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The Sun-2 series of UNIX
Unix

Unix is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of American Telephone & Telegraph employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson , Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna....
 computer workstations and server
Server (computing)

A server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs , in the same or other computer. The physical computer that runs a server program is also often referred to as server....
s was launched by Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a multinational corporation vendor of computers, computer components, computer software, and information technology services, founded on February 24, 1982....
 in November 1983. As the name suggests, the Sun-2 represented the second generation of Sun systems, superseding the original Sun-1
Sun-1

Sun-1 was the first generation of UNIX computer workstations and Server s produced by Sun Microsystems, launched in May 1982. These were based on a CPU board designed by Andy Bechtolsheim while he was a graduate student at Stanford University and funded by DARPA....
 series. The Sun-2 series used a 10 MHz Motorola 68010
Motorola 68010

The Motorola MC68010 processor is a 16/32-bit microprocessor from Motorola, released in 1982. In common with the Motorola 68000 naming convention, it is usually just referred to as the 010 ....
 microprocessor
Microprocessor

A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a central processing unit on a single integrated circuit . The first microprocessors emerged in the early 1970s and were used for electronic calculators, using Binary-coded decimal arithmetic on 4-bit Word ....
 with a proprietary Sun-2 Memory Management Unit
Memory management unit

A memory management unit , sometimes called paged memory management unit , is a computer hardware component responsible for handling accesses to computer memory requested by the central processing unit ....
 (MMU), which enabled it to be the first Sun architecture to run a full virtual memory
Virtual memory

Virtual memory is a computer system technique which gives an application program the impression that it has contiguous working memory , while in fact it may be physically fragmented and may even overflow on to disk storage....
 UNIX implementation, SunOS
SunOS

SunOS is a version of the Unix operating system developed by Sun Microsystems for their workstation and server computer systems. The SunOS name is usually only used to refer to versions 1.0 to 4.1.4 of SunOS....
 1.0, based on 4.1BSD
Berkeley Software Distribution

Berkeley Software Distribution is the Unix operating system derivative developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group of the University of California, Berkeley, from 1977 to 1995....
.






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The Sun-2 series of UNIX
Unix

Unix is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of American Telephone & Telegraph employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson , Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna....
 computer workstations and server
Server (computing)

A server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs , in the same or other computer. The physical computer that runs a server program is also often referred to as server....
s was launched by Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a multinational corporation vendor of computers, computer components, computer software, and information technology services, founded on February 24, 1982....
 in November 1983. As the name suggests, the Sun-2 represented the second generation of Sun systems, superseding the original Sun-1
Sun-1

Sun-1 was the first generation of UNIX computer workstations and Server s produced by Sun Microsystems, launched in May 1982. These were based on a CPU board designed by Andy Bechtolsheim while he was a graduate student at Stanford University and funded by DARPA....
 series. The Sun-2 series used a 10 MHz Motorola 68010
Motorola 68010

The Motorola MC68010 processor is a 16/32-bit microprocessor from Motorola, released in 1982. In common with the Motorola 68000 naming convention, it is usually just referred to as the 010 ....
 microprocessor
Microprocessor

A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a central processing unit on a single integrated circuit . The first microprocessors emerged in the early 1970s and were used for electronic calculators, using Binary-coded decimal arithmetic on 4-bit Word ....
 with a proprietary Sun-2 Memory Management Unit
Memory management unit

A memory management unit , sometimes called paged memory management unit , is a computer hardware component responsible for handling accesses to computer memory requested by the central processing unit ....
 (MMU), which enabled it to be the first Sun architecture to run a full virtual memory
Virtual memory

Virtual memory is a computer system technique which gives an application program the impression that it has contiguous working memory , while in fact it may be physically fragmented and may even overflow on to disk storage....
 UNIX implementation, SunOS
SunOS

SunOS is a version of the Unix operating system developed by Sun Microsystems for their workstation and server computer systems. The SunOS name is usually only used to refer to versions 1.0 to 4.1.4 of SunOS....
 1.0, based on 4.1BSD
Berkeley Software Distribution

