OSfOM

History

The SPARCstation IPC: Sun's Compact 'Lunchbox'

In July 1990, Sun Microsystems introduced another notable addition to their SPARCstation lineup: the SPARCstation IPC (codenamed "Phoenix" or Sun 4/40). While the SPARCstation 1 and 1+ were known for their "pizza box" form factor, the IPC debuted a new, slightly taller, and often affectionately called "lunchbox" design.
The SPARCstation IPC was based on the sun4c architecture and was powered by a 25 MHz Fujitsu MB86901A or LSI L64801 SPARC processor. This placed its performance roughly in line with the SPARCstation 1+. However, its distinct "lunchbox" chassis offered a different internal layout and was popular in environments where a vertical, smaller-footprint desktop machine was preferred.
Despite its compact size, the IPC was a capable workstation for its time. It featured SBus expansion slots, integrated Ethernet, and audio. It typically ran SunOS (later Solaris) and was used for a variety of tasks, including software development, network client access, and general Unix computing.
One common point of note for collectors and restorers of the SPARCstation IPC (and other sun4c systems) is the internal battery on the NVRAM chip, which stores critical system information like the host ID and MAC address. When this battery dies, the system may fail to boot without manual intervention, a common challenge in keeping these vintage machines running today.
The SPARCstation IPC, along with the later SPARCstation IPX (which shared a similar chassis), represented Sun's commitment to offering a range of form factors and performance points within their SPARCstation family. It remains a recognizable and functional piece of Sun's hardware history.