IBM has delivered a significant boost to the fast-fading Unix computing space, with the launch of its eServer p5 -- an advanced line of Unix and Linux servers using Big Blues 64-bit Power5 microprocessors and micro-partitioning technology.
The eServer p5 systems, consisting of p5-520, p5-550 and p5-570 Express, are expected to meet a variety of clients needs, right from SMBs to large enterprise-level clients.
With this launch, IBM has attempted to extend beyond traditional Unix servers with mainframe-inspired features that help companies by providing higher utilization, better performance, greater flexibility, and lower IT management costs.
The new p5 systems use between 2 to 16 Power5 microprocessors to deliver performance and scalability on a Unix platform, leveraging the industry standard power architecture.
IBM eServer p5 systems allow for server consolidation and mixed workloads on a single system by giving businesses the capability to run multiple different operating systems like AIX, Linux, etc, simultaneously.
The new eServer p5 systems are the first Unix systems to enable clients to run multiple (up to ten) virtual servers or micro-partitions on a single microprocessor letting it do the work traditionally done by many. This allows businesses to better utilize processors and automatically reconfigure processor partitions in less than one second to meet changing on demand business needs.
Using as few as one-fourth the number of processors, eServer p5 systems are believed to outperform HP and Sun servers on various benchmark tests.
