Sun Java System RFID Software

Sun Continues to Fuel New RFID Market With Java System RFID Software

Software and Pricing Model Enables New Opportunities for Businesses Seeking to Exploit Growing Networking Technologies

Santa Clara, California, USA and Shanghai, China. June 01, 2004.

Building on its support for the growing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) market, Sun Microsystems, Inc. today at the second quarterly Network Computer '04 launch, announced the release of its new Sun Java System RFID Software. This standards-based software simplifies the integration of RFID data into enterprise information systems, reducing the complexity of managing massive amounts of data. The announcement follows the recent grand opening of Sun's revolutionary RFID test center in Dallas, TX. The Sun Java System RFID Software is available directly through Sun on an annual subscription basis and will allow customers to start small and scale as their RFID deployment needs grow. The pricing includes RFID Software, upgrades and customer support.

The Java System RFID Software represents a key component of the Sun RFID Solution strategy which also includes global client services, global RFID test centers, Sun hardware and storage, and key solution partners for RFID.

The Sun Java System RFID Software, available on the Solaris Operating System, streamlines the management of RFID hardware including tags and readers. It also provides the foundation for RFID applications that will increase visibility of assets across supply chains, improve product integrity and provide real-time access to inventory information. The new software is designed to work with a variety of infrastructure solutions including Sun's Java Enterprise System.

"Organizations around the world recognize that RFID technology has the potential to increase operational efficiencies, speed time to market and minimize theft and waste," said John Loiacono, executive vice president of Software at Sun. "RFID is a natural fit for Sun's expertise in delivering network services and builds off core infrastructure technologies like the Sun Java Enterprise System and Solaris OS. The Sun Java System RFID Software is the latest offering from Sun to help customers deploy secure and reliable network services."

The Sun Java System RFID Software is comprised of two essential components, the Sun Java System RFID Event Manager and the Sun Java System RFID Information Server. The Java System RFID Software is the industry's only highly available RFID solution that can automatically adapt to changing operating environments without requiring system downtime or special administration. This is especially important since RFID technology is often used in locations outside the data center, such as warehouses or manufacturing facilities, without a full-time IT administrator on-site.

The Java System RFID Event Manager processes information from RFID tags or sensors and filters this data based on a customer's requirements. It is based on an innovative architecture that uses Java and Jini technologies to manage and maintain RFID systems under demanding production environments. It provides a self-healing and self-managing architecture that enables applications to be dynamically provisioned across available network resources and helps ensure maximum system reliability and scalability. Running on top of the Sun Java System Application Server 7, a key part of the Sun Java Enterprise System, the Java System RFID Information Server captures, queries and stores a wide-range of information and makes it available in a consistent manner to other applications.

"With the opening of our Dallas Test Center, which is the first of its kind, and now the release of our unique RFID software, Sun has pulled away from the competition and they are scrambling to catch up," says Julie Sarbacker, director of Sun's RFID Business Unit. "Sun Java System RFID Software leverages the years of experience Sun has acquired from working with customers and participating in the development of industry-driven standards to support the use of RFID, both as a founding member of the Auto-ID Center and currently as an active member of EPCglobal."

For more information on Sun Java RFID Software go to www.sun.com/rfid.

Availability

The Sun Java System RFID Software for the Solaris Operating System is scheduled to ship in the summer of 2004 with Linux availability scheduled for the fall of 2004.

Tune-in to the NC04Q2 web event at www.sun.com/nc26. Go to www.sun.com/sncasia2004 for up-to-the-minute information live from the SunNetwork Conference in Shanghai.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer(TM)" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - News) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com. Subscribe to Sun newswire at http://sun.com/news.

Contact

Jacki DeCoster
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Tel: +1 (408) 276-5258
Email: jacki.decoster@sun.com

Kim Evans
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Tel: +1 (415) 762-2270
Email: kim.evans@sun.com

Addditional References

EPC and RFID: Enabling the Next Level of Business Efficiencies

The Sun EPC Network Architecture: A Technical White Paper. February 2004.

Sun RFID FAQ document

"Physical Markup Language (PML) for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)."

"Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Resources and Readings."

Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive.

