* IBM’s latest Linux-only Power5 server
IBM upped the ante on Linux last week with the launch of its second Linux-only Power5-based server. IBM also announced a virtualization and partitioning program that lets small and midsized businesses consolidate workloads on the OpenPower 710 and its predecessor, the four-processor 720.
The OpenPower 710 is a single- or dual-processor rack-mountable server that runs either Red Hat or SuSE Linux. The 64-bit server is designed for high-performance engineering and scientific workloads, as well as Web content serving and the consolidated workloads of small and mid-sized businesses. Its Power5 processors provide simultaneous multithreading capabilities.
Charles King, senior analyst for Pund-IT Research says that in addition to these capabilities, the server is intended to compete with some of the low-end RISC-based servers on the market.
“The OpenPower 710 is intriguing, since it provides an interesting answer to a critical issue every UNIX vendor faces: how to counter the ongoing incursion of x86-based servers into the datacenter,” says King in a research note.
“For IBM, the response is two-fold,” King says. “First, create an aggressively priced solution aimed at one of your prime competitor’s sweetest (and potentially weakest) spots. Second, leverage the Power5’s enhanced micro-partitioning capabilities to deliver a consolidation solution whose price/performance should give pause to even the most ardent x86 fan.”
The OpenPower 710 server runs at 1.65 GHz and contains as much as 32G bytes of memory. It has four hot-swappable Ultra320 SCSI drives for more than 570G bytes of storage. Three PCI-X slots are available for connection to external peripherals. It has two 10/100/1000M bit/sec Ethernet adapters and hot-plug power supplies for redundancy.
Running SuSE Linux, the OpenPower 710 can be dynamically partitioned for multiple workloads. As many as 10 partitions can be carved out from each processor. When running Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 3 for Power, dynamic partitioning is not supported.
OpenPower Consolidation Express allows users to carve up the OpenPower 710 or 720 servers and run multiple workloads on them. With OpenPower Consolidation Express, a 710 or 720 could host file and print, Web serving, security and firewall and directory or e-mail applications.
The OpenPower Consolidation Express consists of the OpenPower 720 or 710, the OpenPower Virtualization Option, SuSE Linux or Red Hat Enterprise Linux and a Fast Start Kit, which has several configuration and dynamic logical partitioning recommendations.
The OpenPower 710 is expected to ship next month, starting at $3,450.
