eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Gateway Inc. on Thursday continued its push into the enterprise systems arena with the launch of an updated version of its management software and with server support of Microsoft Corp.s operating system.
Gateway Server Manager 2.1—the first version was rolled out earlier this month—enables multiple communications paths to the servers, including in-band, out-of-band and browser-based communications. It also supports IPMI (intelligent platform management interface) 1.5, an open standard that enables the software to interoperate in heterogeneous environments, said Gateway officials. IT administrators can run Gateways software along with management tools from other vendors, including Hewlett-Packard Co.s OpenView, IBM Tivoli and Computer Associates International Inc.s Unicenter.
Furthermore, the software supports the Windows MMC interface, which gives users the same look as Windows-based applications.
The new management software and Gateways support of Windows Server 2003 are part of a larger push by the Poway, Calif., companys push into the enterprise.
“Anybody who is serious about [offering] servers has their own version of system management software,” said Menekse Gencer, director of operating systems and software for Gateways Systems & Networking Products Group.
Page Two
Enterprise systems are one of several initiatives by Gateway to transform itself from simply being a PC maker to being what Chairman and CEO Ted Waitt calls a “branded integrator,” a company that can offer customers a mix of Gateway-branded products such as mobile devices and services.
In March, Gateway launched two upgraded server lines, the Gateway 960 and 980, which feature the fastest 32-bit processors from Intel Corp., the 3.06GHz Xeon chip that includes a 533MHz front-side bus and Intels hyperthreading technology, designed to increase application performance.
Earlier this month, the company rolled out two rack-mounted servers, the 1U (1.75-inch-high) Gateway 955 and the 2U (3.5-inch-high) 975.
All of Gateways servers are still aimed at the companys traditional customers, the small and midsized businesses as well as educational and government agencies, said Tim Diefenthaler, director of enterprise servers and storage products.
Gateway will differentiate itself from competitors such as Dell Computer Corp. by the support and services it offers, Diefenthaler said. For example, all technical support employees are Microsoft-certified engineers, he said.
“Weve always been very strong in the consumer business, but were also very strong in our business line,” Gencer said. “A lot of small and midsize businesses feel like theyve been forgotten by the larger tier-ones [OEMs] and arent getting the attention they need because theyre not buying a lot of these systems.”
The Gateway Server Manager is available immediately and will be shipped for free with all new servers. Customers who already have Gateway servers can get the software as a free upgrade, Gencer said.
Servers with Windows Server 2003 also are available immediately.
Search for more stories on Gateway.
Search for more stories by Jeffrey Burt.
For more on Windows Server 2003, see our special section.