LIST OF SPARC CLONERS AND USED SUN RESELLERS by Robert Plamondon June, 1993 Here's my first cut at a list of SPARC cloners and resellers of used Sun equipment. My goal here is to make it easier for people to find cost-effective SPARC equipment. My special interest is in upgrading SPARCstation 1 and 1+ machines, which can be done by replacing the motherboard with a SPARCstation 2 (or clone) motherboard. I recently was involved in upgrading three SPARCstation 1s this way, and posted my experiences to the net (send me e-mail if you missed it, and want a copy). Like most people with SPARCstation 1 equipment, I knew of no cost-effective upgrade path. I also didn't have any easy way to acquire the money to do a more expensive upgrade: If I had, I wouldn't be stuck with SPARCstation 1s, would I? But the applications I ran (for example, Interleaf 5 under OpenWindows) were too CPU-intensive for SPARC 1 machines: I had a real need for more horsepower. At the same time, my systems were old enough that I could easily get away with unusual upgrade practices. While normally we buy new Sun equipment and keep it under Sun hardware maintenence, NOBODY cares what I do with a SPARCstation 1. If I want to put a clone board in it, fine. If I want to take it out to the parking lot and back my truck over it, that's fine, too -- it's been fully depreciated, and has no value on our books. (I'd have to sweep up the pieces, though.) So I was free to explore alternatives. Personally, I like clone boards. A lot of people like to buy used Sun SPARCstation 2 boards for their upgrades, rather than clone boards, but used Sun boards cost a lot more. In fact, the clone boards were enough cheaper than the Sun boards that I could afford to upgrade all my systems AND buy a spare motherboard, just in case! I've listed both cloners and resellers of used Sun equipment, so if you prefer Sun boards, you can find them. The sources for this list are: 1. The "SPARCward, Ho!" article in the April, 1993 issue of SunExpert. 2. A list kindly sent to me by Ajay Shah. 3. Ads in recent Sun and UNIX magazines. I'm not listing a lot of detail here, because I don't know much about most of the vendors. I've spoken with several vendors on the phone, and have been universally impressed by the courtesy and depth of knowledge of their technical contacts and marketers (but I can't vouch for their telemarketers: I never talked to them, as chance would have it.) Feel free to send me additions or corrections to my list. WHAT TO LOOK FOR After talking to a few of these companies on the phone, it seems that they all offer products in a wide range of variations, and that the biggest barrier to your success is figuring out exactly what you'd like. For instance, you can do SPARCstation 1 upgrades that involve a trade-in of your old SPARCstation 1 motherboard, and all your old DRAM. The nice thing about this kind of deal is that you just buy a new motherboard with all the DRAM pre-installed, and you trade in your old DRAM (which is likely too slow for a SPARC 2) along with your old motherboard. This avoids SIMM compatibility headaches. (I don't know what kind of a deal you get for old 100ns SIMMs, because I didn't know that people offered trade-ins when I placed my first order. Now our system administrator has some SPARCstation 1 motherboards and SIMMs he'll never find a use for.) I recommend that your order be very specific, and in writing, to avoid confusion. We ordered some products from one company, and there was a miscommunication of some kind, and we got the wrong stuff. I wasn't the one making the phone calls, but it seems that the people booking the orders and the people who knew something about the product weren't talking. Under these circumstances, it's best to cough up a self-explanatory piece of paper. For example, if I were filling out a purchase order for another SPARCstation 1 upgrade kit, I'd word it as, "SPARCstation 1 upgrade kit, including a new SPARCstation 2 compatible motherboard with socketed IU, mounting screws, extended floppy disk power cable, installation instructions, motherboard reference manual, one-year overnight replacement warrantee, 48 MB DRAM installed. Price: $WWWW. $XXX trade-in will be given on SPARCstation 1 motherboard with YY MB DRAM, if delivered to you within 14 days after arrival of upgrade kit. Upgrade kit to be delivered by ZZZ. Terms: