OSfOM

The Sun Ultra 2: Dual-Processor Powerhouse 

Building upon the foundation of the Ultra 1, Sun Microsystems introduced the Ultra 2 workstation (codenamed "Pulsar") in 1996. This model was a significant step forward, bringing multiprocessing capabilities to the UltraSPARC desktop line and solidifying Sun's position in the high-performance computing market. 

The defining feature of the Ultra 2 was its support for dual UltraSPARC processors. Initially available with UltraSPARC I processors at speeds up to 200 MHz, later revisions incorporated the faster UltraSPARC II processors, reaching speeds of up to 400 MHz (and even 450 MHz with later CPU modules). This dual-processor capability, combined with the 64-bit architecture and the UPA interconnect, provided substantial performance gains for multithreaded applications common in scientific, engineering, and software development workflows. 

The Ultra 2 utilized a desktop "pizza box" chassis, a familiar form factor from earlier SPARCstation models, but updated to accommodate the new UltraSPARC architecture and its associated components. It featured multiple SBus slots and a UPA slot for high-performance graphics cards like the Creator3D and Elite3D series, making it a formidable machine for visualization and graphics-intensive tasks. 

Targeted at the high-end workstation market, the Ultra 2 was a powerful platform for demanding professional applications. Its multiprocessing capabilities made it particularly well-suited for computationally intensive tasks and server roles. Running Solaris, the Ultra 2 was a stable and reliable system widely deployed in enterprise and research environments during the late 1990s. 

The Sun Ultra 2 stands as a key system in the UltraSPARC era, marking the introduction of multiprocessing to Sun's desktop workstations and providing a powerful, expandable platform that was a staple in many technical computing fields.