IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled new System x servers that offer increased memory and can help improve efficiency to allow customers to better exploit virtualization and support more sophisticated workloads.
IBM has completely revamped its line up of twosocket x86 servers. The allnew line delivers 50% more cores and can provide 40%-60% better performance [1] than previous generations, enabling users in some scenarios to consolidate some 20 servers down to one and potentially to recoup acquisition costs in as little as three months.[2]
The new System x M3 and Blade Center systems include:
- Two new rack servers, the x3650 M3 and the x3550 M3 deliver 50% more memory capacity and 60% more internal storage than the previous IBM generation.[3] The x3650 M3 is also 50% more powerefficient than the previous generation, which was the industry leader in power efficiency.
- Two new enterprise tower servers -- the x3500 M3 and x3400 M3 -- that feature twice the storage capacity of previous generations and lower power and facilities costs.[4]
- The BladeCenter HS22 and the virtualizationoptimized BladeCenter HS22V, which allows clients to fit 30%-50% more virtual machines on a single blade server.[5] Both feature new memory that consumes 15% less power.[6] The HS22V runs Java applications up to 43% faster than IBM's priorgeneration, twosocket blades.[7]
- A new iDataPlex server, the dx360 M3, increases iDataPlex compute performance by 50% for HPC workloads.[8] It is the first twosocket server to achieve 3,000 operations per watt, a 36% improvement from the previous generation of iDataPlex servers.[9] New redundant power allows the new iDataPlex server to remain running even during service to power supplies.
The new systems run on Intel Xeon(TM) 5600series processors.
The new systems ride a wave of market share growth for IBM, which gained more revenue share than any of the major x86 server vendors in each quarter of 2009 and now holds nearly 20 percent share -- a 3.5 point yearoveryear gain, according to IDC. IBM also significantly outperformed the blade market in 4Q09, recording 64 percent revenue growth in blades and gaining 5.7 points, according to IDC.[10]
Today's news builds on IBM's announcement earlier this month of new eX5 servers that improve the economics of operating enterprisesized, x86based systems. IBM has now renewed its entire portfolio of x86based systems to meet the broadest set of client needs.
The M3 systems take advantage of integration with IBM middleware to offer a sophisticated suite of systems management tools, including:
- IBM's Systems Director software -- Allows users to preconfigure servers, remotely repurpose systems and set up automatic updates and recoveries.
- Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) -- Nextgeneration BIOS firmware.
- Integrated Management Module (IMM) -- Manages, monitors, troubleshoots and repairs servers from anywhere.
- IBM ToolsCenter - Ideal for small and medium businesses, ToolsCenter simplifies the acquisition and usage of system management tools with a single webpage to acquire tools.
For more information on IBM System x, go to http://www.ibm.com/systems/x/.
Notes:
1) Intel measurements based on Xeon® X5680 vs. Xeon® X5570 - results on SPECint*_rate_base2006 and OLTP workload.
2) Based on TCO analysis of System x3650 M3 vs System x346 using IBM Systems Consolidation Evaluation Tool. Link: https://roianalyst.alinean.com/...
3) June availability for a limited number of storage and memory configurations.
4) Based on Intel data of x5680 processor with Annual Server KWh energy usage of 772,904 vs Intel Xeon 3.8GHz with 2M cache processor with annual server energy usage of 37,938 kWh.
5) Comparison of BladeCenter HS22V with 18 memory DIMMs vs BladeCenter HS22 with 12 memory DIMMs.
6) Based on 1.35V memory versus 1.5V memory.
7) Competitive comparisons for performance reflect results published as of March 16th, 2010. The results are based on SPECjbb2005 and can be found at www.spec.org. (link resides outside ibm.com). IBM results to be submitted to SPEC by March 16th, 2010. SPEC® and the benchmark name SPECjbb® are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. For the latest SPEC benchmark results, visit http://www.spec.org (link resides outside of ibm.com)
8) Based on comparison of 8 teraflops for dx360 M2 Intel Xeon 5500 series processors compared to 11.8 teraflops with dx360 M3 running Intel Xeon 5600 with 12 cores/node at 2.93GHz and 4GB memory per channel. The results are based on SPECcpu2006 and can be found at www.spec.org. (link resides outside ibm.com). IBM results to be submitted to SPEC by March 16th, 2010. SPEC® and the benchmark name SPECjbb® are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. For the latest SPEC benchmark results, visit http://www.spec.org (link resides outside of ibm.com).
9) Competitive comparisons for performance reflect results published as of March 16th, 2010. The results are based on SPECpower_ssj2008 and can be found at www.spec.org. (link resides outside ibm.com). IBM results to be submitted to SPEC by March 16th, 2010. SPEC® and the benchmark name SPECjbb® are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. For the latest SPEC benchmark results, visit http://www.spec.org (link resides outside of ibm.com) ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/...
