Stratus Technologies launches new mid-range, enterprise ftServer systems

Stratus Technologies has announced availability of its next generation mid-range ftServer 5600 and enterprise-class ftServer 6600 systems.

These new fault-tolerant servers join the entry-level ftServer 3300 model in offering IT managers an ultra-reliable platform for continuous processing; modular, space-optimised design; Intel's most current server processor technology; and a broad range of configuration options and price points. Stratus has re-engineered its entire Windows server line in the past six months with second-generation ftServer technology.

The 1-2 way ftServer 5600 and 2-4 way 6600 systems replace the Stratus ftServer 5240 and 6500 models, respectively. Offering faster Intel processors with Hyper-Threading technology, increased memory and disk, and integrated redundant Gigabit Ethernet, the new servers also are priced as much as 50% less than their predecessors at introduction one year ago.

Stating that its systems are The Smarter Approach to Uptime, Stratus asserts that ftServer systems in deployment will:

*.Beat high-availability failover clusters, Unix systems, and legacy fault-tolerant servers on performance, operational simplicity, and combined cost of hardware, software and on-going maintenance.

*.Consistently deliver better than 99.999% uptime for both server and operating system, surpassing competitors' systems for field-proven, measured availability.

*.Deliver the industry's only 1-4 way SMP fault-tolerant solutions for both Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition and Windows 2000 Advanced Server operating systems.

*.Eliminate single points of failure, prevent downtime, and avoid lost data and transactions.

*.Self-diagnose, report and resolve more than 95% of all system issues within one-half hour via the Stratus electronic ActiveService Architecture, with no downtime or business interruptions.

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Cashcard, Australia's leading payments system services provider with 50 member financial institutions, recently deployed its bulk-payment delivery application on ftServer systems and foresees using ftServer 6600 systems for additional mission-critical operations. Currently, Cashcard network-member ATMs total 8 593, and 11 458 EFT/POS terminals connect directly to its network.

"Launching new products and services is key to continuing our firm's growth trajectory. Those responsible for business development constantly challenge IT to deliver the infrastructure functionality and integrity to drive new opportunities," said Ron Hill, chief technology officer for Cashcard. "Our strategy is to move away from a proprietary mainframe-type platform and develop new high-volume, mission-critical applications in the Windows environment. We are looking to Stratus ftServer systems to deliver the continuous availability and platform reliability so essential to our expansion plans."

The industry standard for reliable computing

The ftServer 5600 system is a highly expandable mid-range server in a rack-optimised form factor. Delivered with dual redundancy and lockstep technology to enable continuous processing performance, the server is made up of six 1U component slices that slide into a cable-less blind-mate back plane in a standard 19-inch rack. The slices consist of two CPU modules with Intel Xeon processors at 2.8GHz, two core I/O modules, and two expansion I/O modules. This server is well suited for Exchange, database and other applications that require greater configuration flexibility and system headroom as compared to the entry-level ftServer 3300 system.

Challenging high-end Unix and proprietary platforms supporting enterprise-class, business-critical applications, the powerful ftServer 6600 system is offered with either 2.0GHz or 2.8GHz Intel Xeon MP processors. This server may be configured with triple modular redundancy (TMR) of the CPU modules to ensure utmost system reliability. To accommodate the 2- to 4-way symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) capability and TMR option, ftServer 6600 model CPU modules are 2U, making a rack-mounted unit 10U high.

"For every vital business process where reliability, performance, cost effectiveness, and operational simplicity are important, there is an ftServer model that out-classes rival products," said David Laurello, president and CEO, Stratus Technologies. "IT managers feeling pressured to deliver 24x7 application availability while also parcelling limited resources owe it to themselves to look at a fault-tolerant ftServer solution."

Stratus is continuing its Perfect Performance Program, which guarantees 100% uptime on ftServer 6600 TMR systems running Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition or Windows 2000 Advanced Server. Under the program*, the company guarantees that if a qualified server covered by either Stratus Assured Availability or Assured Availability Plus Services should experience unplanned downtime from an operating system or hardware failure in that server for the first year of the contract, Stratus pays the customer $100 000 in cash or product credit.

All ftServer models may be ordered with either Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition or Windows 2000 Advanced Server. All models are available now. (See complete product descriptions and specifications at www.stratus.com/products/ftserver.)