INDUSTRY

ARMONK, NY-- IBM today introduced the first Intel®-based server with “game changing” memory technology that can effectively double memory and increase performance significantly in memory constrained environments when compared with servers with an equal amount of memory. The new IBM eServer xSeries 330 marks the debut of Memory eXpansion Technology (MXT) that can help customers deploy fewer servers and save up to 25 percent in total solution costs when compared to comparable servers without MXT. An IBM Research innovation, MXT uses a fast hardware algorithm which encodes data so that it can be stored in a computer's main memory using half the space it would otherwise need. MXT also incorporates a new level of shared cache designed to efficiently handle data and instructions on a memory controller chip. Frequently accessed data and instructions are automatically stored close to a computer's microprocessors so they can be accessed immediately --- improving performance in memory constrained environments. Less frequently accessed data is compressed and stored in memory -- helping to increase memory capacity by a factor of two or more. The IBM eServer x330 with MXT offers customers a highly efficient system for memory constrained environments such as Web serving, caching, firewall, and load balancing. MXT can help customers reduce costs by either purchasing less memory to achieve the same performance, or increase performance by installing the same amount of memory to achieve more memory capacity. Comparable competitive Intel-based systems in memory constrained environments may need up to twice the memory to achieve the same level of memory performance as the IBM eServer x330 with MXT. "Since memory can comprise thirty to fifty percent of the total cost of most Intel-based server configurations, bringing technology like MXT to the industry standard space is a game changing development," said Susan Whitney, GM, IBM eServer xSeries. "Today, not only are we delivering the first Intel-based servers with MXT, but we're offering customers of all sizes, from small business to large enterprises, technology designed to increase performance and provide real cost savings." "Having enough memory to handle intense scientific applications such as hydrodynamics and transport coding can become a major issue," said Dr. Fabrizio Petrini, staff member in Los Alamos National Laboratory's Computer and Computational Sciences Division. "Using IBM eServer with Memory eXpansion Technology, we are able to consistently use less than half of the physical memory of a conventional system, while performing the same task without sacrificing performance." MXT is now available on the IBM eServer x330, the industry's leading 1U (1.75") thin server that features IBM's unique technology that allow companies to reduce "rack clutter' by eliminating over 300 feet of cables and six KVM (keyboard, video and mouse) switchboxes per standard 42U per rack. By using IBM's C2T Interconnect(TM) Cable Chaining Technology, 42 1U servers can be "daisy-chained" together -- with each server connected to the one above and below it with a single cable, which can save customers both space and significant cabling expense. In addition, IBM eServer x330 delivers high performance dual processing along with smart technology from IBM's Project eLiza(TM) initiative of self-healing and self-managing tools, including Software Rejuvenation, which is designed to automatically predict and repair software problems before they occur. Also included in the x330 with MXT is Light Path Diagnostics(TM), which alerts customers to server problems and helps them locate and replace components quickly. The new IBM eServer x330 with MXT supports Linux® or Microsoft® Windows® operating systems. For more information visit www.ibm.com