Sun Microsystems stepped up its server attack this week with one campaign aimed at grid computing customers and another targeted at disheartened Itanium server users.

On the grid front, Sun has started selling its new X2100, X4100 and X4200 Opteron-based servers in large configurations. Customers who buy 20 or more of the boxes will receive a 33 per cent discount from Sun's services unit on the cost to bundle the gear together. In addition, Sun will offer a price cut to customers who buy its Application Server or N1 management software for the rack of servers regardless of how many boxes are in the rack. There's more information on the program here.

Sun's latest server push, however, comes as it struggles to find customers for its $1 per processor per hour grid computing rental service. In fact, since the program launched in 2004, Sun has yet to reveal a single customer that is actually tapping into the rental model.

To help nudge things along, Sun this week started a Grid Developer Community web site. The company hopes developers will turn to the site and find out how to write software that can easily be mapped to Sun's grid network.

Away from the grid, Sun has once again fired a shot at HP by offering discounts to customers willing to abandon HP-UX. In particular, Sun will offer HP's Itanium server customers a 12 per cent discount off its new Opteron-based gear, if the HP crowd is willing to jump ship.

Sun keeps referring to something called "Itanic" in its ads, but we don't know what that is. ®

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