Solbourne Computer

Solbourne Computer, Inc. was an American computer systems company based first in Longmont, Colorado, and later in Boulder. Established in 1986, it initially operated with Matsushita as a major shareholder, with Matsushita holding approximately 52 percent of the company. Solbourne entered the workstation and server market during the transition from proprietary computer architectures toward commercial reduced instruction set computing platforms. Its systems were built around the SPARC microprocessor architecture and were designed to be largely compatible with Sun Microsystems' Sun-4 systems, allowing customers to use a broadly familiar software environment while adopting hardware supplied by a smaller independent vendor. The company's principal technical distinction was its development of multiprocessor systems using the KBus inter-processor bus and the OS/MP operating system. OS/MP was a modified version of SunOS 4.1 that supported symmetric multiprocessing, enabling multiple processors to participate more evenly in the execution of workloads. This was significant because Sun's own operating environment initially used an asymmetric multiprocessing approach, and Sun did not adopt symmetric multiprocessing in its mainstream Solaris environment until Solaris 2.0 in 1992. Solbourne therefore positioned some of its late-1980s and early-1990s systems as technically differentiated alternatives to Sun hardware rather than merely as compatible single-processor workstations. Its hardware portfolio included Series4, Series5, Series5e, Series6, and Series6E multiprocessor workstations and servers. The product range progressed from systems using Fujitsu MB86900 processors to machines using Cypress processors and, later, SuperSPARC processors. Solbourne also sold the IDT, or Integrated DeskTop, family of single-processor SPARC-compatible workstations. These included the portable S3000 with an integrated plasma display, the S4000 desktop workstation, and the S4000DX with a secondary processor cache. The IDT line used the Panasonic MN10501 KAP SPARC-compatible processor, developed in cooperation with Matsushita and incorporating features such as an integrated floating-point unit, memory-management hardware, branch prediction, cache memory, and a wide data path. The company's hardware business became increasingly difficult to sustain as Sun Microsystems improved its own systems and narrowed Solbourne's performance and architectural advantages. Engineering and manufacturing costs rose, while symmetric multiprocessing became less distinctive after Sun introduced its own multiprocessor offerings. In 1994, Solbourne exited the computer hardware business. Grumman Systems Support Corporation assumed support responsibilities for Solbourne customers, continuing that role until 2000. Solbourne did not disappear immediately after leaving hardware manufacturing. Also in 1994, Walt Pounds became chief executive officer, and the headquarters moved from Longmont to Boulder. The company then concentrated on consulting and implementation services involving Oracle Applications and related technologies. Over the following years it developed a strong position in the Oracle E-Business Suite community, particularly among state and local government customers. Its later identity was therefore that of a specialist enterprise-applications consultancy rather than a workstation manufacturer. On July 11, 2008, Solbourne completed a transaction selling substantially all of its assets to Deloitte Consulting. The Solbourne management team and more than 100 professionals joined Deloitte practices covering enterprise applications, technology integration, and human capital services. This transaction ended Solbourne's independent corporate operation. The company's historical importance rests on both its early SPARC-compatible hardware and its attempt to bring practical symmetric multiprocessing to systems compatible with the Sun software ecosystem.

Solbourne Computer was founded in 1986 as a computer-systems vendor headquartered in Longmont, Colorado. Matsushita initially owned approximately 52 percent of the company, linking Solbourne to a major Japanese electronics manufacturer while it developed systems for the emerging SPARC workstation market. Solbourne's early strategy was to build hardware that could run software associated with Sun Microsystems' Sun-4 systems, giving customers compatibility with an established Unix workstation ecosystem without requiring them to purchase directly from Sun. The company's most notable engineering work involved multiprocessor systems. Solbourne developed the KBus, a 64-bit inter-processor bus used in its Series4, Series5, Series5e, Series6, and Series6E systems. The processor configurations evolved from Fujitsu MB86900 devices through Cypress processors and later SuperSPARC processors. These systems ran OS/MP, a modified version of SunOS 4.1. Unlike the asymmetric multiprocessing model used by SunOS, OS/MP supported symmetric multiprocessing. That architecture allowed Solbourne to present multiprocessor capability as a central reason to choose its products. The feature was especially notable because Sun did not introduce symmetric multiprocessing into Solaris until the release of Solaris 2.0 in 1992. Solbourne also developed a separate line of single-processor IDT workstations. The S3000 was a portable workstation with an integrated plasma display, while the S4000 was a desktop workstation in a compact pizza-box form factor. The S4000DX added a secondary processor cache. These machines used the Panasonic MN10501 KAP SPARC-compatible processor, developed with Matsushita. The processor integrated floating-point functionality, memory-management hardware, branch prediction, cache memory, and a 64-bit data bus, reflecting Solbourne's effort to control important elements of its hardware platform. The competitive environment became less favorable during the early 1990s. Sun's hardware offerings grew more competitive, and the advantage of Solbourne's symmetric multiprocessing systems diminished as Sun introduced its own multiprocessor products and later supported symmetric multiprocessing in Solaris. Solbourne faced the substantial engineering and manufacturing expense of maintaining a distinct hardware line while competing against a much larger workstation supplier. In 1994, the company left the computer hardware business. Grumman Systems Support Corporation assumed support for existing Solbourne customers and continued that support until 2000. The 1994 transition also marked a change in management and corporate direction. Walt Pounds became CEO, and Solbourne moved its headquarters to Boulder, Colorado. Rather than continuing as a hardware maker, it concentrated on consulting and solutions based on Oracle Applications and associated technologies. Over the next fourteen years, Solbourne built a reputation in the Oracle E-Business Suite community. Its consulting activity was particularly associated with state and local government customers, where it became a significant provider of implementation and related services. Solbourne's independent existence ended in 2008. On July 11 of that year, the company completed a transaction selling substantially all of its assets to Deloitte Consulting. The Solbourne management team and more than 100 professionals moved into Deloitte's enterprise-applications, technology-integration, and human-capital service areas. The transaction concluded the company's later consulting phase and left Solbourne primarily as a historical computer brand associated with early SPARC-compatible symmetric multiprocessing systems.

