IBM Bolsters Power 5+ Servers

IBM on Tuesday debuted a handful of new Power 5+-based Unix servers, including its fastest system to date and some that also feature the company's Quad Core Module (QCM) technology.

The new System p5 570, which uses a 2.2-GHz version of the Power 5+ processor, reportedly establishes a record for transaction-processing performance in a 16-core system by delivering 1,025,169 transactions per minute. IBM officials said they plan to target the system at small and midsize businesses looking to run applications involving large databases, ERP and CRM.

Big Blue also unwrapped the System p5 560Q containing what company officials say is the industry's first four-core module. The new technology is designed to compete against 16-core-plus systems running Java-based enterprise-class applications, such as larger data bases and Web-based applications.

IBM is also using the 2.2-GHz Power 5+ chip in the new System p5 575 supercomputer, an eight-core system that is packaged in a 2U form factor. The company also debuted a 16-core, 1.9-GHz version of the System p5 575.

IBM first introduced systems with the QCM technology in 2005. Company officials said sales of those first systems sold well above their expectations, which indicated users are gravitating to higher-end servers for better performance more quickly than they initially anticipated.

"IBM's Unix systems obviously are still enabling customers to overcome some of the more complex computing challenges they face every day," says Karl Freund, vice president of IBM pSeries.

Other servers announced include the System p5 185 Express that has three bays, four available slots and is available either as a desk-side or rack-mount form factor; and the entry-level System p5 510 Express, a 2U rack-mount server capable of running IBM's Advanced Power Virtualization and integrated Virtualization Manager software.

In a related announcement, IBM debuted its Intellistation Power 185 Express workstation, its lowest-priced Unix workstation to date. The desktop system is well-suited for developers looking to create AIX 5L and Linux-based applications, according to a company spokesman.