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IBM Tuesday introduced IBM eServer clusters for Unix and Linux as part of the first-ever system designed to tie together an enterprise’s entire IT infrastructure.
The eServer clusters connect Web servers to vital back-end workloads performing enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management applications.
IBM Tuesday introduced IBM eServer clusters for Unix and Linux as part of the first-ever system designed to tie together an enterprise’s entire IT infrastructure.
eServer clusters, originally code-named Blue Hammer, extend the advanced management software and massive file system of IBM’s SP supercomputer to the rack-mounted server market. This enables customers to control up to 32 eServer rack servers from a single workstation.
eServer clusters are also designed to install, control, and maintain huge server farms all the while providing maximum performance at an affordable price.
“Scaling from one processor to more than 8,100 processors, the SP supercomputer is the most powerful and easy-to-use cluster system ever built and is at home in a wide spectrum of corporate computing environments,” said David Turek, vice president of Deep Computing, IBM Web Servers unit.
IBM eServer clusters are designed for rack systems. The Linux version enables clusters of up to 32 two-way IBM eServer x330 Intel-based machines, while the Unix version clusters up to 32 two- to eight-way IBM M80 or one- to six-way IBM H80 servers running the AIX operating system.
With IBM eServer clusters, both the midrange M80s and H80s can be clustered with large-scale IBM eServer p680 or S80 servers. The M80, H80, S80, and p680 can also be directly attached to the SP supercomputer.
The IBM Unix clusters are especially well-suited for Fortune 1000 companies looking to consolidate multiple, diverse applications. Typical applications include ERP, CRM, business intelligence, and large-scale Web servers.
The Linux clusters are designed for e-businesses that deploy numerous “rack-and-stack” servers on the fly, as well as enterprises that need massive processing power to tackle complex problems. These companies include, ISPs and ASPs with huge server farms; financial services companies looking to consolidate workloads and integrate services; and life sciences firms that need massive computing power to analyze genetic data, design new drugs, and solve difficult science problems.
Today’s announcement is the second phase in IBM’s ongoing efforts to bring sophisticated supercomputing technology to commercial systems. The company announced the Blue Hammer solution in September 2000. Future plans include extending Linux clusters to IBM’s zSeries and pSeries servers and extending Unix clusters to additional servers in IBM’s pSeries line. The company also intends to increase the maximum size of its Linux and Unix clusters to 256 servers in the future.
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