Berkeley Software Distribution is the Unix operating system derivative developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group of the University of California, Berkeley, from 1977 to 1995....
. Early Sun-2 models were based on the Intel Multibus
Multibus

Multibus is a computer bus standard used in industrial systems. It was developed by Intel Corporation and was adopted as the IEEE 796 bus.The Multibus specification was important because it was a robust, well thought out industry standard with a relatively large form factor so you could design complex devices on it....
 architecture, later ones using VMEbus
VMEbus

VMEbus is a computer bus standard, originally developed for the Motorola 68000 line of Central processing unit, but later widely used for many applications and standardized by the IEC as American National Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1014-1987....
 instead, which was also used in the later Sun-3
Sun-3

Sun-3 was the name given to a series of UNIX computer workstations and Server s produced by Sun Microsystems, launched on September 9th, 1985. The Sun-3 series were VMEbus-based systems similar to some of the earlier Sun-2 series, but using the Motorola 68020 microprocessor, in combination with the Motorola 68881 floating-point co-processor...
 and Sun-4
Sun-4

Sun-4 is a series of Unix computer workstations and 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 microprocessors based on Sun's own SPARC V7 RISC architecture in place of the 68k family processors of previous Sun models....
 families.

Sun-2 systems were supported in SunOS until version 4.0.3. Support for Multibus Sun-2 systems was added to NetBSD
NetBSD

NetBSD is a freely redistributable, open source version of the Unix-derivative Berkeley Software Distribution computer operating system. It was the second open source BSD descendant to be formally released, after 386BSD, and continues to be actively developed....
 in 2002, with the release of NetBSD 1.6.

Sun-2 models

Models are listed in approximately chronological order.

ModelCPU boardDisplayMax. RAMChassis
2/120 Sun-2 Multibus or Sun-2 Multibus Prime Monochrome 4 MB9-slot Multibus (deskside)
2/170 Sun-2 Multibus or Sun-2 Multibus Prime Optional 4 MB 15-slot Multibus (rackmount)
2/50 Sun 2050 VME Monochrome 8 MB 2-slot VME (desktop)
2/130 Sun 2050 VME Monochrome 8 MB 12-slot VME (deskside)
2/160 Sun 2050 VME Color 8 MB 12-slot VME (deskside)


A desktop disk and tape sub-system was introduced for the Sun2/50 desktop workstation. It could hold a 5 ¼"
Drive bay

A drive bay is a standard-sized area for adding Computer hardware to a computer. Most drive bays are fixed to the inside of a case, but some can be removed....
 disk drive and 5 ¼" tape drive
Tape drive

A tape drive, which is also known as a streamer, is a computer hardware that reads and writes data stored on a magnetic tape data storage....
. It used DB-50 connectors for its SCSI
SCSI

Small Computer System Interface, or SCSI , is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices....
 cables, a Sun specific design. It was often referred to as a "Sun Shoebox". Image:SunShoebox_Front.jpg|Front Image:SunShoebox_Rear.jpg|Rear

Sun-1 systems upgraded with Sun-2 Multibus CPU boards were sometimes referred to as the 2/100U (upgraded Sun-100) or 2/150U (upgraded Sun-150).

A typical configuration of a monchrome 2/120 with 4Mb of memory, 71 Mb SCSI disk and 20 Mb 1/4" SCSI tape cost $29,300 (1986 US price list).

A color 2/160 with 8Mb of memory, two 71 Mb SCSI disks and 60 Mb 1/4" SCSI tape cost $48,800 (1986 US price list).

A Sun 2/170 server with 4Mb of memory, no display, two Fujitu Eagle 380 Mb disk drive, one Xylogics 450 SMD disk controller, a 6250 bpi 1/2 inch tape drive and a 72" rack cost $79,500 (1986 US price list).

