SPARCstation LX (Sun 4/30)
Gallery
Image of OSfOM.org Collection's SPARCstation LX (Sun 4/30).
Technical Specifications
| Model: | SPARCstation LX (Sun 4/30) |
|---|---|
| Codename: Platform: |
Sunergy sun4m |
| Processor: Math Copro: |
microSPARC (in CPU) |
| Clock Speed: | 50MHz |
| RAM: | max. 128MB |
| Graphics: | on-board Sun Turbo GX (cgsix) |
| Operating System: | SunOS 4.1.3c to 5.9 (Solaris 9) - Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD |
| Introduced: | November 1992 |
| Dealer price (net): | 19.110DM (16MB RAM, 424 MB HD, 19" greyscale display) (Jun. 1993) |
The SPARCstation LX: Enhanced Lunchbox Computing
Sun Microsystems released the SPARCstation LX (also known as the Sun 4/30) in November 1992 alongside the SPARCclassic. Positioned as a mid-range system, it used the compact "lunchbox" chassis rather than the larger "pizza box" enclosures used by machines like the SPARCstation 10.
The LX shared the SPARCclassic's 50 MHz microSPARC I processor, but included different graphics and audio hardware. Rather than the SPARCclassic's unaccelerated CG3 framebuffer or the monochrome video of the earlier IPC, the LX came with an accelerated onboard CG6 color framebuffer. Sun also replaced the 8-bit audio of the SPARCclassic with 16-bit audio hardware.
The system ran Solaris and included SBus expansion slots for adding peripheral cards. Users typically deployed it for multimedia work, graphical applications, and software development involving graphical user interfaces. As with other Sun hardware from this period, the internal NVRAM battery eventually fails over time, making battery replacement or repair a standard maintenance task for collectors.