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IBM this week updated its Power7 server line with the company's latest Power7+ processors while expanding the line at the entry-level with its first Unix servers priced less than $6,000.
The company also unveiled new PureSystems converged infrastructure solutions with new reference architectures for its PureFlex systems, as well as a new entry-level PureApplication System for Web and database applications, and it increased performance for its PureData big data appliances.
The new servers and PureSystems solutions, which IBM is targeting at Linux as well as Unix environments, provide a new level of scalability to customers and solution providers, said Bradley McCredie, vice president for IBM Power systems and an IBM Fellow.
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"In addition to having a brand new technology in the Power7+ systems, we're bringing the price of AIX systems way down to under $6,000," McCredie said. "We believe that, with the scalability of the new technology, we can address new markets in a very, very price-competitive way compared to x86-based systems."
IBM's Power7 server line started getting updated last August with the Power7+ processor, which differs from the Power7 processor in that it has a larger per-core L3 cache, improved clock speeds and the ability to handle more logical partitions (LPARs).
The initial rollout of the Power7+ family started with the high-end Power 770 and Power 780 servers, but it had not been extended across the entire line, McCredie said
It includes the entry-level Power 710, a single-socket 2U rack mount server that can be configured with up to eight processor cores and up to 256 GB of memory and carries a starting price of $5,947, he said.
IBM also added the Power7+ processor to its PowerLinux line of servers designed specifically for the Linux operating system, he said.
IBM, via its Power line of servers, provides attractive price points in scale-out server environments, McCredie said.
"These are high-density Linux environments where customers look at the number of virtual machines per dollar they can get," he said. "If you want to get as many applications in a frame as possible, the best choice is a Power server, which includes all the security and reliability of the Power7+ processors."
NEXT: Updates To IBM's PureSystems Solutions
