IBM introduces servers for the next generation of e-business
ARMONK, N.Y. - 03 Oct 2000: -- IBM today announced IBM eServers*, a new generation
of servers featuring mainframe-class reliability and scalability, broad support
of open standards for the development of new applications, and capacity on demand
for managing the unprecedented demands of e-business.
"Three years ago this week, IBM introduced e-business to the world," said Bill Zeitler,
senior vice president and group executive, IBM Server Group. "For those of us who
have been involved from the beginning helping customers transform themselves into
e-businesses, it's now clear that we're entering a new phase. This new world is
going to place entirely new, unprecedented demands on the underlying infrastructure
that supports e-business. It will evolve over years and stretch the IT resources
of most companies. That's why we're introducing the IBM eServer."
The IBM eServer is a product of Project Mach 1, a major cross-company initiative
begun three years ago to harness the company's best technologies and practices to
support the infrastructure for the next phase of e-business. From the consolidation
of IBM server manufacturing and development, to the realignment of its sales force,
to breakthroughs such as copper chips, Silicon-on-Insulator and Memory eXtension
Technology, to partnerships with leading software vendors, to IBM's corporate-wide
embrace of Linux -- every corner of IBM moved closer to today's launch of the IBM
eServer.
With Project Mach 1, IBM researchers set out to determine what kind of computing
model could handle serious e-business. They concluded that it required a new infrastructure
for e-business in which computing power migrated from traditional, centralized IT
systems into distributed high-speed networks so that usage of servers, applications
and other IT resources became pervasive. This new e-business infrastructure consists
of high-speed networks, seamlessly integrated applications and powerful servers
engineered for specific types of workloads.
Driven by open standards, the Internet is rapidly transforming business models,
markets and industries. By 2003, IBM estimates there will be 2.6 billion network
access devices, including cell phones and PDAs. The rapid adoption of e-business
will cause a 1,000-fold increase in the amount of data flowing over the Internet,
a tidal wave of data-intensive, highly-integrated transactions, and unpredictable
spikes in network traffic that threaten to overwhelm the current IT infrastructure.
To handle the demands of the new e-business infrastructure, every IBM eServer
will come with a variety of offerings that provide the flexibility and speed to
market large and small companies need to build, run and manage their e-business
infrastructures affordably and effectively.
The new servers feature technology from IBM's high-end servers applied across
the entire product line:
- IBM eServer zSeries*: the most reliable, mission-critical data and transaction
server on earth.
- IBM eServer pSeries: the most powerful, technologically advanced UNIX server.
- IBM eServer iSeries: the high performance, integrated business server for
mid-market companies.
- IBM eServer xSeries: the affordable Intel-based server with mainframe-inspired
reliability technologies.
Mainframe-Class Reliability and Scalability
The entire IBM eServer line shares the best attributes of mainframe-class computing:
- Capacity Advantage -- Two types of capacity upgrade on demand (CUoD) offerings
let customers manage rapid growth while minimizing risk or disruption. Vertical
CUoD allows customers to boost server horsepower by activating extra processors
built into an IBM eServer. Horizontal CUoD provides additional, pre-installed
servers at a customer site to enable instant upgrades when needed.
- Logical partitioning (LPAR) -- Originally developed for IBM mainframes,
LPAR capability is available immediately on the new zSeries and iSeries and
on pSeries and xSeries in the future.
- Availability Advantage -- These services help customers assure high availability
for their entire IT environment -- including servers, applications and their
network -- through periods of explosive growth, unexpected business success
or changing business needs.
- High availability clustering -- developed for IBM mainframes -- will be
available across the IBM eServer family.
- Reliability and fault tolerance features -- failover, redundant components,
hot-pluggable components and other reliability features will be available across
the IBM eServer line.
Open Standards Simplify Application Development
With open standards the driving force behind e-business, customers can't afford
to be locked in to servers that offer limited choices in applications. The IBM eServer
line offers the flexibility to deploy e-business applications across varied platforms.
- A comprehensive toolkit allows customers and software developers to create
scalable e-business applications once and deploy them across the entire IBM
eServer family.
- Each IBM eServer fully embraces open industry standards such as Java (TM),
XML, HTTP, HTML and Linux (R).
- IBM eServer is the broadest family of servers fully enabled for Linux to
help customers ride the tsunami of coming Linux applications. Ten new worldwide
Linux porting centers allow customers to prototype real-world IT environments
and pre-test their Linux applications.
- Each IBM eServer has the option of shipping with IBM WebSphere Application
Server, enabling customers to build, deploy and manage e-business solutions
based on business needs, not platform restrictions. In addition, WebSphere Everyplace
Suite software, now available for the pSeries, allows software and application
developers to extend e-business applications to wireless devices such as mobile
phones and PDAs, and to other Internet-ready devices.
- Packaged, integrated solutions are available on an IBM eServer, applications
from leading developers such as Siebel, Ariba, Logility, SAP, ChiliSoft and
Hyperion, software, services and financing.
Simplest Servers to Use, Manage, and Upgrade
- Each IBM eServer allows customers to monitor systems capacity and performance
through Web-based reports. An online customer experience database lets customers
consider new architectures and applications based on the experiences of IBM
in deploying similar solutions for others. Customers can personalize a Web page
to more quickly and easily access technical information through the IBM eServer
Technical Support Portal.
- Remote management, diagnostics and maintenance capabilities -- developed
for IBM mainframes -- will be available across the IBM eServer line.
- Tivoli e-infrastructure management software manages all components of a
heterogeneous e-business infrastructure -- the entire IBM eServer family, other
servers, storage systems, pervasive devices, security and data -- from a single-management
server and console.
- New server software pricing on zSeries servers will include features letting
customers pay according to their average -- not their peak -- software usage.
- Flexible financing helps manage costs in an unpredictable environment. Depending
on need, customers can pay by the user, by the month, even a single payment
for an installation of IBM and non-IBM parts.
The new members of the IBM eServer family will begin shipping this quarter.IBM
is the number one server company in the world.
# # #The IBM e-business logo, xSeries, iSeries and zSeries are all trademarks
of IBM Corporation. All others are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
*The IBM eServer brand consists of the established IBM e-business logo with the
following descriptive term "server" following it.