IBM's Itanium-Based Offering Quadruples in Scale

IBM has joined in the side of the Intel Itanium 2 scalability party this week launched a series of IBM eServer x 455 can be expanded up to 16 processors. Big Blues announcement a week after HP introduced the eight processors and 16 of the Itanium 2 processor box, which is more competitive in a wide range of remote Windows systems hardware market.

IBM and Hewlett-Packard products by adding Unisys and NEC Corp. in the mid-1990s-(8 years old to 16 processors) Itanium 2 space. HP already had a high-end system, HP Integrity Superdome server, can support up to 64 Itanium 2 processors.

Like Hewlett-Packard, IBM has brought more attention to the Itanium 2 platform. HPs marketing HPs UX operating systems, Linux and Windows Server 2003 Itanium 2 server. IBMs support for 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 and Linux in its eServer x455 systems, but maintain their own RISC processor technology in the implementation of its AIX UNIX business.

Before rolling a 16-way version of the Itanium 2 x series, IBM began offering a four-way Itanium 2, in its xSeries, the so-called eServer x450, where possible. These servers chassis now form the building blocks for the new eight-way and 16-way systems.

The technology is based on the same "Summit" chipset, IBM uses to build its own 16-way to 32-bit Intel Xeon processor product line x-series servers. Because of the higher heat requirements of its Itanium 2 processor, 64 x-series servers are not so intensive as its 32.

Ceyhan bretzmann, IBMs product marketing manager for eServer xSeries line, said that the eight-year and 16-way systems, representing 700-1100 for Itanium technology. "We believe that we will see a lot of enterprise-level database and SAP applications," bretzmann said.

In the 16-way capable eServer x455 will be generally available on December 9. Price From 21,199 US dollars. This is a decline from the original April original price of 26,000 US dollars for the eServer x450.