SYSTEMS

Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation today announced it is now shipping the latest addition to its PRIMERGY® blade server line, the PRIMERGY BX600 midrange blade server. With the highest computing power per unit space and the latest server management solutions, the new blade server is ideal for enterprise consolidations. "Fujitsu is committed to enhancing and expanding its portfolio of blade solutions," said Richard McCormack, vice president of product marketing at Fujitsu Computer Systems. "The addition of the PRIMERGY BX600 blade server is perfect for enterprises looking to simplify their infrastructure and reduce TCO." Now shipping throughout North America, the PRIMERGY BX600 blade server is a highly scalable 19-inch (7U) rack system that can house up to 10 compact server blades. Each server blade can accommodate up to two Intel Xeon(TM) processors, 12 GB of ECC DDR-SDRAM (PC2100) and two hot-plug Ultra320 SCSI hard disks. The server blades can also be upgraded to include a PCI slot module and 2 GB Fibre Channel (FC) interfaces. The 7U chassis also offers space for up to four power supply modules with redundancy and four redundant fans. LEDs on the chassis and the server blades indicate status information and are used for localization in the 19-inch rack. Later this year, quad blades based on Intel Xeon MP processors will be available for the PRIMERGY BX600 blade server and the 7U chassis will accommodate up to five quad blades. Customers can customize the quad blades depending on their requirements. To simplify the installation, administration and monitoring of PRIMERGY BX600 blade servers, Fujitsu offers a suite of server management solutions. Enterprises can easily automate multi-server installations with the appropriate deployment software. The chassis has redundant and hot-pluggable infrastructure modules that are connected to the server blades by means of a passive mid-plane. Dual redundant management blades provide out of band access to a remote management interface for the blades and chassis. The Gigabit Ethernet switch blades connect the Gigabit Ethernet ports of the server blades to the LAN. The Fibre Channel Pass Thru blades are responsible for connection to a SAN, using an optional FC module for each server blade. The infrastructure is rounded off by a KVM (keyboard/video/mouse) switch and a SCSI module for connecting external backup devices. With the new PRIMERGY BX600 midrange blade server, Fujitsu now has two blade server offerings in its Intel® architecture (IA) product portfolio. The PRIMERGY BX600 midrange blade server is designed primarily for mid-tier application areas. Its smaller and more compact sibling, the PRIMERGY BX300 midrange blade server, is ideal for front-end applications as a highly scalable Web or terminal server and as an infrastructure component. The two blade servers bolster the company's PRIMERGY server line and strengthen its position as a solid player in the worldwide IA server market. In fact, in a recent report from Gartner Dataquest, Fujitsu increased its worldwide IA server shipments by 26 percent from the fourth quarter of 2002 to the fourth quarter of 2003. Both International Data Corporation and Gartner currently rank Fujitsu fourth in the total number of IA servers shipped worldwide. Pricing starts at $10,300 (USD) for the PRIMERGY BX600 blade server and at $6500 (USD) for the PRIMERGY BX300 blade server.