Sun-2 hardware


Sun 2 Multibus Systems


Sun 2/120 (9 slot deskside) and 2/170 (15 slot rackmount) systems were based on the Multibus
Multibus

Multibus is a computer bus standard used in industrial systems. It was developed by Intel Corporation and was adopted as the IEEE 796 bus.The Multibus specification was important because it was a robust, well thought out industry standard with a relatively large form factor so you could design complex devices on it....
 architecture. The CPU board was based on a 10MHz 68010 processor with a proprietary Sun Memory Management Unit (MMU) and could address 8 MB of physical and 16MB of virtual memory. The top 1 MB of physical memory address space was reserved for the monochrome frame buffer. The Multibus
Multibus

Multibus is a computer bus standard used in industrial systems. It was developed by Intel Corporation and was adopted as the IEEE 796 bus.The Multibus specification was important because it was a robust, well thought out industry standard with a relatively large form factor so you could design complex devices on it....
 CPU board supported the Sun-1 parallel keyboard and mouse as well as two serial ports.

Image:Sun2_CPU.jpg|Sun2 Multibus CPU Board Image:Sun2_1MbMemory.jpg|Sun2 Multibus 1 Mb Memory Board Image:Sun2_Ethernet.jpg|Sun2 Multibus Ethernet Board Image:Sun1_ColorGraphicsCard.jpg|Sun1 Multibus Color Graphics Board Image:3Com_Ethernet.jpg|3Com Multibus Ethernet Board Image:Xylogics_450SMD_DiskController.jpg|Xylogics Multibus SMD Disk Controller Board Image:Helios_4MbMemory.jpg|Helios Multibus 4 Mb Memory Board

Sun 2 VME Bus Systems


The Sun 2/50 (2 slot desktop), Sun 2/130 (12 slot monochrom deskside) and Sun 2/160 (12 slot color deskside) used quad-depth, triple height Eurocard VMEbus
VMEbus

VMEbus is a computer bus standard, originally developed for the Motorola 68000 line of Central processing unit, but later widely used for many applications and standardized by the IEC as American National Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1014-1987....
 CPU boards. The VMEbus
VMEbus

VMEbus is a computer bus standard, originally developed for the Motorola 68000 line of Central processing unit, but later widely used for many applications and standardized by the IEC as American National Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1014-1987....
 CPU board was based on the same design as the Multibus
Multibus

Multibus is a computer bus standard used in industrial systems. It was developed by Intel Corporation and was adopted as the IEEE 796 bus.The Multibus specification was important because it was a robust, well thought out industry standard with a relatively large form factor so you could design complex devices on it....
 CPU but also included 2Mb or 4Mb of memory, the Sun-2 monochrome frame buffer, and 10 Mbit/s Thick Ethernet on board.

Sun provided 1Mb Multibus
Multibus

Multibus is a computer bus standard used in industrial systems. It was developed by Intel Corporation and was adopted as the IEEE 796 bus.The Multibus specification was important because it was a robust, well thought out industry standard with a relatively large form factor so you could design complex devices on it....
 memory boards and 1 MB and 4 MB VMEbus
VMEbus

VMEbus is a computer bus standard, originally developed for the Motorola 68000 line of Central processing unit, but later widely used for many applications and standardized by the IEC as American National Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1014-1987....
 memory boards but only supported configurations with a maximum of 4 MB RAM. Companies like Helios Systems also made 4 MB memory boards that would work in Sun systems.

A common frame buffer was the Sun-2 Prime Monochrome Video. This board provided an 1152x900 monochrome display with TTL or ECL video signals, and keyboard and mouse ports. It normally occupied the top 1 MB of physical memory address space. There was also a Sun-2 Color Video board available that provided an 1152x900 8-bit color display. This board occupied the top 4 MB of address space.

42MB MFM
Modified Frequency Modulation

Modified Frequency Modulation, commonly MFM, is a line code scheme used to encode information on most floppy disk formats, which include the floppy disk formats used in the classic versions of Amiga OS, most CP/M operating system machines as well as IBM PC compatibles running DOS....
 disks were commonly used for storage. Two disks could be connected to an Adaptec
Adaptec

Adaptec is a computer hardware company based in Milpitas, California that primarily produces host adapters for connecting computer storage devices to computers....
 MFM/SCSI
SCSI

Small Computer System Interface, or SCSI , is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices....
 and then to a Sun-2 Multibus Serial/SCSI Host Adapter. The SCSI board provided two additional serial ports. For larger storage requirements, 65, 130, and 380 MB SMD
Storage Module Device

Storage Module Device was a family of storage devices first shipped by Control Data Corporation in December 1973 as the CDC 9760 40 megabyte storage module disk drive ....
 disks were connected to a Xylogics
Xylogics

Xylogics started out building disk and other controllers for DEC hardware.Xylogics was acquired by Bay Networks in December 1995 which in turn was acquired by Nortel in June 1998....
 450 SMD Controller. The SMD controller could support four disks even though Sun only supported two. A 20 MB QIC
Quarter Inch Cartridge

Quarter inch cartridge tape is a magnetic tape data storage format introduced by 3M in 1972, with derivatives still in use as of 2008. QIC comes in a rugged enclosed package of aluminum and plastic that holds two tape reels driven by a single belt in direct contact with the tape....
 tape drive could be connected through an Archive
Archive Corp.

Archive Corporation was a computer tape drive manufacturer, based in Costa Mesa, California that was acquired by Conner Peripherals in 1993.Of particular note are the Archive Digital Data Storage tape drives produced for Silicon Graphics that could also read and write Digital Audio Tapes....
 QIC/SCSI converter. The system also supported 1/2" tape drives connected to a Computer Products Corporation TAPEMASTER or a Xylogics 472 board.

An Ethernet connection was provided by a Sun board based on the Intel 82586 chip, or a 3Com
3Com

3Com is a manufacturer best known for its computer network infrastructure products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Bruce Borden, and Greg Shaw, and is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
 3c400 board. The server could support diskless
Diskless workstation

A diskless node is a workstation or personal computer without disk drives, which employs network booting to load its operating system from a server ....
 Sun-2/50 clients through the Ethernet board.

Other supported Multibus boards included the Sky Computer Floating Point Processor, Sun ALM (Asynchronous Line Multiplexer) with 8 serial ports, and Sun SunLink Communications Processor (SCP) for SNA
Systems Network Architecture

Systems Network Architecture is IBM's proprietary computer network architecture created in 1974. It is a complete protocol stack for interconnecting computers and their resources....
 and X.25
X.25

X.25 is an ITU-T standard network layer protocol for Packet switched network wide area network communication. An X.25 WAN consists of Packet switching nodes as the networking hardware, and leased lines, Plain old telephone service connections or ISDN connections as physical links....
 connectivity.

See also

  • Sun-3
    Sun-3

    Sun-3 was the name given to a series of UNIX computer workstations and Server s produced by Sun Microsystems, launched on September 9th, 1985. The Sun-3 series were VMEbus-based systems similar to some of the earlier Sun-2 series, but using the Motorola 68020 microprocessor, in combination with the Motorola 68881 floating-point co-processor...
  • Sun386i
    Sun386i

    The Sun386i was a hybrid UNIX computer workstation/PC compatible computer system produced by Sun Microsystems, launched in 1988. It was based on the Intel 80386 microprocessor but shared many features with the contemporary Sun-3 series systems....
  • Sun-4
    Sun-4

    Sun-4 is a series of Unix computer workstations and 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 microprocessors based on Sun's own SPARC V7 RISC architecture in place of the 68k family processors of previous Sun models....
  • SPARCstation
    SPARCstation

    The SPARCstation, SPARCserver and SPARCcenter product lines were a series of SPARC-based computer workstations and server s in desktop, deskside and rack-based form factor developed and sold by Sun Microsystems...


External links


  • The Sun-2 Hardware Reference: and