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May 16, 2005
Sun, Microsoft Increase Interoperability
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In outlining
progress between their two companies one year after their landmark
agreement, Sun Microsystems Inc. chairman and CEO Scott McNealy and Microsoft Corp.
CEO Steve Ballmer announced a series of measures to enhance product interoperability, including the development of
new specifications that enable Web single sign-on (SSO) between systems that use Liberty and WS-* Web service architectures.
The measures result from the broad 10-year technical collaboration
agreement, announced in April 2004, that set the framework for
increased cooperation between the companies to enable their products to
work better together. The chief executive officers noted that over the
past year the companies have made considerable progress building a
productive work relationship at various levels and setting the
foundation for a number of initiatives to address customer
interoperability needs.
"Over the past year we have worked to establish great communication at all levels between our companies, from regular executive
meetings to in-depth working sessions with our engineers," said Ballmer. "In the first year, we've moved from the courtroom
to the computer lab. Now we're moving from the lab to the market."
"Sun and Microsoft are working together ... and quite well at that,"
said McNealy. "A year ago, the skeptics doubted that we could agree on
the shape of the table, much less collaborate on solving some of the
industry's toughest problems. Surprise -- we did just that and today
we've taken a huge step forward. Single sign-on experience between the
Solaris-based Operating System, Sun Java Enterprise System and
Microsoft Windows Server has been customers' top request. This
is just the beginning of a long list of projects we're working on."
The companies noted their strong outreach to customers in developing
the relationship as well as identifying key areas and projects. Over
the past year, top executives from both companies have spoken regularly
to customers to get a better understanding of priorities and concerns.
A key area for customers was product interoperability; in addition to
the Web specifications, the companies also announced licensing
agreements and product cooperation that address customer
interoperability needs.
Web Single Sign-On (SSO)
The companies have jointly developed and published two draft
specifications: Web Single Sign-On Metadata Exchange (Web SSO MEX)
Protocol and Web Single Sign-On Interoperability Profile (Web SSO
Interop Profile). These new specifications enable browser-based Web SSO
between security domains that use Liberty ID-FF and WS-Federation.
Products that support the Web SSO MEX Protocol and the Web SSO Interop
Profile will enable companies to provide users with an improved Web SSO
experience from their Web browsers.
As part of the companies' ongoing commitment to improving interoperability across their respective product lines, Microsoft
and Sun also announced plans to support the new specifications within their product portfolios, including Microsoft Windows
Server and Sun Java Enterprise System.
Microsoft and Sun welcome participation in the further development of these draft specifications through the Web services
protocol workshop process, and ultimately will submit them to a standards organization for finalization and ratification as
industry standards. Drafts of the new specifications are available on Microsoft's Web site at msdn.microsoft.com/webservices/understanding/specs/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnglobspec/html/wssecurspecindex.asp and Sun's Web site at developers.sun.com/techtopics/identity/interop/index.html for anyone to review and comment on.
"The integration of the products of these two companies is critical
to General Motors," said Fred Killeen, director of Systems Development
and chief technology officer for General Motors Information Systems
& Services. "The reduction in integration cost and operational
complexity will be a key enabler in implementing identity management
initiatives for GM and for the industry as a whole."
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