Fast Search for Microsoft Sharepoint

Microsoft will release a new server that integrates the enterprise search technology it gained by acquiring Fast Search &Transfer with its SharePoint collaboration and content management platform, reports PC World.

A Web parts-based integration between SharePoint and the Fast ESP search platform was available shortly after Microsoft bought Fast for $1.2 billion last year. However, the new server, Fast Search for SharePoint, will go much further, having been "designed to work really well across the various workloads of SharePoint," says Jared Spataro, director of enterprise search.

Fast Search for SharePoint will be available when Office 14 ships.

IBM has leaked a memo which tells its solution providers it is committed to its System x family of x86-based servers. This is despite an agreement with Lenovo giving it the rights to build similar servers. However, VARs said the company was preaching to the choir, writes ChannelWeb.

Instead, solution providers said they have not seen a drop in IBM's commitment to the product line, especially in the entry-level line where Lenovo also competes. However, they have seen moves by IBM indicating a shift in emphasis in its marketing to that segment of the server market.

IBM and Lenovo unveiled a four-year agreement in January last year under which IBM licensed its x86 server technology to Lenovo.

Reeling from revenue declines and even steeper drops in profits in the fourth quarter, Intel confirmed today that it will ship its Nehalem Xeon EP processors for two-socket servers before the end of this quarter, states Channel Register.

During a briefing with reporters in San Francisco, the chipmaker mentioned its Nehalem plans in passing, as it discussed the $7 billion it will spend outfitting factories for its upcoming 32nm Westmere processors.

The Nehalem EP chips will fit into two-socket servers based on the Tylersburg chipset and will carry the Xeon 5000 series brand.