujitsu [[MB86900]] IU,<br>Weitek 1164/1165 FPU<br>(optional)
|14.28&nbsp;MHz
|32 MB
|6-slot VME (deskside)
|-
|'''4/310'''
|Stingray
|Sun 4300
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|25&nbsp;MHz
|32 MB
|3-slot VME (desktop/side)
|-
|'''4/330'''
|Stingray
|Sun 4300
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|25&nbsp;MHz
|96 MB
|3-slot VME w 2 memory slots (deskside)
|-
|'''4/350'''
|Stingray
|Sun 4300
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|25&nbsp;MHz
|224 MB
|5-slot VME (desktop/side)
|-
|'''4/360'''
|Stingray
|Sun 4300
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|25&nbsp;MHz
|224 MB
|12-slot VME (deskside)
|-
|'''4/370'''
|Stingray
|Sun 4300
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|25&nbsp;MHz
|224 MB
|12-slot VME (deskside)
|-
|'''4/380'''
|Stingray
|Sun 4300
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|25&nbsp;MHz
|224 MB
|12-slot VME (rackmount)
|-
|'''4/390'''
|Stingray
|Sun 4300
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|25&nbsp;MHz
|224 MB
|16-slot VME (rackmount)
|-
|'''4/470'''
|Sunray
|Sun 4400
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|33&nbsp;MHz
|768 MB
|16-slot VME (deskside)
|-
|'''4/490'''
|Sunray
|Sun 4400
|[[Cypress Semiconductor]] CY7C601,<br>[[Texas Instruments]] 8847 FPU
|33&nbsp;MHz
|768 MB
|12-slot VME (rackmount)
|}
In 1989, Sun dropped the "Sun-4" name for marketing purposes in favor of the [[SPARCstation]] and SPARCserver brands for new models, although early SPARCstation/server models were also assigned Sun-4-series model numbers. For example, the [[SPARCstation 1]] was also known as the Sun 4/60. This practice was phased out with the introduction of the SPARCserver 600MP series in 1991. The term ''Sun-4''  continued to be used in an engineering context to identify the basic hardware architecture of all SPARC-based Sun systems.
Sun 4/110, 4/150, 4/260 and 4/280 systems upgraded with the Sun 4300 CPU board (as used in the SPARCserver 300 series) were referred to as the '''4/310''', '''4/350''', '''4/360''' and '''4/380''' respectively.
==Sun-4 architecture==
The Sun-4 ''architecture'' refers to the VME-based architecture described above and used in the Sun 4/100, 4/200, SPARCserver 300 and SPARCserver 400 ranges. Sun-4 support was included in [[SunOS]] 3.2 onwards and [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]] 2.1 to 2.4. [[OpenBSD]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.openbsd.org/sparc.html|title=OpenBSD/sparc|website=OpenBSD}}</ref> and [[NetBSD]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.netbsd.org/ports/sparc/|title=NetBSD/sparc|website=NetBSD wiki}}</ref> also will run on the Sun-4 architecture families.
Several variations on the Sun-4 architecture were subsequently developed and used in later computer systems produced by Sun and other vendors. These comprised:
;Sun-4c: (''C'' presumably for ''Campus'', the codename of the first Sun-4c model, the [[SPARCstation 1]]) This desktop workstation/low-end server variant substituted the 32-bit [[SBus]] expansion bus in place of VME and introduced a new MMU design. Supported by SunOS 4.0.3c onwards and Solaris 2.0 to 7.
;Sun-4e: A hybrid Sun-4c/VME architecture found in the SPARCengine 1 (Sun 4/E) VME embedded controller. This board was originally designed by Force Computers and licensed to Sun. Supported by SunOS 4.0.3e and 4.1e and Solaris 2.1<ref name="sunflash-sol2.1">{{cite web|url=http://ftp.lanet.lv/ftp/unix/sun-info/sunflash/1992/Nov/47.26-Solaris-2.1|title=SunFLASH Vol 47 #26|last=McLaughlin|first=John|date=November 1992|access-date=2009-03-26}}</ref> to 2.4.
;Sun-4m: Originally a [[multiprocessor]] Sun-4 variant, based on the [[MBus (SPARC)|MBus]] processor module bus introduced in the SPARCserver 600MP series. The Sun-4m architecture later also encompassed non-MBus uniprocessor systems such as the [[SPARCstation 5]], utilizing SPARC V8-architecture processors. Supported by SunOS 4.1.2 onwards and Solaris 2.1 to 9. SPARCserver 600MP support was dropped after Solaris 2.5.1.
;[[Sun4d|Sun-4d]]: (''D'' for ''Dragon'', the codename of the SPARCcenter 2000) A high-end multiprocessor architecture, based on the [[XDBus]] processor interconnect, scalable up to 20 processors. The only Sun-4d systems produced by Sun were the SPARCserver 1000 and SPARCcenter 2000 series. The [[Cray CS6400]] was also nominally a Sun-4d machine (sun4d6), although it required a custom version of Solaris. Supported by Solaris 2.2 to 8.
;Sun-4u: (''U'' for [[UltraSPARC]]) - this variant introduced the [[64-bit]] [[SPARC|SPARC V9]] processor architecture and UPA processor interconnect first used in the [[Sun Ultra series]]. Supported by 32-bit versions of Solaris from the version 2.5. The first 64-bit Solaris release for Sun4u is Solaris 7. UltraSPARC I support was dropped after Solaris 9. Solaris 10 supports Sun4u implementations from [[UltraSPARC II]] to [[UltraSPARC IV]].
;Sun-4u1: Sometimes used to identify the [[Sun Enterprise 10000]] (''Starfire'') 64-way multiprocessor server architecture. The ''Starfire'' is supported by Solaris 2.5.1 onwards.
;Sun-4us: A variant of Sun-4u specific to [[Fujitsu]] PRIMEPOWER systems based on [[SPARC64 V]] processors.
;Sun-4v: (''V'' presumably for "virtualized") A variation on Sun-4u which includes [[hypervisor]] processor virtualization; introduced in the [[UltraSPARC T1]] (''Niagara'') [[Multi-core processor|multicore]] processor. Supported by Solaris version 10 starting from release 3/05 HW2, and Solaris 11.
{{Sun computer timeline}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.sunhelp.org/faq/sunref1.html The Sun Hardware Reference, Part 1]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070715111911/http://www.sunshack.org/data/feh/1.5/wcd00094/wcd09466.htm Sun Field Engineer Handbook, 20th edition]
{{Sun Microsystems}}
[[Category:Sun servers]]
[[Category:Sun workstations]]
[[Category:SPARC microprocessor products]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1987]]
[[Category:32-bit computers]]