Sun, Inktomi invest in Web hosting firm

Sun Microsystems and Inktomi both took minority stakes today in Digital Island, a company that uses both Sun and Inktomi products to host company Web sites and e-commerce operations.

As part of the deal, Digital Island will use up to 5,000 Sun Netra t1 "Flapjack" servers as well as some Enterprise 420 servers in the next three years, the companies said.

The servers will run Inktomi's Traffic Server and Content Delivery software, which helps spread information across the Internet so that Web services are delivered more quickly to people requesting information over the Net.

The deal is an expansion of existing relationships with Sun and Inktomi.

The computers will power Digital Island hubs in 350 metropolitan areas, 250 of which are located outside the United States. Digital Island's services are intended to give companies the ability to quickly spread e-commerce operations across the world.

Digital Island also will use software from Sandpiper Networks, a company Digital Island acquired in October. The Sandpiper software redirects Internet traffic to least-burdened servers to eliminate congestion.

Inktomi began selling Traffic Server packaged with Sun's Solaris operating system in October.

Digital Island's stock leapt up 45.31 to 114.94 today.