IBM Adds To UNIX Portfolio

By Mike Sachoff
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2008-10-17

IBM is building on its UNIX portfolio by introducing new servers and software.

The company has announced its new POWER6 processor-based servers for enterprise and SMB customers and updated virtualization and systems management software to help clients improve performance.

IBM says its new offerings are an alternative to HP and Sun because it helps customers consolidate their data centers, increase operational efficiencies, and reduce energy costs.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), in second quarter of 2008 IBM UNIX grew revenue 25.8 percent YTY, outpacing all others, outgrowing HP by 2 to 1 with Sun in decline.

The IBM Power 570 now offers more energy efficiency and consolidation options with new processor cards that double the number of cores in the same system footprint. Starting at just 4 cores, the system can be upgraded to a full 32-core single system image (32-core SMP); and with hot-node add, businesses can install more server modules without having to take the system down when the time comes for growth.

IBM also announced that the Power 570/16, which supports from 2 to 16POWER6 cores, now features faster speeds of 4.4 GHz and even 5.0 GHz -- the fastest of the POWER6 processors -- previously available only in the top of the line Power 595.

IBM recently introduced AIX Enterprise Edition to help UNIX clients discover applications and server relationships monitor and report service status, manage workload partitions (WPARs), and enable cost analysis of server usage. Systems Director and AIX Enterprise Edition have been designed to provide a full platform management solution for UNIX servers.

"With new servers and our systems software offerings moving higher up the customer value chain, we're continuing to demonstrate the added value we provide to customers when compared to HP and Sun," said Scott Handy, vice president of worldwide marketing and strategy, IBM Power Systems.

About the Author:
Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.