INDUSTRY

ARMONK, NY -- IBM today introduced the new IBM eServer i890, featuring mainframe-class technology and the company's game-changing POWER4 microprocessor. The 32-way i890, running the latest release of iSeries' operating system -- OS/400 Version 5 Release 2 -- nearly doubles the processing power of the previous top-of-the-line iSeries, the i840, and delivers enhanced server consolidation capabilities with support for up to 32 OS/400 or Linux dynamic logical partitions. The new eServer features the 1.3 gigahertz POWER4 microprocessor with 174 million transistors. POWER4 is the winner of the 2001 MicroDesign Resources award for best server processor. "The debut of POWER4 technology along with significant improvements in our flagship operating system make the iSeries a more compelling choice for datacenter applications than ever before," said Buell Duncan, general manager of iSeries. "With the introduction of this server and its mainframe-class technologies, we again demonstrate our commitment to advancing the capabilities of IBM eServer iSeries for customers as they grow and add new workloads." IBM also announced that Capacity Upgrade on Demand -- a key datacenter technology that allows customers to immediately add extra processing power for new workloads or spikes in demand -- will now be standard on all iSeries 830 4-way models and above. Customers will now be able to pay for the capacity they need, when they need it. For example, a 4-way customer can add one processor at a time as needed to grow to a 5- or 6-way and so on. In addition, IBM introduced Enterprise Identity Mapping (EIM), a first-of-its-kind technology developed under the company's Project eLiza initiative, which can help to reduce the cost of security administration by simplifying the authentication process for users when they access applications that run across multiple servers. EIM associates and tracks a user's multiple security identities across a network, enabling programmers to write simpler and more secure applications without forcing users to sign on and authenticate to each server in a network. Among the industry's most flexible servers -- running Linux, OS/400, Windows, Java and Unix applications -- a single i890 can support up to 32 OS/400 and Linux dynamic logical partitions, allowing businesses to reduce cost and complexity by consolidating multiple workloads onto a single, easy-to-manage server. Dynamic partitions enable customers to enhance the performance level of applications running in different partitions without restarting the server. In addition, the iSeries Linux kernel now extends support for 64-bit applications. "The new IBM eServer i890 has something to benefit all of our joint customers," said Perry Moss, director of technology marketing, J.D. Edwards & Company. "We think J.D. Edwards software customers will be excited by the additional mainframe-class technologies being introduced on this server." IBM also announced plans to support AIX on an iSeries partition in the future, providing enhanced application flexibility and greater server consolidation capabilities. Other features of OS/400 V5R2 include: switched disk clustering that reduces the downtime for scheduled server maintenance; IBM DB2 Universal Database for iSeries now supports multiple databases on a single server and the latest SQL standards and Java Transaction API; Java 2 Micro Edition drivers enable robust, secure applications from cellphones and PDAs across the wireless Web; and new Web Caching and Secure Sockets Accelerators double the capacity for securely serving Web pages. Initial shipments of the i890 with OS/400 V5R2 will begin on June 14, 2002, with worldwide general availability of V5R2 in August 2002. The new Capacity Upgrade on Demand options are available immediately. For more information visit www.ibm.com/eserver.