Sun to Unveil New Open Storage Hardware

Sun Microsystems(JAVA Quote) plans to introduce Monday its latest family of hardware based on a concept it calls "open storage," which avoids proprietary technology in favor of standard components and open-source software that can be modified by users, according to a report.

Sun says the "open" approach, among other things, makes its products less expensive and more flexible than competing offerings, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Sun's new Storage 7000 Unified Storage System -- code-named Amber Road -- will compete with products from bigger storage players like EMC(EMC Quote) and NetApp(NTAP Quote).

Sun's storage hardware relies on what it calls the Zettabyte file system, which is software that manages how data files are named and stored. By offering the file system as a free open-source program, Sun hopes to build a community of companies and developers, similar to the open-source Linux operating system, the newspaper reports.

Sun earns revenue by selling services around its open-source software, which is free to download and use, as well as by selling related hardware, the Journal reports.