Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Networking

    Azul Taps Network Resources

    Written by

    Jeff Burt
    Published April 18, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Azul Systems Inc. wants to do with compute power what other companies have done with storage and I/O—take it off the server and create a pool of resources on the network.

      The Mountain View, Calif., startup this week will release the first of its appliances designed to enable enterprises to rapidly scale their capabilities to the changing demands of their Java and J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) applications by allowing application servers to dynamically tap a pool of network-attached processing power.

      “We believe that compute power is going to follow the same path as networked storage, and that is enterprises are going to buy big buckets [of processing capabilities],” said Stephen DeWitt, president and CEO of Azul Systems. “What Azul wants to do [with compute power] is what EMC [Corp.] and [Network Appliance Inc.] did for storage, and what Cisco [Systems Inc.] did for networking.”

      The company this week will roll out the Azul 960, 1920 and 3840 appliances. Azuls Vega processors are each designed to hold as many as 24 cores, and the systems will hold from four to 16 chips. That translates into systems that can hold from 96 to 384 processor cores. The chips are made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., of Hsinchu, Taiwan.

      /zimages/2/28571.gifClick here to find out why Azul Appliance took top honors in the Server Hardware category in this years eWEEK Excellence Awards.

      The systems, which fit in standard 19-inch racks and offer from one to four Gigabit Ethernet ports, come with Azuls Compute Pool Manager software, which offers management capabilities such as setting thresholds and policies and a single holistic view of the machines, DeWitt said.

      Azul hopes that eventually Compute Pool Manager will work with management software from third parties, said Scott Sellers, Azuls chief technology officer and vice president of hardware engineering.

      A key problem in data centers is unpredictable spikes in demand, DeWitt said. Current scale-out environments—where smaller servers are linked to create a larger compute environment—are complex and still cant accommodate all the processing power that a Web-based application demands. Meeting such demand leads to adding more servers, which increases costs and management complexity, he said.

      Azul envisions an environment where enterprises have a massive pool of compute power available. Proxy software is installed on traditional servers—which hold their own processors and operating systems—enabling businesses to send Java processing to Azuls appliances.

      “This allows the application a huge amount of headroom, without limitations,” DeWitt said.

      Anne Thomas Manes, an analyst with Burton Group, said that Azuls technologies offer a number of benefits but that the company faces hurdles in convincing business to adopt them. “You now have basically unlimited scalability for Java applications, and you dont have to do anything to the Java apps to get that scalability,” said Manes in Boston. “The problem is that its disruptive technology, and people dont trust [disruptive] technology.”

      Azul will have to offer customer testimonials and benchmark numbers to convince many businesses to bring the technology into their data centers. In addition, there is currently a limited number of companies that have such scalability problems, so Azul might initially be constrained in its search for customers, Manes said.

      /zimages/2/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis on servers, switches and networking protocols for the enterprise and small businesses.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×