Sun to acquire software patch specialist

Sun Microsystems has agreed to acquire Aduva, a small company whose products automate the installation of software patches on large numbers of Solaris or Linux computers.

The acquisition, announced by Sun Wednesday, dovetails with the company's effort to improve remote management services, an initiative that the company expects will make its computers more reliable and less of an administrative burden on customers. In 2004, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company acquired SevenSpace, a remote management specialist.

Aduva is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has about 40 employees. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of June, but terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Sun has refreshed its core server products, but the company also has been on a buying spree in an effort to restore revenue growth.

Aduva's software automates the delivery of software patches and can adjust its operations to different computer configurations. Patch management is the "No. 1 pain point" among computer administrators, said Don Grantham, executive vice president of Sun Services, in a statement.

Sun plans to sell Aduva's technology as a product that customers can install and operate on their own or as an automated service on the Sun Grid, computers whose processing power Sun sells to some customers.

[hutchike]

Great purchase, but on Sun Grid? What Grid?

This move is excellent. IBM's Tivoli unit is squeezing out Sun, so this is a real "shot in the arm" for Sun's management software (e.g. N1). If Sun's blade servers are going to compete with HP and IBM, they will need this level of patch management for sure.

I believe talking about this as a Sun Grid service just serves to wake people up to the fact that Sun Grid is still a pipe dream - a twinkle in Jon Schwartz' eye. Read https://www.sungrid.net/ - need I say more?

Right now Sun makes the best servers (T2000, X4100, X4200, etc) and will soon make the best blade servers. It's becoming a true services company (open source, with support), but the obvious service it is lacking is hosting. Sun Grid could fill that space, but where is the momentum and committment? This could be the revolution of the decade.

[hutchike]

Great purchase, but on Sun Grid? What Grid?

This move is excellent. IBM's Tivoli unit is squeezing out Sun, so this is a real "shot in the arm" for Sun's management software (e.g. N1). If Sun's blade servers are going to compete with HP and IBM, they will need this level of patch management for sure.

I believe talking about this as a Sun Grid service just serves to wake people up to the fact that Sun Grid is still a pipe dream - a twinkle in Jon Schwartz' eye. Read https://www.sungrid.net/ - need I say more?

Right now Sun makes the best servers (T2000, X4100, X4200, etc) and will soon make the best blade servers. It's becoming a true services company (open source, with support), but the obvious service it is lacking is hosting. Sun Grid could fill that space, but where is the momentum and committment? This could be the revolution of the decade.