IBM has introduced its new server technology - Enterprise X-Architecture (EXA) - which enables the company to break price and performance barriers that until now have kept large Intel processor based processor servers out of the mainstream of mid-market computing.
The first two IBM systems to incorporate EXA - The x440 and x360 - shipped from today.
"EXA is the culmination of decades of experience with mainframe and midrange server designs, packaged in two cost-effective, industry-standard servers offering 4-way and 4- to 16-way scalability," says Chad Baker, IBM SA eServer xSeries manager.
EXA is the latest step in IBM`s plan to bring mainframe-inspired technology across its entire eServer product line. IBM Enterprise X-Architecture and its core XA-32 and XA-64 chipsets deliver capabilities for workload consolidation, `pay as you grow` scalability, large memory support and high-speed remote input/ouput I/O systems.
EXA incorporates advanced functionality in a core chipset to increase performance and provide unparalleled scalability to the next generation of Intel Xeon ("Foster") processor MP and second generation Itanium Processor Family ("McKinley") CPUs.
EXA at a glance:
* Allows organisations to scale easily from a 4-way to 8-way to 12-way to 16-way simply by adding another node. This "pay as you grow" design lets organisations protect their initial investment and helps keep them from having to buy more headroom than required up front;
* I/O expansion has never been easier; add PCI adapters as required. Remote I/O can be shared between two servers, saving of rack space. All of this configuration flexibility comes without the worries of additional investment in InfiniBand, because Remote I/O supports future I/O technology;
* XceL4 Server Accelerator Cache adds up to 64MB of dedicated high- speed Level 4 cache memory per scalable enterprise node;
* Enterprise X-Architecture hardware platforms are optimised for Microsoft and Linux operating systems. The combination of IBM hardware and Windows and Linux operating systems provides high-end capability for a broad range of mission-critical enterprise applications;
* Self-managing tools delivered in support of IBM`s eLiza initiative help keep server availability high. Real Time Diagnostics performs diagnostics while servers are still running. Helps maintain server availability by performing diagnostic testing on system and subsystem components without having to take down the server;
* With the goal of keeping systems up and running continuously, IBM has produced a myriad of Active Memory tools, such as Active Memory, ChipKill and Memory ProteXion, that enable the servers to protect themselves and data from memory failures;
* IBM`s Software Rejuvenation tool can address and help avoid 32% of all server downtime by providing self-healing capabilities to servers.
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