Preserve Your Sun SPARC Systems on Modern Infrastructure
Run your entire SPARC Solaris environment on modern hardware, without rewriting applications or changing how your systems operate.
Your Sun SPARC applications Your Sun SPARC applications still do their job. The hardware underneath them is the risk. With vtSparc, Salem Automation moves your complete Solaris installation, including the operating system, applications, and databases, onto modern x86 hardware, a virtual machine, or the cloud. The emulator recreates the exact hardware interfaces of your original Sun server or workstation, so your software runs exactly as it does today. No changes, no problems.
What is vtSparc?
vtSparc is a full-system emulation platform that reproduces Sun SPARC hardware on modern infrastructure. It presents your existing Solaris operating system with the same processor, memory, storage, and network interfaces it expects, so nothing above the hardware layer has to change. You keep your applications, your data, and your workflows exactly as they are.
We deliver vtSparc as part of our , alongside our Alpha and VAX emulation solutions, with migration planning and support handled by our team.
The Reality of SPARC Hardware Today
The applications running on your Sun systems are often business-critical. The machines running them are decades old and long past end-of-life support. Every year that hardware stays in production, the risk climbs: unrecoverable failures, scarce replacement parts, and shrinking expertise to keep it alive.
Replacing the hardware usually means an expensive, high-risk application rewrite. vtSparc removes that risk. You modernize the platform underneath your applications while leaving the applications, the OS, and the data completely untouched. Learn more about the pressures that drive these projects on our page.
Seamless Transition to Modern Infrastructure
Because the emulated hardware matches the original, your systems behave as if nothing moved. Users see the same applications, and operators run them the same way, with no retraining.
Our team follows a proven process to move you across:
1
Install vtSparc on a host system. This can be x86 hardware, a virtual machine, or a cloud instance.
2
Create a virtual equivalent of your SPARC.
3
Copy your SPARC disk content across.
4
Resume normal operations on modern infrastructure.
This is the same disciplined approach we bring to every we handle.
Choose Your vtSparc Model
vtSparc comes in two versions, matched to the Sun systems they replace.
| vtSparc-4M | vtSparc-4U | |
|---|---|---|
| Replaces | SparcStation 4, 5, 10, 20 | Ultra / Enterprise |
| Backplane emulated | SparcStation | UltraSPARC |
| CPUs | 1 base, up to 4 | 1 base, up to 24* |
| Virtual memory | Up to 512 MB | Up to 128 GB |
| Solaris support | 1.1.2 and newer | 2.5.1 and newer |
| Expansion | 1 Ethernet + 1 storage adapter | 4 PCI slots (10 on U450) |
Maximum CPU count depends on the model.
vtSparc-4M: SparcStation Replacement
replaces the SparcStation 4, 5, 10, and 20. It virtualizes a SparcStation backplane with one Ethernet and one storage adapter, starts at one CPU and scales to four, supports up to 512 MB of virtual memory, and runs Solaris 1.1.2 and newer.
vtSparc-4U: Ultra and Enterprise Replacement
replaces Ultra and Enterprise systems. It virtualizes an UltraSPARC backplane, starts at one CPU and expands up to 24 depending on the model, supports up to 128 GB of virtual SPARC memory, offers four PCI slots (ten on the U450), and runs Solaris 2.5.1 and newer.
Both models share the same platform underneath, built to bridge legacy Solaris to modern infrastructure.
01
Modern Storage, Legacy Interfaces
Your SPARC software still sees the legacy device types it expects. Behind the scenes, vtSparc connects those to current storage technology, including SATA, iSCSI, NFS, and SAN. It supports physical and logical disks along with CD-ROM and DVD devices, including physical media and ISO images.
02
Bare-Metal Deployment
vtSparc installs directly on the host, whether that is x86 hardware, a virtual machine, or the cloud, with no pre-installed operating system required. There is no Windows or Linux license to buy and maintain underneath it.
03
Networking
vtSparc virtualizes Ethernet adapters and supports virtual network switches, bonding devices, and VLANs, so the emulated system slots into your existing network the way you need it to.
04
Security
Access is controlled through configurable roles. Communication runs over secure protocols, cloud deployments are encrypted, and event logging keeps a record of activity.
05
Serial Connectivity
Two COM ports map to physical terminals, to terminal emulators over telnet or ssh, or to pseudo terminals, giving you flexible console and serial access.
06
Licensing and Disaster Recovery
vtSparc uses Smart Card based licensing and supports multiple instances. A disaster recovery license is included, with 720 hours of failover use, which pairs naturally with a broader plan.
Protect Your Investment Without Compromise
You do not have to choose between keeping your proven SPARC applications and retiring the hardware that threatens them. vtSparc lets you do both. Your investment in decades of application logic stays intact, running on infrastructure you can actually support.
Why Work with Salem Automation
We modernize legacy systems for a living. Alongside vtSparc, we deliver Alpha emulation, VAX emulation, OpenVMS virtualization, and platform migration. Our team scopes your current SPARC environment, recommends the right vtSparc model and host, handles the migration, and stays with you through .
Organizations in defense, government, energy, and manufacturing rely on us to keep critical systems running without disruption.
Ready to Move Beyond SPARC Hardware?
If your business still depends on Sun SPARC applications, vtSparc lets you keep them running on modern, supported infrastructure. Talk to an expert and we will help you scope your migration and choose the right model.