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Two for Two: IBM Delivers Next Gen 64-bit eServer xSeries Solutions On the opening day of LinuxWorld
in IBM calls its new approach to implementing industry
standard x86 servers the Xtended Design
Architecture (XDA). According to the company, this new architecture adds high
value features such as enhanced memory expansion, faster I/O, integrated
RAID, redundant & hot swap disks and power supplies, and new methods of
cooling. XDA also improves system availability by supporting manageability
through visible alerts outside the server and the remote management
capabilities of IBM Director 4.2. The Xeon EM64T and a range of the XDA
components are featured in six new and upgraded servers in the IBM eServer xSeries product line, a
new dual processor blade for the company’s eServer BladeCenter, and processor upgrades to the IBM IntelliStation Z PRO workstation. Pricing/Availability Projected pricing for IBM’s current basic tower (x206) and
1U rack (x306) servers with Xeon EM64T processors XDA upgrades ranges from
$499 -$3,000 for the tower x206 and
from $1,600 -$2,500 for the 1U rack mount x306, depending on memory and disk
configuration. New xSeries dual processor rack
(the 1U x336 and the 2U x346) and tower (the x226 and x236) servers targeted
at middle and higher end 32-bit/64-bit server customers, stand alongside
IBM’s current dual processor 32-bit Xeon rack (x335, x345) and tower (x225,
x235) products. These new servers also feature dual Xeon EM64T processors and
will include a range of features from the new XDA model. Projected pricing
for the x226 ranges from $1,000 -$4,500; the x236 from $2,000 -$7,000; the 1U
x326 from $2,200 -$5,000 and the 2U x236 from $2,300 -$6,500, all depending
on system, memory and disk configuration. IBM’s new dual Xeon EM64T blade is not as yet identified
with a model number, but is projected to be priced in the $5,000 -$10,000 range
depending on system, memory, and disk configuration. The new IntelliStation Z PRO workstation is not as yet priced.
Most of IBM’s new xSeries products are expected to
be available within thirty to sixty days, with a few extending into ninety-day
delivery. The company’s current 32-bit-specific Xeon rack and tower products
will continue to be available for the foreseeable future. Net/Net From product line management, to a value-add approach to
implementation, to announcing at LinuxWorld, the
annual show for today’s fastest growing OS, IBM has executed particularly
well in this eServer xSeries
renovation. The company’s goal in modeling and branding this approach is to
highlight its industry standard platforms in a market of ever more
standardized components and implementations. The two most compelling elements
of IBM’s new xSeries package are how the company
supports customers to advance their 64-bit computing ambitions in an
evolutionary rather than revolutionary manner and how IBM differentiates its
products and market strategy with its own secret sauce in the implementation
model. For IBM, AMD’s Opteron will
continue as a solid citizen in the company’s HPC business, where its lack of
market escape velocity has not hampered its deployment in clustering and
targeted HPC applications. But it seems clear that 32-/64-bit x86 solutions
have a life well beyond the rarified realms of HPC, and IBM will expand its
significant experience across a broader market playing field as defined by
Intel. This is a safe bet for the customer not willing to leave the
Intel-friendly herd and for IBM, who wishes to catch those customers in the
server refresh that will be sweeping the industry over the next eighteen to twenty-four
months. As for IBM’s secret sauce, we find the company’s approach
both credible and insightful. Consistent throughout the industry is the
current server marketecture with Scale Up /SMP
approach as one axis and Scale Out / Distributed (one- to four- to eight-way
servers) on the other. For IBM, the XDA compliments the Scale Out portion of
the IBM server marketecture in a model similar to
the way its X-Architecture model illuminates the Scale Up axis. IBM has
successfully cascaded, where appropriate, elements of its mainframe heritage
into its X-Architecture model and has added related elements to the XDA
model, particularly in the areas of system redundency
and cooling. We believe that customers will find enough familiarity in IBM’s new approach to be comfortable and will also appreciate the solid value offered by the performance, availability, manageability, and flexibility enhancements offered by the company’s revamped and revitalized eServer xSeries. The breadth of product offerings, the new branded XDA design model and the choice of LinuxWorld for this announcement illustrate that once again, IBM is moving quickly and decisively to deliver new models of 32-bit/64-bit x86 servers, and to show how the secret sauce of market savvy and technological innovation can even spice up industry standard solutions. |