Sun Blames State Department Concerns for Latest Grid Delay

Robert McMillan   Today’s Top Stories    or  Other Hardware Stories  

Best practices for safe hardware disposal Beyond consolidation: five reasons why you should start virtualizing Myth of the Million Dollar Database Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

March 06, 2006 (Computerworld) -- Security concerns expressed by the U.S. Department of State have further delayed the rollout of Sun Microsystems Inc.'s computer grid, a Sun executive confirmed late last month.

The company had planned to implement the Sun Grid initiative in early 2005, but the State Department's worries and other issues caused it to delay its unveiling and make changes to the original plan, said Jonathan Schwartz, Sun's president and chief operating officer.

"It turned out to be much harder than we'd originally expected," Schwartz said at a Feb. 24 press event in Menlo Park, Calif.

"Our servers are considered munitions by the federal government," Schwartz said. "So when we wanted to provision servers off of our computers to a global population, the federal government got involved and said, 'We'd like to know all the people who use this.' "

The company had cited a lack of computing resources when it first delayed the implementation early last year.

Rollout 'Imminent'

A Sun spokesman said last week that the rollout of Sun Grid, which will supply processing and storage capabilities for $1 per hour, is "imminent."

The updated plan requires that customers who buy access to the grid wait 24 hours before using it so that Sun can ensure that they are not in violation of export controls. Sun can't allow access to users in certain countries, according to State Department rules.

The State Department restrictions will also prevent the product from becoming the global grid once envisioned by Sun. Instead, Sun now plans to roll out a U.S.-only version of the product, followed by different offerings for other regions of the world.

Despite its missed deadlines, Sun still has high hopes for the grid offering.

For example, Sun's product could still be useful for companies that want to do high-performance computing tasks but lack the technical expertise, said Gerry Vest, a systems administrator at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio.

"If you don't have staff on hand or infrastructure for doing this, it's a real steep hill to climb just to get your feet in the water," he said.

Credibility Issues

On the other hand, the yearlong wait has hurt Sun's credibility, even though the State Department concerns appear "legitimate," said Jonathan Eunice, principal analyst at research firm Illuminata Inc. in Nashua, N.H.

"Sun Grid is pretty much a laughingstock, because they announced it multiple times and they failed multiple times to deliver it," Eunice said.

Eunice said that customers may be reluctant to adopt the Sun service as they weigh the compliance and security issues raised by this type of grid computing. "It's not so much a calculated security equation as an icky feeling about doing things differently," he said.

Sun CEO Scott McNealy said that this kind of hesitation ultimately scuttled a Sun Grid deployment with a bank he declined to identify. The bank made so many security- and compliance-related demands that Sun eventually walked away from the deal, he said.

It could take an exceptional event to finally move a large number of customers over to products like Sun Grid, McNealy said. "It may take natural disasters or a real fundamental crisis to break their adhesions to their traditional way of doing things."

Officials from the State Department did not respond to calls seeking comment for this story.

McMillan is a reporter for the IDG News Service.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"Treehugger had a brilliant piece a few weeks about the..." Read more... "I tried it once. I built a PC from scratch and it reminded me of a Heathkit electronics kit I..." Read more... Read more Hardware posts or See all Blogs

DNS hole prompts synchronized patching effort by IT vendors Microsoft plugs nine holes in Windows, DNS, SQL Symantec warns of new Word attack More top stories...

Microsoft sets XP SP3 automatic download for Thursday Don't give Google a free pass on data collection, privacy advocates say after YouTube ruling XP SP3 to reach most users 'shortly,' says Microsoft

This old laptop: Revitalizing an aging notebook on the cheap All it takes is a couple hours and about $125 to breathe new life into an old laptop. Here's how. Bill Gates moves on Is Microsoft's Golden Age over? What are Gates' most memorable quotes? Find out in Computerworld's complete coverage of the end of the Bill Gates era at Microsoft. Five things you should never tell your boss There are some things your CIO definitely doesn't want to hear. Also don't miss the flipside, Five things you should always tell your boss. Hands-On: Firefox 3 fixes what's broke and keeps what's right With its latest version, Mozilla's browser continues to raise the bar for what Web browsers should be. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone See your link here

Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT (Source: Computerworld) Whether it's in the front office or the server room, green thinking can save energy, trees and money. From the Editorial Staff at Computerworld, here's the latest thinking on greening your operations. Download this executive briefing  Virtualization Everywhere Download this white paper, free, compliments of Citrix. (Source: Citrix) Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, the cost and complexity of server virtualization solutions has been a barrier. In this paper, we'll discuss how Citrix XenServer" provides simple, economical server virtualization for any size company. Download now! Download this white paper  Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce Go to the webcast  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Virtualization Analysis for VMware A Guide to Understanding Messaging Archiving Archiving Compliance with Sunbelt Exchange Archiver View more whitepapers

• DNS hole prompts synchronized patching effort by IT vendors
• Microsoft plugs nine holes in Windows, DNS, SQL
• Symantec warns of new Word attack
• More top stories 

Cost Effective Scaling with Virtualization and Coyote Point Systems An overview of the industry trend toward virtualization, how server consolidation has increased the importance of application uptime and the steps being taken to integrate load balancing technology with virtualized servers. Download this white paper now!

Get Into Gear! Check out our new personal technology section -- TechGear -- for the latest on those cool gadgets that you just gotta have! Host Mike Elgan provides hands-on reviews and analysis of the stuff that makes IT fun. Head to TechGear

Detect, identify, and locate RF interference in 802.11 WLANs. AnalyzeAir software provides IT network professionals with the vision they need into the hidden world of RF, providing them with the ability to see the spectrum in a visible and intelligible format. AnalyzeAir software lets you see, monitor, analyze, and manage all the RF sources and wireless devices that influence your Wi-Fi network's performance and security, even if those devices are unauthorized or transient. AnalyzeAir Trial Software v3.1 highlights the features found in AnalyzeAir Software using a set of saved spectrum files. Replay the data and experience the visibility that AnalyzeAir Wi-Fi Spectrum Analyzer provides. Note: The trial software is limited to a player version only. It does not communicate with an AnalyzeAir PC card so it does not collect actual spectrum data. Register for this trial now.