Features Benefits -------- -------- o High-Performance System Design --------------------------------
- 60-MHz microSPARC(TM) II processor - Doubles performance of first microSPARC chip - Fast performance in low-cost, low-power design
- SCD 2.0 compliant - Full application compatibility under Solaris 2.3
- One-year warranty - Maintains Sun's commitment to quality
o Internal Storage and Expansion --------------------------------
- Internal 340-MB 2.5-inch hard disk - Diskfull solution without requiring a cooling fan
- 16 MB standard, expandable to 80 MB - Expands to meet the memory needs of applications
- Supports 16-MB or 32-MB memory cards - Efficient, cost effective memory increments
- PCMCIA expansion slots - Credit card sized internal expansion cards - Easy installation requires no system disassembly - Supports 2 Type I or II cards, or 1 Type III card - Industry standard, widely
available option cards
o New Support for Flat Panel Displays -------------------------------------
- Active-matrix LCD - Flicker free, emission free CRT quality displays - Fast response time and wide viewing angle
- Large, high-resolution flat panels - Industry leading in size and resolution - Provides 2.5 to 3.4 times the size and resolution of VGA resolution flat panels popular on PCs
o Low Power Consumption Design ------------------------------
- Convection cooled - Natural cooling to eliminate fan noise and vibration - No moving parts for less energy consumption
- Energy Star certified - Complies with U.S. EPA energy savings guidelines - Opens sales into contracts requiring Energy Star
- Active power management - Only 15% the energy use of a SPARCstation LX(TM) system
o Compact System Enclosure --------------------------
- Compact 14" x 5.5" CPU Module - Requires 36% the deskspace of a SPARCstation 10 system
- Compact 1 keyboard and - Keyboard requires just 15" x 6" mechanical mouse of deskspace - No silver optical mouse pad required - Full-sized, full-travel QWERTY keys in sculpted layout
o Transportable System Design -----------------------------
- Compact, lightweight system - Just 16% the weight of a traditional workstation - Entire system fits within a 15" x 15" x 5.5" box
- Remote networking via ISDN or modem - Delivers true client/server capability via phone line
o Flexible Power System -----------------------
- Internal universal AC power supply - Ease of use with automatic voltage selection - Worldwide operation (100 - 250 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz)
- New 2-wire AC power cord - Lightweight, flexible cord requires no ground wire - Fewer cords for worldwide use
- Optional rechargeable battery - Provides 1.5 - 2 hours of typical battery operation - Use as UPS for failover to battery on AC power loss
o New Interfaces ----------------
- PCMCIA support - On board credit card sized expansion slots - Supports modems and serial cards with first release - Future releases will support disk, flash memory, network cards
- Infrared interface - Interface for PDA, personal organizer connectivity
o Suspend/Resume ----------------
- Fast boot - Avoid lengthy halt and reboot process - Suspend in 20 - 45 seconds, Resume in 45 - 60 seconds
o Solaris 2.3 Edition II Operating Environment ----------------------------------------------
- Same features as Solaris 2.3 - Established quality, perform- ance, and 1.X application binary compatibility
- 98-MB operating system footprint - Provides 155 MB of user (Europe & Domestic) storage after OS, window system, swap, PPP and value-add software needs
- Japanese version - Includes Japanese fonts
- Integrated 8-bit character patch - Improved internationalsupport: (Patches 101381-01, 101468-01) The C locale now supports 8-bit characters in OpenWindows(TM)
Q. What kind of fax/modem does Sun support?
A. Sun will offer a high-performance,14,400 baud V.32/V.42bis PCMCIA
fax/modem card, manufactured for Sun by U.S. Robotics. The modem is
bundled with a send/receive fax application. In addition, while not
supported, most other PCMCIA modem cards currently available will work
in the SPARCstation Voyager. The serial port can also be used to
connect to standard modems.
Q. So, will any PCMCIA card work in the SPARCstation Voyager? Aren't
there driver issues for the various cards?
A. The initial release will support modems and serial cards. For
capabilities beyond this a UNIX(R) driver is needed. Both Sun and
third-party card vendors will provide additional drivers in the
future. PCMCIA is included as part of the Device Driver Developers
Kit (DDK).
Q. With PCMCIA slots on this system, does that mean that Sun's
abandoning SBus?
A. Sun is definitely not abandoning SBus, and you will continue to see
SBus as the primary I/O on other upcoming desktop products later this
month. The PCMCIA I/O on SPARCstation Voyager was chosen for its small
form factor and because of the availability of PCMCIA cards for the
type of expandability/capabilities that SPARCstation Voyager users
would need -- modems, flash memory, network interface cards. SBus is
predominately used for graphics cards and secondary networking
functionality -- options that are less critical for SPARCstation
Vyager users. [Note: SBus is still the internal bus used on
SPARCstation Voyager.]
Q. Do I have to reboot after I insert my PCMCIA modem card?
A. No, like most PCMCIA devices, the modem card can be inserted or
removed while the system is running.
Q. What's Sun's involvement with PCMCIA?
A. Sun has been involved as a voting member of the PCMCIA for a several
years. In addition, Sun is on the working group pursuing the
development and evolution to a 32-bit PCMCIA interface.
Q. Out of the box, can I use a Newton/other PDA to transfer information
to/from the SPARCstation Voyager?
A. The Infrared (IR) interface on SPARCstation Voyager is compatible
with the two leading IR standards -- IrDA's Serial-IR (SIR) and the
Sharp/Apple interface. Sun will not be writing applications that
communicate with any one palmtop/PDA, rather Sun provides a developers
kit to enable application vendors to incorporate IR capabilities in
their applications.