net 30 days." Every single item I listed there is important, and should be spelled out. SPECIAL MENTION I'm too new to the clone game to have seen much of a cross-section of the products out there, or to have talked to all the cloners. Marathon, though, deserves special mention: My first upgrade gave me a great deal of trouble (a combination of a disk drive problem and my own ignorance). Jim Hall of Marathon was extremely helpful, and came out and helped me bang on the system until it worked. The board I got from him, an Aries Parrot, also deserves mention for its easy-to-use SIMM sockets and overall spiffiness. While virtually all the clone manufacturers make "100% Sun-compatible" SPARCstation II boards, some have convenience features, such as good sockets (or any socket at all on the processor), that others lack. Also deserving of mention is Pinnacle, which has me thinking there is no stone they have left unturned. They do both clone manufacturing and Sun equipment servicing, and have several unusual upgrade products, such as a speed upgrade for the ELC to boost it to 40 MHz, and (if I understand this correctly), an IPX clone motherboard for use in IPC-to-IPX upgrades. --- Apogee Systems, Inc., 800-367-1488, 1815 S. Gadsden St. Tallahassee FL 32301 Aries Research, Inc., 46791 Fremont Blvd, Fremont CA 94538 Comments: I like their Parrot II board, which has the lever-action SIMM sockets. Axil Workstations (Hundai), 166 Baypointe Pkwy, San Jose CA 95134 CAD National (Axil vendor), 408-554-0636 CompuAdd Computer Corp, 12303 Technology Blvd, Austin TX 78758 Computer Connection of CNY Inc., 315-724-2209 Concorde Group (Reseller) 800-370-0099 (East), 800-225-7213 (West). Comments: Sells clone and refurbished Sun equipment. ELI Systems, 139 Hampshire St, Cambridge MA 02139, 800-447-1156, 617-547-1113 Comments: sells refurbished Sun equipment. Integrix, Inc., 1200 Lawrence Dr. #150, Newbury Park CA 91320, 805-375-1055 Comments: Advertises SPARCstation 1/1+ upgrades. Makes a 50 MHz SPARC II+. Marathon, 16795 Lark Ave., Ste 107, Los Gatos CA 95030. 800-783-7354 408-395-7354 Comments: Sell clones and remanufactured (used) Sun equipment. Marner International, Inc., 1617 93rd Ln NE, Blaine MN 55449, 612-780-1133 Minicomputer Exchange. 408-733-4400. Comments: Sells used systems and parts, including motherboards. Mobius Computer Corp, 5627 Stoneridge Dr, Bldg 312, Pleasanton CA 94588 Open Concepts International, Inc., #107 2841-109 St, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada TGJ-GB7 Opus Systems, 3000 Coronado Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054, 408-562-9340 email: johnc@opus.com --or-- uunet!opusys!johnc Pinnacle Data Systems, 1350 W. Fifth Ave. Columbus OH 43212, 614-487-1150 Comments: Already has a line of upgades for "non-upgradeable" systems such as the ELC. Clone manufacturer. Also does depot service on all Sun products. Rave Computer Association, 36960 Metro Ct., Sterling Heights MI 48312 313-939-8230. Comments: Sells remanufactured (used) Sun equipment w/Sun warrantee. Sidus Systems, Inc. 25 Minthorn Ct., Thornhill Ontario, Canada L3T-7N5 Solid Computer Corp., 1450 Oakbrook Dr. #300, Norcross GA 30093 Stealth Computer Systems, 1980 Cumulus Ct, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 Sunar Systems, 3350 Scott Blvd, Ste 1901, Santa Clara CA 95054, 408-892-0288 800-22-SUNAR, email: sunar@netcom.com Comments: advertises SPARCstation 1/1+ upgrades. Makes a 50 MHz SPARC II+. Super Workstation, 2190 Paragon Dr., San Jose CA 95131, 800-841-0036 Comments: advertises SPARCstation 1/1+ upgrades. Makes a 50 MHz SPARC II+. System Computing Corp, 430 10th St, S-109, Atlanta GA 30318, 404-872-6475 Comments: advertises SPARCstation 1/1+ upgrades (DTK). Tatung, 2060 Ringwood Ave., San Jose CA 95134 Uni Solution, Inc. 5005 Riverway, Houston TX 77056, 800-552-4UNI Comments: advertises SPARCstation 1/1+ upgrades. Workstation Technologies. 8A Industrial Way, Salem NH 03079. 603-890-6700 Comments: Sells remanufactured (used) Sun equipment with Sun warrantee. Xpert Image, Inc., 10631 Harwin Rd. #606, Houston TX 77036, 713-272-7038 -- Robert Plamondon * WEITEK Corporation * Home of SPARC Power uP (TM) 80 MHz clock-doubled SPARC processor upgrade for the SPARCstation 2 or IPX FAX-back info line: (800) 827-8708 or (408) 522-7525 Email info request: cpu-upgrade@weitek.COM * To order: (408) 738-8400