SEARCH Advanced Search ABOUT Site Map CP RSS Channel Contact Us Sponsoring CP About Our Sponsors NEWS Cover Stories Articles & Papers Press Releases CORE STANDARDS XML SGML Schemas XSL/XSLT/XPath XLink XML Query CSS SVG TECHNOLOGY REPORTS XML Applications General Apps Government Apps Academic Apps EVENTS LIBRARY Introductions FAQs Bibliography Technology and Society Semantics Tech Topics Software Related Standards Historic	Sun Java System RFID Software Sun Continues to Fuel New RFID Market With Java System RFID Software Software and Pricing Model Enables New Opportunities for Businesses Seeking to Exploit Growing Networking Technologies Santa Clara, California, USA and Shanghai, China. June 01, 2004. Building on its support for the growing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) market, Sun Microsystems, Inc. today at the second quarterly Network Computer '04 launch, announced the release of its new Sun Java System RFID Software. This standards-based software simplifies the integration of RFID data into enterprise information systems, reducing the complexity of managing massive amounts of data. The announcement follows the recent grand opening of Sun's revolutionary RFID test center in Dallas, TX. The Sun Java System RFID Software is available directly through Sun on an annual subscription basis and will allow customers to start small and scale as their RFID deployment needs grow. The pricing includes RFID Software, upgrades and customer support. The Java System RFID Software represents a key component of the Sun RFID Solution strategy which also includes global client services, global RFID test centers, Sun hardware and storage, and key solution partners for RFID. The Sun Java System RFID Software, available on the Solaris Operating System, streamlines the management of RFID hardware including tags and readers. It also provides the foundation for RFID applications that will increase visibility of assets across supply chains, improve product integrity and provide real-time access to inventory information. The new software is designed to work with a variety of infrastructure solutions including Sun's Java Enterprise System. "Organizations around the world recognize that RFID technology has the potential to increase operational efficiencies, speed time to market and minimize theft and waste," said John Loiacono, executive vice president of Software at Sun. "RFID is a natural fit for Sun's expertise in delivering network services and builds off core infrastructure technologies like the Sun Java Enterprise System and Solaris OS. The Sun Java System RFID Software is the latest offering from Sun to help customers deploy secure and reliable network services." The Sun Java System RFID Software is comprised of two essential components, the Sun Java System RFID Event Manager and the Sun Java System RFID Information Server. The Java System RFID Software is the industry's only highly available RFID solution that can automatically adapt to changing operating environments without requiring system downtime or special administration. This is especially important since RFID technology is often used in locations outside the data center, such as warehouses or manufacturing facilities, without a full-time IT administrator on-site. The Java System RFID Event Manager processes information from RFID tags or sensors and filters this data based on a customer's requirements. It is based on an innovative architecture that uses Java and Jini technologies to manage and maintain RFID systems under demanding production environments. It provides a self-healing and self-managing architecture that enables applications to be dynamically provisioned across available network resources and helps ensure maximum system reliability and scalability. Running on top of the Sun Java System Application Server 7, a key part of the Sun Java Enterprise System, the Java System RFID Information Server captures, queries and stores a wide-range of information and makes it available in a consistent manner to other applications. "With the opening of our Dallas Test Center, which is the first of its kind, and now the release of our unique RFID software, Sun has pulled away from the competition and they are scrambling to catch up," says Julie Sarbacker, director of Sun's RFID Business Unit. "Sun Java System RFID Software leverages the years of experience Sun has acquired from working with customers and participating in the development of industry-driven standards to support the use of RFID, both as a founding member of the Auto-ID Center and currently as an active member of EPCglobal." For more information on Sun Java RFID Software go to www.sun.com/rfid. Availability The Sun Java System RFID Software for the Solaris Operating System is scheduled to ship in the summer of 2004 with Linux availability scheduled for the fall of 2004. Tune-in to the NC04Q2 web event at www.sun.com/nc26. Go to www.sun.com/sncasia2004 for up-to-the-minute information live from the SunNetwork Conference in Shanghai. About Sun Microsystems, Inc. Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer(TM)" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - News) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com. Subscribe to Sun newswire at http://sun.com/news. Contact Jacki DeCoster Sun Microsystems, Inc. Tel: +1 (408) 276-5258 Email: jacki.decoster@sun.com Kim Evans Sun Microsystems, Inc. Tel: +1 (415) 762-2270 Email: kim.evans@sun.com Addditional References EPC and RFID: Enabling the Next Level of Business Efficiencies The Sun EPC Network Architecture: A Technical White Paper. February 2004. Sun RFID FAQ document "Physical Markup Language (PML) for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)." "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Resources and Readings." Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive.