Sun communications suite upgraded to version 7

Sun Microsystems is shipping version 7 of its the Sun Java Communications Suite, offering a Web 2.0 client as well as wireless email, interoperability and search capabilities, the company said.

Featuring capabilities for mail, calendaring, group scheduling and instant messaging, the suite has been deployed in more than 170 million seats in previous versions, Sun said. Featured in version 7 are a “state-of-the-art AJAX Web 2.0 client experience” and wireless “push” email, Sun said.

The Sun Convergence 1 Update 3 part of the suite offers a rich Web client for Java Communications Suite e-mail, calendaring, contacts, IM and other Web services. Sun said. The update enables fast searches of email attachments using an indexing and search service. Access is provided to POP email and all leading browsers are supported, including Internet Explorer 8, Sun said.

The Calendar Server 7 portion of the suite supports the latest CalDAV standard, enabling interoperability with other calendaring clients like Mac iCal or Mozilla Lightning, Sun said. Native calendar synchronization is offered with mobile devices supporting CalDAV, such as the iPhone, according to Sun.

“With the addition of CalDAV and the latest version of our Convergence user interface, we've proven that you do not have to sacrifice scale, security and functionality,” in a mail, calendar and messaging experience offered in a browser, said Jim Parkinson, Sun senior vice president, in a statement released by the company.

The Indexing and Search Service 1 component in version 7 provides real-time indexing and searching of messaging content, including attachments in formats such as PDF, Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org. Messaging Server 7 Update 3 offers a messaging platform that adds support for the Red Hat 5 version of Linux.

Instant Messaging 8 Update 2 offers instant messaging and a presence platform supporting IM in mobile devices and interoperability with IM networks like AOL, MSN, and Yahoo, Sun said.