News for and about the Internet2 community

[Lauren Kallens <>]

The Digital Campus Becomes a Reality With Easy-to-Deploy Sun Software 
Now Available to More Than 200 Internet2 University Members

Network of Expertise Initiative to Offer Free Collaborative Support 
Services to University IT Administrators

ANN ARBOR, Mich. and SANTA CLARA, Calif., September 29, 2004 -- 
Internet2 and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), an Internet2 
corporate partner, today announced that they have signed an agreement 
under which the more than 200 Internet2 university members and
affiliates will be offered a unique annual, renewable subscription for 
nearly all of Sun's software products. This will allow the university 
members to more easily and affordably create a seamless, cost-effective 
digital campus. The subscription-based approach is a new way to price 
technology that is designed to save university members money in software 
deployment and services costs, while providing mobility, enabling 
collaboration and increasing access. The net result is the creation of a 
new model of computing which Sun calls the Digital Campus.

The comprehensive Sun software technologies available to the schools 
include Sun's development tools, enterprise and desktop technologies, 
grid computing technologies and operating systems. More than three 
million students, staff and faculty at Internet2 universities can 
benefit from Sun's open standards-based software solutions in the 
classroom, at home, and in research and development projects.

"Several Internet2 member universities have been seeking alternate 
software licensing models to realistically manage the increasing 
complexity of the IT infrastructure landscape. Sun has always been a 
strong partner for higher education, and is once again proving its 
commitment with this agreement," said Michael Gettes, senior technology 
architect and strategist at Duke University, an Internet2 University 
member. "Sun's software line has components that both support and 
enhance Internet2's middleware efforts, application development, 
critical services infrastructure (e-mail, calendaring and Web servers), 
research computing, and desktop applications. These components help to 
fill out an open standards-based infrastructure for the academic, 
administrative, and research enterprises of a university."

Sun and Internet2 have also agreed to develop a Network of Expertise 
(NOE) initiative. The intent is to provide Internet2 university members 
with a cost-effective first-line support mechanism. The NOEs will be 
online resource centers where IT administrators can access and 
collaborate on solutions and share best practices with member universities.

"This agreement is what building the Digital Campus is all about. 
Predictable and affordable, easy to deploy software, combined with the 
support and services through the Network of Expertise will make it 
possible for schools to focus their budgets where they should be -- 
building better education resources not solving complex, expensive 
computing problems," said Kim Jones, vice president, Global Education 
and Research at Sun.

"Through this partnering with Sun Microsystems, we are providing 
Internet2 members yet another opportunity to innovate with advanced 
networking capabilities," said Douglas Van Houweling, president and CEO 
of Internet2. "We look forward to creating similar agreements for the 
products and services provided by more of our corporate members in order 
to encourage collaboration and benefit higher education."

Catering to the demands of the education community, Sun software 
products provide a streamlined distribution model. The portfolio 
includes software for enterprise directory management; 
application/integration servers and messaging; application development; 
security; desktop applications; e-mail,calendar and collaboration; 
operating systems; systems administration and Internet technologies.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.internet2.edu/services/sun.html

About Internet2(R)
Led by more than 200 U.S. universities, working with industry and
government, Internet2 develops and deploys advanced network applications 
and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the 
creation of tomorrow's Internet. Internet2 recreates the partnerships 
among academia, industry, and government that helped foster today's 
Internet in its infancy. For more information about Internet2, visit: 
http://www.internet2.edu/.

About Sun Microsystems
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The
Computer(TM)" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. 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://sun.com.

NOTE:  Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo and The Network Is The 
Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, 
Inc. in the United States and other countries.

CONTACT:
Lauren Kallens
Internet2
202-331-5345


Kristen Hyland
Sun Microsystems
650-786-0037