TechWatch: Server Cooling, Wireless VoIP; SMB Backup

Talk about cool. Check out IBM's Cool Blue cooling unit for servers, ZyXEL's wireless VoIP and Revinetix's backup system for SMBs. If you have an interesting product, e-mail [email protected].

IBM's Cool Server solution

IBM has come up with a new way to cool down overheated server farms. The company's new Cool Blue device, otherwise known as the eServer Rear Door eXchanger, takes advantage of existing air conditioning by populating individual server racks with sealed tubes filled with chilled water, which IBM says can remove up to 50,000 BTUs, or 55 percent of the heat, generated by the servers. Cool Blue can reduce energy costs by 15 percent, the company says. IBM's updated eServer Cluster 1350 is the first designed to take advantage of Cool Blue, though IBM says it can work in any server environment because it uses standard fittings and couplings. Partners can service the product by opening the rear cover.

Cool Blue, www.ibm.com Price: $4,300

Backup Box Looks Like a PC

Backup appliances are all the rage, coming in myriad sizes, shapes and configurations. Add to that an option from Revinetix that comes in a desktop PC chassis with Serial ATA drives, management software and support for removable disks. The appliance, called Volo, supports bare-metal restore, allowing for recovery of most desktops within 20 minutes. Preinstalled with the company's RevOS software, the box plugs into an Ethernet switch and can be upgraded to support data-archiving and replication, allowing critical data to be archived to a removable USB drive and taken off-site.

Revinetix Volo, www.revinetix.com Price: $3,495 with mirrored 400-GB drives

V o IP To Go

Assuming you have mobile customers who spend a lot of time on the phone--and who doesn't?--why not introduce them to the ZyXEL P-2000W wireless voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone. One caveat--it's not a substitute for a cellphone because your clients must be within range of an open Wi-Fi network. That said, the P-2000W supports only the 802.11b wireless spec, though that is the most ubiquitous of the Wi-Fi protocols, as well as 64- or 128-bit WEP encryption for secure communications, plus the Session Internet Protocol (SIPv2). The phone is easy to configure using a Web-based wizard.

ZyXEL P-2000W, www.zyxel.com Price: $249 (subscription)