10) Share measured in factory revenue according to IDC. See http://www.ibm.com/...
IBM has completely revamped its line up of twosocket x86 servers. The allnew line delivers 50% more cores and can provide 40%-60% better performance [1] than previous generations, enabling users in some scenarios to consolidate some 20 servers down to one and potentially to recoup acquisition costs in as little as three months.[2]
The new System x M3 and Blade Center systems include:
- Two new rack servers, the x3650 M3 and the x3550 M3 deliver 50% more memory capacity and 60% more internal storage than the previous IBM generation.[3] The x3650 M3 is also 50% more powerefficient than the previous generation, which was the industry leader in power efficiency.
- Two new enterprise tower servers -- the x3500 M3 and x3400 M3 -- that feature twice the storage capacity of previous generations and lower power and facilities costs.[4]
- The BladeCenter HS22 and the virtualizationoptimized BladeCenter HS22V, which allows clients to fit 30%-50% more virtual machines on a single blade server.[5] Both feature new memory that consumes 15% less power.[6] The HS22V runs Java applications up to 43% faster than IBM's priorgeneration, twosocket blades.[7]
- A new iDataPlex server, the dx360 M3, increases iDataPlex compute performance by 50% for HPC workloads.[8] It is the first twosocket server to achieve 3,000 operations per watt, a 36% improvement from the previous generation of iDataPlex servers.[9] New redundant power allows the new iDataPlex server to remain running even during service to power supplies.
The new systems run on Intel Xeon(TM) 5600series processors.
The new systems ride a wave of market share growth for IBM, which gained more revenue share than any of the major x86 server vendors in each quarter of 2009 and now holds nearly 20 percent share -- a 3.5 point yearoveryear gain, according to IDC. IBM also significantly outperformed the blade market in 4Q09, recording 64 percent revenue growth in blades and gaining 5.7 points, according to IDC.[10]
Today's news builds on IBM's announcement earlier this month of new eX5 servers that improve the economics of operating enterprisesized, x86based systems. IBM has now renewed its entire portfolio of x86based systems to meet the broadest set of client needs.
The M3 systems take advantage of integration with IBM middleware to offer a sophisticated suite of systems management tools, including:
- IBM's Systems Director software -- Allows users to preconfigure servers, remotely repurpose systems and set up automatic updates and recoveries.
- Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) -- Nextgeneration BIOS firmware.
- Integrated Management Module (IMM) -- Manages, monitors, troubleshoots and repairs servers from anywhere.
- IBM ToolsCenter - Ideal for small and medium businesses, ToolsCenter simplifies the acquisition and usage of system management tools with a single webpage to acquire tools.
For more information on IBM System x, go to http://www.ibm.com/systems/x/.
Notes:
1) Intel measurements based on Xeon® X5680 vs. Xeon® X5570 - results on SPECint*_rate_base2006 and OLTP workload.
2) Based on TCO analysis of System x3650 M3 vs System x346 using IBM Systems Consolidation Evaluation Tool. Link: https://roianalyst.alinean.com/...
3) June availability for a limited number of storage and memory configurations.
4) Based on Intel data of x5680 processor with Annual Server KWh energy usage of 772,904 vs Intel Xeon 3.8GHz with 2M cache processor with annual server energy usage of 37,938 kWh.
5) Comparison of BladeCenter HS22V with 18 memory DIMMs vs BladeCenter HS22 with 12 memory DIMMs.
6) Based on 1.35V memory versus 1.5V memory.
7) Competitive comparisons for performance reflect results published as of March 16th, 2010. The results are based on SPECjbb2005 and can be found at www.spec.org. (link resides outside ibm.com). IBM results to be submitted to SPEC by March 16th, 2010. SPEC® and the benchmark name SPECjbb® are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. For the latest SPEC benchmark results, visit http://www.spec.org (link resides outside of ibm.com)
8) Based on comparison of 8 teraflops for dx360 M2 Intel Xeon 5500 series processors compared to 11.8 teraflops with dx360 M3 running Intel Xeon 5600 with 12 cores/node at 2.93GHz and 4GB memory per channel. The results are based on SPECcpu2006 and can be found at www.spec.org. (link resides outside ibm.com). IBM results to be submitted to SPEC by March 16th, 2010. SPEC® and the benchmark name SPECjbb® are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. For the latest SPEC benchmark results, visit http://www.spec.org (link resides outside of ibm.com).
9) Competitive comparisons for performance reflect results published as of March 16th, 2010. The results are based on SPECpower_ssj2008 and can be found at www.spec.org. (link resides outside ibm.com). IBM results to be submitted to SPEC by March 16th, 2010. SPEC® and the benchmark name SPECjbb® are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. For the latest SPEC benchmark results, visit http://www.spec.org (link resides outside of ibm.com) ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/...
10) Share measured in factory revenue according to IDC. See http://www.ibm.com/...
