Gartner: iDataPlex is the Future of Servers
Gartner released a research note Tuesday on the shift in the server market towards Web 2.0 and high performance computing, exemplified in IBM's launch of the iDataPlex server last week. Gartner analysts John Enck, Andrew Butler and Carl Claunch believe that "innovation in packaging will continue to drive data center density." An excerpt:
Sales of servers in the Web 2.0 and high-performance computing (HPC) niches are outpacing those in the general server market. These two segments currently have unique requirements: Purchasers want the lowest-cost, lowest-overhead server, but with the most efficient power management and cooling. IBM's iDataPlex is explicitly targeted at these market segments and provides IBM with an architectural framework for addressing the emerging interest in cloud computing. ... Although iDataPlex is not appropriate for most enterprises today, it points to where server hardware is heading. Servers have evolved from tower servers to blade servers mounted in a chassis — and now the rack itself is becoming an integral part of the server.Gartner said it expects similar offerings from a number of mainstream vendors within the next two years.
Posted by Rich Miller 
April 30, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
April 23, 2008
A Closer Look at IBM's iDataPlex Server
IBM has launched the iDataPlex server system we wrote about earlier, with a press release and iDataPlex product area on the IBM web site. At 15 inches in depth, IBM's design is much more compact than traditional 1U "pizza box" servers, taking a page from half-depth servers designed by Rackable Systems (RACK), which are 15.5 inches deep. In recent years 1U server designs have been getting deeper, in some cases as deep as 30 inches. The server's horizontal design also allows for more efficient airflow, with a shorter path through the server. The iDataPlex rack can also be outfitted with a liquid cooled wall on the back of the system, which IBM says will enable it to run at room temperature, with no air conditioning required.
"The iDataPlex’s chassis design reduces the amount of air typically needed for cooling by half, and also leverages new power supply and fan technologies that increase energy efficiency by up to 40% over conventional rack systems," writes Charles King of Pund-IT in his review of the new server. "As a result, IBM estimates that these features can deliver cooling savings of approximately $1.2 million in a typical (10,000 server) Internet-scale data center."
IBM says each iDataPlex system can be made to order and arrive to the client integrated (in the rack) and ready to run from the factory. IBM says the cost of iDataPlex will be "well below that of a comparable number of 'white box' systems."
"Many of our data centers utilize 'green energy' such as passive cooling to reduce our impact," said Laurie Mann, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations at Yahoo, one of the early clients for iDataPlex. "We continue to look for ways to maximize our resources. Yahoo appreciates the direction IBM is moving in with iDataPlex and its commitment to drive greater power efficiency and density in the datacenter."
While designed with Web 2.0 applications in mind, Texas Tech University CIO Sam Segran said the school was testing iDataPlex. "We need to scale rapidly to support an ever increasing demand for high performance computing," said Segran. "With iDataPlex, Texas Tech will be able to operate more efficiently while meeting the needs of our researchers."
Virtual worlds company Forterra Systems is using an iDataPlex system in the IBM High Performance On Demand Solutions (HiPODS) lab in San Jose, California to test their applications in an IBM Cloud Center running on iDataPlex. "Like many start-ups, technology really is our core business in that Forterra's applications and business model rely on our technology infrastructure for success," said Dave Rolston, CEO, Forterra Systems. "iDataPlex provides the flexibility we're looking for to run our OLIVE - or On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment - platform together with breakthrough power and cooling efficiencies that we can pass on to our customers in the form of higher returns and faster payback."
"Enterprise Web 2.0 and the emerging Cloud Computing sectors are among the top high growth investment areas for Hummer Winblad," said Ann Winblad, co-founder and a managing director of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, an investor in enterprise Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing startups like Widgetbox, Sliderocket, Wavemaker, Elastra and Move Networks. "iDataPlex will help to fuel this growth by erasing some of the inhibitors holding Web 2.0 back -- namely the amount of space and energy required to serve content to more and more end users."
Posted by Rich Miller April 23, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
IBM Launches iDataPlex With Container Option
IBM has jumped into the emerging market for massive cloud computing systems with iDataPlex, a water-cooled system offering high density in a smaller footprint. The iDataPlex series will offer racks pre-populated with servers for rapid deployment, and is also being offered in a 40-foot trailer, marking IBM's first foray into container-based systems.
IBM said its hardware design for iDataPlex reduces the cost per server by at least 20 percent, and can cram twice as many servers into the same floor space as conventional servers while requiring 40 percent less power to run. It can be outfitted with IBM's Cool Blue rear-door water-cooling system. The Wall Street Journal said IBM has deployed iDataPlex systems with Yahoo (YHOO), Merrill Lynch and the Chinese online service Tencent.
The IBM system will be officially announced today at the Web 2.0 conference, and will begin shipping next month. iDataPlex targets a small number of high-end customers with data centers that have thousands of servers.
