iPlanet

iPlanet was an enterprise software and services brand created through a cross-marketing and technology alliance between Sun Microsystems and Netscape Communications Corporation. The alliance emerged after AOL acquired Netscape and combined Netscape’s enterprise-server capabilities with Sun’s hardware, software, sales, installation, and support organization. Rather than operating as a standalone company, iPlanet served as a commercial identity for a broad portfolio of infrastructure products aimed at businesses building and operating Internet applications. The brand’s background reached back to i-Planet, Inc., a software company founded in January 1996. Sun Microsystems acquired i-Planet in October 1998, and the iPlanet name was subsequently used for products associated with Sun’s enterprise-software activities. The later alliance with Netscape and AOL gave the name greater market visibility. Under the arrangement, engineers from Sun and Netscape worked together on software development, while the companies coordinated marketing, sales, deployment, and support. Sun also agreed to make fixed annual payments to Netscape during the term of the agreement, irrespective of the amount of software sold through the alliance. The iPlanet portfolio covered several layers of enterprise infrastructure. Its application-server products supported Java-based business applications. Its directory and meta-directory products provided identity and LDAP-related services, while its portal, search, calendar, instant-messaging, and messaging products addressed employee collaboration and web access. The brand also included HTTP and HTTPS web-serving technology, proxy infrastructure, management tools, and distributed event-management components for organizations operating large server populations. A separate group of e-commerce products, including BillerXpert, BuyerXpert, MerchantXpert, SellerXpert, TradingXpert, ECXpert, and Netscape PublishingXpert, targeted online billing, procurement, trading, publishing, and business-to-business or business-to-consumer commerce. The three-year Sun–Netscape alliance ended in 2001. Sun and AOL retained equal rights to jointly developed code under the agreement. Around the end of August 2001, many remaining Netscape employees were laid off or transferred to Sun, with significant transfers to Sun locations in Santa Clara, California, and Bangalore. Following the alliance, much of the portfolio was repositioned under Sun ONE and later Sun Java System branding. The transition made iPlanet less prominent as a unified brand, even though several technologies continued in successor product lines. AOL continued to market certain directory and certificate-server products under the Netscape name. In 2004, AOL sold those products to Red Hat, which open-sourced them and incorporated them into its enterprise product portfolio as Red Hat Directory Server and Red Hat Certificate System. After Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, some former iPlanet technologies returned to market under the iPlanet name, notably Oracle iPlanet Web Server and Oracle iPlanet Web Proxy Server. Thus, iPlanet is best understood as a historical enterprise-software brand whose products and technologies passed through several ownership, naming, and distribution arrangements rather than as a continuing independent consumer brand.

iPlanet developed from the combination of Sun Microsystems’ enterprise-software activities, the assets of i-Planet, Inc., and Netscape’s server-software business. i-Planet, Inc. was founded in January 1996 and was acquired by Sun Microsystems in October 1998. The acquisition gave Sun control of the iPlanet name before the later Sun–Netscape commercial alliance adopted it as a shared product identity. The alliance followed AOL’s merger with Netscape Communications. AOL had strategic reasons to preserve Netscape’s Internet presence and customer base, while Sun sought a stronger position in enterprise Internet software and services. The agreement was non-exclusive and required engineers from Sun and Netscape to cooperate on development. The companies also coordinated marketing, sales, installation, and support. Sun agreed to pay Netscape a fixed amount for each year of the agreement regardless of sales volume, providing Netscape with contractual revenue during the partnership. Under the iPlanet name, the partners offered a wide enterprise stack. The application-server line was based on technology associated with Netscape Application Server and NetDynamics Application Server. Other products addressed LDAP directories, meta-directory integration, portals, search, web serving, proxy services, messaging, calendars, instant messaging, and management of large server deployments. iPlanet also marketed a collection of e-commerce tools for billing, procurement, electronic commerce, publishing, and online trading. The alliance lasted three years and ended in 2001. Its contractual structure allowed both AOL and Sun to retain equal rights to jointly developed code. The end of the arrangement coincided with a reduction and reorganization of Netscape personnel: by late August 2001, many remaining employees had either been laid off or transferred to Sun. Most of the iPlanet product portfolio subsequently moved into Sun’s Sun ONE branding and later into the Sun Java System family. This was a strategic renaming and portfolio transition rather than the disappearance of every underlying technology. Some products followed a different path. AOL continued to sell directory and certificate-server products under the Netscape name until selling them to Red Hat in 2004. Red Hat open-sourced and integrated the relevant technologies into its enterprise portfolio, including Red Hat Directory Server and Red Hat Certificate System. After Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, selected former iPlanet products were again sold using the iPlanet name, particularly Oracle iPlanet Web Server and Oracle iPlanet Web Proxy Server. The history of iPlanet therefore reflects the consolidation and rebranding of enterprise Internet infrastructure software across Sun, Netscape, AOL, Red Hat, and Oracle rather than the history of an autonomous operating company.

• 2004

  Red Hat acquires directory and certificate products

  [1]IPlaneten.wikipedia.org

  AOL sold the directory and certificate-server products it continued to market under Netscape to Red Hat, which open-sourced and integrated them into its enterprise portfolio.

• 2001

  Alliance concludes

  [1]IPlaneten.wikipedia.org

  The three-year Sun–Netscape alliance ended, with AOL and Sun retaining equal rights to jointly developed code.

• 2001

  Portfolio transitions to Sun successor brands

  [1]IPlaneten.wikipedia.org

  Many iPlanet products were moved to the Sun ONE brand and subsequently to the Sun Java System product family.

• 1998

  Sun acquires i-Planet, Inc.

  [1]IPlaneten.wikipedia.org

  Sun Microsystems acquired i-Planet, Inc. in October 1998, placing the brand under Sun ownership.

• 1998

  Sun–Netscape Alliance begins

  [1]IPlaneten.wikipedia.org

  Sun Microsystems and Netscape began using iPlanet for jointly delivered enterprise software and services under a non-exclusive alliance.

• 1996

  i-Planet, Inc. is founded

  [1]IPlaneten.wikipedia.org

  The company later associated with the iPlanet name was founded in January 1996.

• Oracle iPlanet products emerge after the Sun acquisition

  [1]IPlaneten.wikipedia.org

  After Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, selected former iPlanet web-server technologies were marketed under Oracle iPlanet branding.

Enterprise-grade Internet infrastructure software for organizations deploying Java applications, web services, identity systems, messaging platforms, portals, and online commerce.

• Java EE application server

  iPlanet Application Server

  An enterprise application-server platform for deploying Java-based business applications. The product was associated with technology derived from the Netscape Application Server and NetDynamics Application Server lines and formed part of iPlanet’s core enterprise middleware offering.

• LDAP directory server

  iPlanet Directory Server

  An LDAP directory service intended to store and manage identity, authentication, and organizational information for enterprise applications and networks. It was later renamed Sun Java System Directory Server and related technology was subsequently associated with Red Hat’s directory products.

• Web server

  iPlanet Web Server

  An HTTP and HTTPS web-server product for hosting websites and serving application content in enterprise environments. The product was later renamed Sun Java System Web Server, and a later Oracle product used the Oracle iPlanet Web Server name.

• Proxy server

  iPlanet Web Proxy Server

  A proxy-server product designed to mediate web traffic and support enterprise web-access infrastructure. It was later renamed Sun Java System Web Proxy Server and subsequently appeared under Oracle iPlanet branding.

• Messaging server

  iPlanet Messaging Server

  An enterprise mail and messaging platform supporting SMTP, IMAP, POP3, and webmail functions. It addressed organizations needing centralized electronic-mail services as part of a broader Internet infrastructure stack.

• Collaboration server

  iPlanet Calendar Server

  A server product for shared calendars and scheduling within enterprise collaboration environments. It complemented iPlanet’s messaging and instant-messaging products.

• Enterprise portal

  iPlanet Portal Server

  A portal platform intended to provide users with centralized access to applications, information, and services. It was marketed alongside iPlanet search, directory, messaging, and application-server components.

• Instant-messaging server

  iPlanet Instant Messaging Server

  An enterprise instant-messaging server for organizational real-time communication. It formed part of the collaboration layer in the wider iPlanet server suite.

• E-commerce software suite

  iPlanet E-Commerce Applications

  A collection of software tools for building and operating online commerce services. The suite included BillerXpert for billing, BuyerXpert for procurement, ECXpert, MerchantXpert, SellerXpert for business-to-business and business-to-consumer sales sites, TradingXpert, and Netscape PublishingXpert.

• 2004

  Sell directory and certificate-server products to Red HatM&A

  Background

  AOL continued marketing selected directory and certificate-server products under the Netscape name after the broader iPlanet alliance had ended.

  Action taken

  AOL sold those products to Red Hat.

  Aftermath

  Red Hat open-sourced and integrated the technologies into its enterprise portfolio as Red Hat Directory Server and Red Hat Certificate System.

  Source

• 2001

  End the Sun–Netscape AllianceStrategy

  Background

  The alliance was structured for three years and combined Sun and Netscape engineering, marketing, sales, installation, and support activities.

  Action taken

  Sun and AOL ended the alliance while retaining equal rights to jointly developed code under the agreement.

  Aftermath

  Netscape staffing was reduced or transferred to Sun, and much of the product portfolio moved to Sun ONE and later Sun Java System branding.

  Source

• Rebrand much of the portfolio under Sun successor namesGeneration change

  Background

  After the alliance, Sun continued developing and commercializing much of the underlying enterprise-server technology.

  Action taken

  Many iPlanet products were renamed Sun ONE and later Sun Java System products.

  Aftermath

  The iPlanet name became less prominent as a unified suite brand, while individual technologies continued under successor labels.

  Source

• Restore the iPlanet name for selected Oracle web productsStrategy

  Background

  Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems and inherited several former iPlanet technologies.

  Action taken

  Oracle marketed selected web-server products as Oracle iPlanet Web Server and Oracle iPlanet Web Proxy Server.

  Aftermath

  The iPlanet name survived in a limited product context rather than returning as a broad alliance-wide software suite.

  Source

1. 1IPlaneten.wikipedia.org