INDUSTRY
IBM Introduces xSeries 440 Servers
ARMONK, NY -- IBM has announced a powerful system -- reportedly breaking price and performance barriers that until now have generally kept large Intel-processor-based servers out of the mainstream of corporate data center computing. IBM offers a "building-block"-style, highly reliable architecture that allows customers to pay for computing power incrementally as they need it, and is designed to support up to 16 processors and 64 GB of memory. Expected availability of the 16-way server is July 2002. The new IBM system, called the IBM xSeries 440 with Enterprise X-Architecture technology, caps a three-year development effort to build an exceptionally powerful Intel-based machine, using industry standard technologies, that is designed to handle the core applications that power e-businesses. The x440 performs smoothly with the Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server product to offer customers high reliability and scalability. The IBM x440 is aimed at e-businesses where it provides a platform for both server consolidation and large, single system applications. The x440 can be used as a single big server to run a large database for business intelligence, or to consolidate many small "virtual servers" -- such as multiple e-mail servers -- under one roof to reduce costs. The x440 supports the Microsoft Windows operating system within a single SMP configuration, and also is designed to support up to four physical partitions or up to 64 virtual partitions. Powered by IBM's Enterprise X-Architecture technology, the x440 server is designed to scale to 16 Intel IA-32 Xeon processors MP -- twice the number of processors in an 8U system than the nearest competitor with a 7U system, and four times the processors of most other shipped Intel Xeon-based systems. "Three years ago, IBM set out to reinvent the high-end of Intel servers. Today we are delivering a groundbreaking product that addresses long held customer requirements in this Intel server segment," said William Zeitler, senior vice president and group executive, IBM Server Group.