Posted by Rich Miller April 23, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
March 28, 2008
IBM Completes Major Data Center in Egypt
IBM has completed construction of a major data center for Telecom Egypt featuring its "Big Green" energy-efficient technologies, the companies said today. Telecom Egypt (TE) is the largest provider of fixed-line telecom services in the Middle East, with more than 10.4 million customers, and chose IBM to design and build the most energy-efficient data center in Egypt.
With strong growth in Egypt's economy, Telecom Egypt needed to expand beyond its existing office space to manage the increased demand on its telecommunications network and mission-critical operations. IBM Global Technology Services (GTS) site and facilities division designed the data center environment, and will support TE in managing the operation of the facility.
Posted by Rich Miller March 28, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
March 19, 2008
IBM Opens Cloud Computing Center in Dublin
IBM has opened a new cloud computing data center in Dublin, Ireland, which will allow customers to run applications hosted on IBM's hardware. The Dublin facility is the first IBM cloud computing center in Europe, and will also serve the Middle East and Africa.
The initiative marks another step by IBM into cloud computing. In November IBM introduced Blue Cloud, a utility computing initiative designed to help customers run efficient grid-based platforms in enterprise data centers. The initiative is built around the Apache Project's Hadoop, an open source platform for utility computing that integrates elements of Google's infrastructure management software.
Posted by Rich Miller March 19, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
February 27, 2008
IBM: Making Mainframes Sexy Again
Yesterday's introduction of IBM's new System z10 mainframe shone the spotlight on the mainframe's potential to save power and space in the enterprise data center. The new system is part of a $300 million investment by IBM in architects, technical skills, as design and benchmarking centers to help clients transform their legacy data centers.
"We think that we're at a fundamental inflection point in our industry in terms of the evolution of information technology," said Steve Mills, senior vice president and group executive of software at IBM.
IBM says the z10 is designed to be up to 50 percent than its predecessor, the z9, with up to 70 percent more capacity - the equivalent of about 1,500 x86 servers. The z10 has a 4.4-GHz quad-core processor, compared with a 1.7-GHz single-core processor for the three-year-old z9.
Posted by Rich Miller February 27, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
February 21, 2008
IBM Launches Virtual World for Virtual Servers
IBM has long been fascinated with the potential of 3D virtual worlds. When it introduced its Big Green energy efficiency initiative last year, the presentation included a virtual data center within Second Life. IBM has now taken the next step and created 3D virtual worlds that enterprise companies can use to manage their existing data centers or design new ones.
IBM's new 3-D Data Center software can create a 3-D replica of servers, racks, networking, power and cooling equipment that communicates with real-world equipment to provide managers with a centralized view of far-flung IT operations. The environment is based on the OpenSimulator project and IBM middleware known as the Holographic Enterprise Interface (HEI), which can communicate with building automation systems to replicate physical data center operations in the virtual world.
The Swiss construction company Implenia is the first user of IBM's virtual operations center, which it uses to monitor heat and energy flow through the data center and manage its HVAC and security systems. "Until working with IBM we only knew the state of our data center from the information we got through the building automation system and our virtual worlds communications interface," said Oliver Goh, an Implenia IT Specialist.
"We didn't know the state of the server and information that was readily available to us until it was made more accessible via the 3-D visualizations that IBM built for us," Goh added. "We think that by combining this information with the information we had from the building automation side we can, from a building management standpoint, control the data much better and take action to be more efficient."
Is this another novelty experiment in virtual worlds by corporate America, or has IBM found a killer business application for 3D gaming technology.
Posted by Rich Miller February 21, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
December 12, 2007
IBM GreenCert to Simplify Carbon Trading
Sharpening its focus on the carbon trading markets, IBM announced today that it has partnered with two green energy specialists to develop a greenhouse gas meter called GreenCert. The software tool, which runs on IBM's WebSphere portal, is designed to standardize the process of measuring carbon emission reductions and converting that data into credits that can be traded for cash.
IBM says GreenCert will make it easier for companies in a wide range of industries to take advantage of the growing market in the trading of carbon credits. If GreenCert catches on, it would also position WebSphere to benefit from the growing focus on energy efficiency in the enterprise.
IBM (NYSE: IBM) has teamed with Enterprise Information Management, Inc. (EIM) and Evergreen Energy on the GreenCert project. Evergreen's C-Lock Technology subsidiary designed the engine to process greenhouse gas emission data from a variety of sensors and tools. GreenCert takes a snapshot of a company's carbon footprint, records it, and then takes another measurement after carbon emission reductions have been made. With the proof of carbon reduction, companies can get credits that they can then trade on the carbon market.