Q. How long can I run off of the battery? How long does it take to recharge?
A. The optional high-energy density battery, based on lithium-ion
technology will provide approximately two hours of operation, depending
upon actual use. The battery can be recharged in 1.5 hours, or
trickle-charged during use, which takes approximately eight hours.
Q. Can I swap batteries while the system is running?
A. Yes, but only if the system is also connected to the AC power
supply. To swap batteries while using batteries, the user must
suspend, swap, then resume.
Q. Can I run video on the machine?
A. As with any SPARCstation, the SPARCstation Voyager can display
networked video on screen. There currently is no method for adding
video capture to the machine.
Q. Can I use my TV as a display for the machine?
A. No, the SPARCstation Voyager supports current Sun monitors only.
Q. Can you upgrade the machine to future displays?
A. Yes, Sun has designed the display interface to be easily upgradable
to future display technology. In the future, Sun will offer upgrades to
next generation flat-panel displays.
Q. Is convection-cooling something Sun plans to incorporate into other
future systems?
A. Sun is a leader in system design, so we are always investigating
ways to incorporate additional user benefits into our systems. However,
systems providing multiple drive bays and SBus slots will continue to
require a cooling fan.
Q. Can I use my optical mouse with the Compact 1 keyboard?
A. Yes, and the optical pad would be required.
Q. Can I use the Type 5 keyboard with the SPARCstation Voyager?
A. Yes. However, the Type 5 keyboard does not fit in the SPARCstation
Voyager carrying case.
Q. Can I order the Compact 1 keyboard with the Type 5 optical mouse?
A. No. The Compact 1 accessory kit comes with the compact keyboard and
opto-mechanical mouse. The Type 5 accessory kit comes with the Type 5
keyboard and optical mouse.
Q. Will the Compact mouse be available as an X-option?
A. Yes. Price and availability will be announced at a later date.
Q. Are the memory expansion cards PCMCIA cards?
A. No. The form factor is similar, but the memory cards are designed to
fit into special slots on the motherboard.
Q. Can I use the new software available on SPARCstation Voyager on
other platforms?
A. No. Sun is initially releasing this functionality on SPARCstation
Voyager. In the future, it may be introduced on the other platforms
depending on market interest.
Q. Can I connect a color CRT to the monitor plug on the monochrome system?
A. Yes, but the display will be monochrome. The color system supports
8-bit accelerated display on a CRT.
Q. Can I add SBus options?
A. No, there is no SBus expansion slots on the SPARCstation Voyager.
We expect that PCMCIA slots will support most expansion needs.
Q. What do I get in the base configuration?
A. The base configuration is 16-MB RAM, 340-MB disk, floppy, 2 Type II
PCMCIA slots, and all the normal I/O backpanel connectors including
ISDN. Also included is a AC power module with a 2 wire power cord, and
a Solaris single user license.
The user has a choice of three display options: monochrome flat panel, color flat panel or 17 inch color CRT. The color displays are driven by a 8-bit TurboGX graphics accelerator. Users have a choice of a Type 5 or Compact 1 keyboard.
Q. What unique options are available?
A. There are five SPARCstation Voyager unique options: 16 and 32-MB
memory expansion cards, a rechargeable battery, a 14,440 baud
V.32/V.42bis fax/data PCMCIA modem, and a carrying case.
Q. Can I drive an external CRT with the SPARCstation Voyager?
A. Yes, however the flat panel display will be inactive when an
external monitor is attached.
Q. Why is a platform-specific release of Solaris required?
A. Solaris 2.3 Edition II is required to support the Voyager's new
features, such as Active Power Management and Suspend/Resume.
Q. What are the technical differences between Solaris 2.3 and Solaris
2.3 Ed. II?
A. Solaris 2.3 Edition II uses Solaris 2.3 as a base, then ADDs
functionality. Thus, Edition II offers all the same features,
functions, and 1.x applications binary compatibility as Solaris 2.3,
but adds the following:
Q. What configurations will the Solaris 2.3 Edition II Media Kit be
offered in?
A. Solaris 2.3 Edition II will be offered as a Desktop configuration
only. There are no Server, Upgrade, Source, SDK, or DDK
configurations offered at this time.
Q. Is an "Upgrade" from Solaris 1.X/2.X to Solaris 2.3 Edition II
offered?
A. No. Since Solaris 2.3 Edition II is a new, platform-specific
release for the Voyager, and the Voyager is a brand new platform,
there should be no need for "upgrades".
Q. What locales are supported in Solaris 2.3 Edition II?
A. Solaris 2.3 Edition II Media Kits are available for US (English),
Japanese, Italian, German, and Swedish. There are no Asian or
Spanish localizations available at this time.
Q. Why are Solaris 2.3 Edition II Media Kits priced higher than Solaris 2.3 Media Kits?
A. Solaris 2.3 Edition II Media Kits are priced higher than Solaris 2.3 Media Kits to cover the costs of the additional CD and documentation that are included.
Q. My customer was a Solaris 2.3 Edition II Early Access 2 (i.e. Beta)
site. How will he/she receive an upgrade to the FCS version of
Solaris 2.3 Edition II?
A. Customers who submitted a sales order for their EA2 Voyager hardware
and Solaris 2.3 Edition II software will automatically receive a
no-cost FCS version of Solaris 2.3 Edition II.
SPARCstation Voyager improves the ergonomics of the desktop workstation
SPARCstation Voyager introduces breakthrough nomadic capabilities