• 2008

  Assets are sold to Deloitte Consulting

  [1]Solbourne Computeren.wikipedia.org

  On July 11, Solbourne transfers substantially all of its assets to Deloitte Consulting, with its management team and more than 100 professionals joining Deloitte.

• 1994

  Hardware business is discontinued

  [1]Solbourne Computeren.wikipedia.org

  Solbourne leaves computer hardware manufacturing, with Grumman Systems Support Corporation taking over support for existing customers.

• 1994

  Company pivots to Oracle consulting

  [1]Solbourne Computeren.wikipedia.org

  Walt Pounds becomes CEO, the headquarters moves to Boulder, and Solbourne focuses on Oracle Applications and related consulting services.

• 1992

  Sun reduces Solbourne's multiprocessing differentiation

  [1]Solbourne Computeren.wikipedia.org

  Solaris 2.0 introduces symmetric multiprocessing support from Sun, weakening one of Solbourne's principal technical advantages.

• 1986

  Solbourne Computer is founded

  [1]Solbourne Computeren.wikipedia.org

  Solbourne Computer begins operations as a computer-systems vendor in Longmont, Colorado, with Matsushita initially holding approximately 52 percent of the company.

• 1980

  SPARC-compatible workstation and server development

  [1]Solbourne Computeren.wikipedia.org

  During the late 1980s, Solbourne develops workstations and servers based on SPARC technology and designed for broad compatibility with Sun-4 systems.

Solbourne positioned its original hardware business as a technically differentiated, Sun-compatible alternative for workstation and server customers. Its strongest point of distinction was symmetric multiprocessing support delivered through KBus hardware and the OS/MP operating system. After leaving hardware manufacturing, the company repositioned itself as a specialist Oracle Applications and Oracle E-Business Suite consulting provider, with particular strength in state and local government engagements.

• Multiprocessor workstation and server

  Series4

  The Series4 was part of Solbourne's KBus-based multiprocessor range. It used one or more 16.67 MHz Fujitsu MB86900 processors and was designed to run Solbourne's OS/MP operating system in a Sun-compatible environment.

• Multiprocessor workstation and server

  Series5 and Series5e

  The Series5 family extended Solbourne's KBus systems with Cypress CY7C601 processors. The Series5 used 33 MHz processors, while the Series5e used 40 MHz versions, offering progressively higher performance within the company's compatible multiprocessor platform.

• Multiprocessor workstation and server

  Series6 and Series6E

  The Series6 generation used SuperSPARC processors in KBus multiprocessor systems. The Series6 operated at 33 MHz and the Series6E at 50 MHz. Both were intended to combine Sun-compatible software with Solbourne's symmetric multiprocessing architecture.

• Portable workstation

  S3000

  The S3000 was an IDT single-processor workstation using the Panasonic MN10501 KAP SPARC-compatible processor. Its distinguishing physical feature was an integrated plasma display, making it a portable workstation within Solbourne's otherwise primarily desktop-oriented lineup.

• Desktop workstation

  S4000

  The S4000 was a single-processor IDT workstation in a compact pizza-box-style desktop enclosure. It used Solbourne's Panasonic-developed SPARC-compatible processor platform and was intended to provide a smaller Sun-compatible workstation option.

• Desktop workstation

  S4000DX

  The S4000DX was an enhanced version of the S4000. Its principal documented distinction was the addition of a secondary processor cache, intended to improve performance while retaining the compact single-processor workstation design.

• Operating system

  OS/MP

  OS/MP was Solbourne's modified version of SunOS 4.1 for multiprocessor systems. It implemented symmetric multiprocessing and provided the software foundation for Solbourne's KBus-based workstations and servers. The final release was OS/MP 4.1D, corresponding to SunOS 4.1.3.

• 2008

  Sale of substantially all assets to Deloitte ConsultingM&A

  Background

  After operating as an Oracle-focused consulting provider for approximately fourteen years, Solbourne entered a transaction to transfer its business assets.

  Action taken

  On July 11, 2008, substantially all of Solbourne's assets were sold to Deloitte Consulting, and the management team and more than 100 professionals joined Deloitte service areas.

  Aftermath

  The transaction ended Solbourne's independent corporate operation.

  Source

• 1994

  Exit from computer hardware manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  Solbourne faced rising engineering and production costs while Sun Microsystems was improving its own hardware and reducing the distinctiveness of Solbourne's symmetric multiprocessing capability.

  Action taken

  The company withdrew from the computer hardware business and arranged for Grumman Systems Support Corporation to support existing customers.

  Aftermath

  Solbourne redirected its business toward Oracle Applications and related consulting services, while third-party support for its hardware continued until 2000.

  Source

• 1994

  Pivot to Oracle Applications consultingStrategy

  Background

  After ending hardware manufacturing, Solbourne sought a new role in enterprise technology services.

  Action taken

  Under CEO Walt Pounds, and following a move to Boulder, the company focused on consulting and solutions based on Oracle Applications and associated technologies.

  Aftermath

  Solbourne developed a strong reputation in the Oracle E-Business Suite community and became a significant provider to state and local government customers.

  Source

1. 1Solbourne Computeren.wikipedia.org