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Fujitsu Computer Systems Corp. on Tuesday is rolling out a two-way rack server powered by Intel Corp.s 64-bit Itanium 2 chip, a companion system to the four-way server unveiled in January, and what officials say will be a key building block in the companys Triole utility computing strategy.
The 2U (3.5-inch) Primergy RXI300 is targeted at scientific and technical applications, according to officials with the Sunnyvale, Calif., company. It will run on Itanium 2 processors at speeds of 1.4GHz or 1.6GHz with 3MB of Level 3 cache, or 1.5GHz, with 6MB of cache.
Other features include three PCI-X slots and 2GB Ethernet ports, RAID-1 capabilities on the Ultra320 SCSI controller for enhanced data mirroring, up to 16GB of memory and two integrated Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. Up to 23 servers can fit into a standard 46U rack.
The RXI300, which will start at $9,200, joins the four-way RXI600 in Fujitsus stable of Itanium 2-based systems. Fujitsu officials said they expect support for the 64-bit chip to continue to grow, particularly as Linux and Microsoft Corp.s Windows operating systems gain traction in the data center. In addition, the 64-bit editions of Windows Server 2003, and 64-bit Linux versions from Red Hat Inc. and Novell Inc.s SuSE Linux unit will fuel future growth, they said.
The entire Intel-based Primergy line also is a key player in Fujitsus Triole strategy, officials said. The company introduced the initiative in the United States in May, though it has been rolled out in Japan for more than a year.
Triole has the same basic goals as other utility computing initiatives such as adaptive enterprise from Hewlett-Packard Co. and on-demand computing from IBM Corp.: making a companys IT infrastructure more responsive to the business demands. However, those other strategies are more services-driven; Fujitsu, whose initiative focuses on virtualization, automation and integration, is more concerned with offering customers a proven package of technologies. Fujitsu is creating templates that will serve as building blocks as businesses grow their utility computing environment, officials said.
A key to that strategy is the use of standard IT components, including Intel-based servers. Fujitsu also offers PrimePower servers, a line of Unix-based system, and recently announced a partnership with Sun Microsystems Inc. in which the two companies will jointly develop a single family of SPARC/Solaris-based systems, called the Advanced Products Line, starting in 2006.
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