Oracle Corp. (ORCL) Chief Executive Larry Ellison Tuesday showcased a machine that integrates Oracle's database software with the hardware of Sun Microsystems Inc. (JAVA), and will replace a similar system based on technology from Hewlett-Packard Co.

Oracle, which announced it would buy Sun in a $7.4 billion deal in April, is still awaiting regulatory approval for the transaction. But Oracle is under mounting pressure to map out its plans for Sun's future as rivals try to lure Sun customers.

The merger is on hold while European Commission antitrust authorities investigate. Earlier this month they started a more detailed investigation into the deal, citing "serious concerns" about the possible impact the deal could have on the database market. The investigation could take up to four months.

On Tuesday, Mr. Ellison said Oracle would launch what he described as an online transaction processing database machine, Exadata version 2, which incorporates Oracle's software with what is known as FlashFire technology from Sun.

In a presentation that also included John Fowler, a senior executive at Sun Microsystems, Mr. Ellison said the computer, which handles both online transactions and data warehousing, is twice as fast as its predecessor, and faster than most machines made by rivals, including computer giant International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) and database specialists Netezza Corp. (NZ) and Teradata Corp. (TDC).

Oracle announced a deal a year ago to deliver the first Exadata offerings, based on H-P hardware and an Oracle database. Oracle confirmed yesterday those products will no longer be built. An Oracle spokeswoman said it will continue to sell those systems "while existing inventory is available, for those customers who request it."

The latest announcement comes as competitors have been aggressively pursuing Sun customers since the deal was announced, seeking to take advantage of confusion among its customer base about the future of Sun's product roadmap.

IBM claims to have won over 250 customers from Sun in the first six months of 2009 and says customer defections have accelerated since Oracle's acquisition was announced. Sun saw its share of the global server market decline by more than one percentage point in the second quarter of 2009, according to technology research firm IDC.

-By Jessica Hodgson, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6455; jessica.hodgson@dowjones.com

(Don Clark contributed to this article.)