Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • 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
  • 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 Latest News
    • Networking

    IBM Strengthens Ultradense Blade Server

    By
    eWEEK EDITORS
    -
    May 6, 2002
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      IBM has joined the growing ranks of computer makers who have announced high-density “blade” servers in the last year, but the company hopes to gain an edge on rivals by offering a beefier blade.

      Blade servers, first introduced last year, are far smaller than the previous generation of thin rack-mounted servers, enabling customers to dramatically boost computing power within their data centers. For example, one system from startup RLX Technologies Inc., in The Woodlands, Texas, packs 324 servers into a 6-foot-tall industry standard rack designed to hold only 42 servers.

      But to achieve such high-density designs, vendors removed internal storage capacity and installed cooler-running and less powerful processors to avoid overheating. While such designs were well suited to simple tasks such as Web hosting, they were generally seen as inadequate for handling more robust enterprise applications.

      IBMs new eServer Blade Center, scheduled for release in the next quarter, will seek to exploit that weakness by offering a more robust system configuration designed to meet the demands of high-end enterprise applications.

      Packing a relatively modest 84 blades per rack, IBMs Blade Center will feature 32-bit Xeon and 64-bit Itanium processors, the most powerful server processors available from Intel Corp.

      IBM, in Armonk, N.Y., is wise to “play off of their strength,” said one analyst.

      “With this product, IBM will be able to target financial data centers, which literally have thousands of servers ripe for consolidation,” said Jonathan Eunice, an analyst with Illuminata Inc., in Nashua, N.H. “RLX, with their Transmeta [Corp.] chips and low-power Pentiums, is not going to walk in there and sell to these guys. But if you have Xeons, I think theyll seriously consider populating with blade servers rather than the discrete rack servers they use currently.”

      Despite the heralded advantages of blade design and the high-profile vendors—including Dell Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sun Microsystems Inc.—few customers have embraced the designs, due in large part to the technologys arrival in the midst of a U.S. recession, Eunice said.

      However, the future for such devices is considered bright. According to International Data Corp., of Framingham, Mass., blade server sales are expected to reach nearly $3 billion by 2005.

      In addition to featuring Intels high-end server processors, the Blade Center will be equipped with double-data-rate dynamic RAM with error- correcting code. Gigabit Ethernet switches will be incorporated into the system to provide high-speed network access to the blade servers.

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      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
      Applications

      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
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      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.
      © 2022 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.

      ×