Sun to bundle iPlanet application server with Solaris

by Ashlee Vance

October 25, 2001 —

Sun Microsystems Inc. plans to bundle the iPlanet Application Server with its flagship Solaris operating system starting next year, a move that could benefit some users but may also bring Sun into conflict with at least one of its industry partners.

Sun released an update to Solaris this week and included with it a development version of the application server, an initial step in strengthening ties between the two products. The company plans to boost that level of integration significantly next year by bundling a full version of the iPlanet product with Solaris, Sun officials said.

"They will be integrated together next year," Pat Sueltz, executive vice president of Sun's Software Systems Group, said in an interview this week. Other Sun officials said the company is debating whether to offer the bundled product for free or charge for its use.

Application servers are a type of middleware that sit between a database and end users, providing a platform on which to deploy a broad range of business applications for things like e-commerce and enterprise resource planning. iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions was formed through an alliance between Sun and America Online Inc. (now AOL Time Warner Inc.), although Sun said recently that it plans to take control of iPlanet's products.

If Sun bundles the iPlanet product with its widely used operating system it could help the company gain share in a fiercely competitive market for application servers. The field is led currently by BEA Systems Inc., followed by IBM Corp. and then Sun., according to recent figures from International Data Corp. (IDC).

However, the move could also spark conflict between Sun and BEA. As well as being a competitor, BEA is also a close partner of Sun, with BEA's application server being the most widely deployed on Sun servers.

When told of Sun's plans, a BEA official said the company will continue to partner closely with Sun, but argued that bundling the iPlanet Application Server with Solaris for free would be a mistake.

"What is in it for Sun?," said John Kiger, director of product marketing at BEA. "There would be no additional revenue and a lot of additional costs."

Application servers are complex and require significant development costs, Kiger said. He charged that it would it be tough for a company to maintain its application server without generating revenue to support its development, which in the longer term would hurt Sun's customers. "If they give it away, then you get what you pay for," he said.

Sun officials would not say if it plans to include the iPlanet application server in an update to Solaris 8 or with Solaris 9 when it rolls out in the middle of next year. One official did say that a debate is underway at Sun about whether the software should be bundled for free or carry a price tag.

"We are on a track to continue the bonding between the two products, but that does not mean (the application server) will be free," said Anil Gadre, vice president and general manager for Solaris.

"There are people that would like to make it free," Gadre said. "I think it will stay a money-maker (through 2002)."

For Solaris users, the tighter integration could make it easier to install and administer Sun's application server with its operating system, Gadre said. Meanwhile, Sun should benefit by leveraging the popularity of Solaris to boost the number of users for the iPlanet product, he said.

Sun has positioned products from iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions as key elements of its Sun ONE (Open Net Environment) initiative, which aims to provide businesses with hardware and software for developing so-called Web services. At a Sun software event in Santa Clara, California, this week, Sun President and Chief Operating Officer Ed Zander said Sun plans to take control of iPlanet's products, in part so they can be integrated more tightly with Sun's own offerings.

Sun, in Palo Alto, California, can be reached at +1-650-960-1300 or at http://www.sun.com/. iPlanet, based in Palo Alto, California, is at +1-650-960-1300 or http://www.iplanet.com/. BEA Systems, in San Jose, California, can be contacted at +1-408-570-8000 or via the Internet at http://www.bea.com/.

IDG News Service