* Nortel beefs up switch that interconnects IBM blade servers Nortel this week is upgrading the switch used in the IBM eServer BladeCenter with a module that does application switching and runs Gigabit Ethernet.Blade servers are densely packed servers designed for taking on large tasks, and of course those servers need a communications mechanism. Nortel provides the switch for IBM’s blade product.IBM claims that keeping the switch in the BladeCenter product itself makes it easier to deploy and manage the infrastructure, because it is centralized. The company also says that the architecture furthers its on-demand computing initiative by creating a way to adapt to changing workloads.The switch routes traffic, checks the health of applications, balances traffic loads among the blade servers, and has security functions. In addition, IBM is shipping the BladeCenter Optical Pass-thru Module. When used with Myrinet’s Cluster Expansion Card, the blades can be connected to one another at high speeds, for technical computing and cluster computing applications.The Optical Pass-thru Module can also be used with a Fibre Channel card to connect to IBM storage-area network products. Related content news EU approves $1.3B in aid for cloud, edge computing New projects focus on areas including open source software to help connect edge services, and application interoperability. By Sascha Brodsky Dec 05, 2023 3 mins Technology Industry Technology Industry Technology Industry brandpost Sponsored by HPE Aruba Networking Bringing the data processing unit (DPU) revolution to your data center By Mark Berly, CTO Data Center Networking, HPE Aruba Networking Dec 04, 2023 4 mins Data Center feature 5 ways to boost server efficiency Right-sizing workloads, upgrading to newer servers, and managing power consumption can help enterprises reach their data center sustainability goals. By Maria Korolov Dec 04, 2023 9 mins Green IT Servers Data Center news Omdia: AI boosts server spending but unit sales still plunge A rush to build AI capacity using expensive coprocessors is jacking up the prices of servers, says research firm Omdia. By Andy Patrizio Dec 04, 2023 4 mins CPUs and Processors Generative AI Data Center Podcasts Videos Resources Events NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe