The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia and other free-content projects, has selected Sun to help it build a secure and scalable open source web infrastructure using Sun Fire x4500 and x4150 servers and Sun StorageTek storage arrays.

The collaboration will enable Wikimedia to host ever-increasing volumes of rich media and video content and also support the collaborative development and testing of new Wikipedia content and applications by its global network of users.

The new Sun platform will enable Wikipedia to enable users to seamlessly upload files up to 100MB. The free encyclopedia is one of the five most popular web properties in the world, with more than 250 million unique visitors each month and a 100,000-strong community of active volunteer editors. Wikipedia uses MySQL as its primary database software. The Wikimedia Foundation is also a Sun Startup Essentials program member, which has enabled it to get high-performance, enterprise-grade systems at attractive startup prices.

“Wikipedia needed a storage and server platform that can handle the ever-evolving needs of a growing, global community that currently sees more than 10 billion page views per month,” said Juan Carlos Soto, vice-president of Cloud Computing and Developer Platforms Marketing, Sun Microsystems. “With a scalable and secure Sun Fire and Open Storage infrastructure, Sun has created a platform that enhances the experience of Wikipedia users worldwide and contributes to global knowledge creation and sharing over the Web.”

The Sun Open Storage Infrastructure provides continuous easy access to Wikimedia’s data. The Sun Fire X4500 storage server delivers the high performance of a four-way x64 server and the highest storage density available, with up to 48 TB in 4U of rack space, and uses the Solaris Operating System to manage and protect data. The Sun Fire x4150 server is a market-leading 2-socket x64 server in a single rack unity.