Nehalem comes to IBM server range

10 June 2009

Tarsus Technologies has announced that customers investing in new IBM X3550M2 or X3650M2 servers over the coming months can expect a substantial increase in the performance level and power-efficiency that these mission-critical servers were previously able to offer.

That’s because these platforms have become available with the much-vaunted server editions of Intel Core i7, better known as the Nehalem processor, the top number-crunching unit available when it comes to raw processing power and power-efficiency.

“Intel’s Core i7 is a double-whammy,” says Jacques Klopper, IBM business unit manager at Tarsus Technologies, “offering a substantial performance increase over its previous generation predecessor, while at the same time dispensing with larger computing workloads at a reduced power consumption rate.

“Its four physical cores and four virtual cores double the number of cores previously available on each distinct processor,” he explains.

“This means that the X3550M2 and X3650M2 servers can become 16-way servers when populated with two Nehalems,” he says.

“Besides being a notable feat of engineering genius, the processor range really is a must-have component for any company looking to consolidate their IT investment or cater for the additional headroom that so many ERP, Database and Business Intelligence projects require over time,” he says.

“Tarsus is, however, particularly excited about the prospects brought to the table by the availability of Nehalem hardware in the virtualisation space,” he adds.

“Regardless of whether customers require the tower configuration with slightly more internal storage capacity offered by the X3500M2, or the higher-density rackmount form factor offered by the X3550M2 and X3650M2, they can rest assured that their server has been tailored for the virtualisation environment.

“And interestingly enough,” he says, “this has more to do with the management features, for example the unique IBM service and support features such as the integrated management module (IMM), our new BOIS called United Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), IBM Systems Director 6.1 and IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager, that IBM has built into its server range rather the Nehalem architecture.

“Virtualisation is a sensitive practice and one that needs a great deal of automation to be in place, especially on the systems management front,” Klopper explains.

“From features that can predict and warn against a failure of hard disk drives, processors, VRMs, fans and memory, to other features that make identifying and replacing failed components as simple as looking for a red LED inside the server, IBM has catered for the functionality that virtualised IT environments so desperately crave today,” he says.

“Then of course, there’s also the fact that IBM hardware has been certified with a huge variety of operating systems, not to mention hypervisors from the leading vendors in the world,” he adds.

“The upgrades that the X3550M2 and X3650M2 have undergone over the past month or two rejuvenate the product lines substantially and place them in a leading position.

“There really aren’t too many options today that can compete with the offering that these two IBM server models boast,” he concludes.