Posted by Rich Miller December 12, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
December 06, 2007
IBM Research Chip: Low Energy, 100X Faster
IBM today outlined research on its development of silicon nanophotonics, which can allow cores within a multi-core processor to communicate 100 times faster while using one-tenth the power. The technology uses pulses of light instead of electrical signals to link the chips. The bad news: the technology is at least 10 to 12 years away from market.
IBM says the breakthrough could one day give laptops the processing power of supercomputers. "And while today’s supercomputers can use the equivalent energy required to power hundreds of homes, these future tiny supercomputers-on-a-chip would expend the energy of a light bulb," IBM says. The technology, known in the industry as a silicon Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator, is described in a paper in the journal Optics Express. IBM has a press release, and also has a video summarizing the news:
For additional discussion, see InfoWorld, GigaOm and Engadget.
Posted by Rich Miller December 06, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
November 15, 2007
IBM Announces Utility Computing Service
IBM today unveiled Blue Cloud, a utility computing initiative designed to help customers run efficient grid-based platforms in enterprise data centers. The effort differs from utility computing services from Amazon and other grid hosting providers, as IBM is focusing on helping build cloud computing platforms in customer data centers, rather than leasing out its own data center infrastructure on a pay-as-you-go model.
This approach allows enterprise customers to retain control over their resources while growing the market for IBM hardware and software to run and manage the platform. Blue Cloud was announced today in Shanghai, and the initial offering will feature IBM's BladeCenter chassis and Tivoli management software.
Built Atop Hadoop
The initiative is built around the Apache Project's Hadoop, an open source platform for utility computing that integrates elements of Google's infrastructure management software. IBM is comparing the introduction of Blue Cloud to its decision to throw its support behind Linux in 2000, which is widely viewed as a key tipping point in the adoption of Linux in the corporate market.
"Blue Cloud will help our customers quickly establish a cloud computing environment to test and prototype Web 2.0 applications within their enterprise environment," said Rod Adkins, Senior Vice President, Development and Manufacturing for IBM Systems & Technology Group. "Over time, this approach could help IT managers dramatically reduce the complexities and costs of managing scale-out infrastructures whose demands fluctuate."
Posted by Rich Miller November 15, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
November 08, 2007
IBM Unveils Autonomic Computing Tools
Do you want smarter servers? IBM is here to help. Big Blue today announced a new line of products in autonomic computing, IBM's effort to develop self-managing, self-healing computing systems. The new tools include enhancements to the Tivoli systems management suite and IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager, which uses autonomic capabilities to track power consumption in data centers.
The new offerings build upon IBM's focus on autonomic computing, first announced in an October 2001 manifesto calling for better ways to automate complex computing environments. In the past six years, IBM said it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development and integrated autonomic capabilities into more than 100 products.
"This was and remains a grand industry challenge that IBM issued to both itself as well as other IT companies," said Alan Ganek, vice president of Autonomic Computing and CTO of IBM Tivoli. "The difficulty is not the machines themselves – the industry has brilliantly exceeded goals for computer performance and speed. The challenge is to create the open standards and new technologies needed for systems to interact effectively, to enact pre-determined business policies more effectively, and to be able to protect, heal and manage themselves with minimal dependence on human intervention."
Posted by Rich Miller November 08, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
November 02, 2007
IBM Offers Energy Savings Certificates
IBM is launching a program to perform energy audits on customer data centers, with savings recognized in Energy Efficiency Certificates (EECs). In addition to documenting the before-and-after measurements and energy savings, the credits can be traded for cash in a burgeoning market for energy certificate trading.
IBM will partner with Neuwing Energy Ventures, which will conduct the audits and help companies sell their EECs. IBM said the program provides a way for customer to benchmark data center efficiency and document their energy savings, and is the "first corporate-led initiative" to award energy efficiency certificates.
IBM said it will work with customers to plan energy efficiency projects using IBM’s data center evaluation tools, which will recommend strategies including virtualization and server consolidation, and addressing data center design flaws to reduce unnecessary power consumption.
Posted by Rich Miller November 02, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
October 08, 2007
Google, IBM Team on Data Center Research
Google (GOOG) and IBM are teaming up to build large data centers to power a grid computing initiative for research universities. The project will be announced today, according to the New York Times. The effort will provide a platform to help computer science students at research universities develop for "cloud computing" applications hosted by large data centers.
The Times says Google is building a data center at an undisclosed location (naturally) that will "contain more than 1,600 processors by the end of the year." IBM is also building a data center for the project. The two companies have committed $30 million over two years for the project. That dollar figure, along with the number of processors, suggests that these initially won't be huge data centers in square footage. The Wall Street Journal (subscription) says the initiative will start with 400 computers and eventually expand to 4,000 computers, which require a larger footprint.
The initiative highlights the growing importance of the data center as a development platform for scalable web-based software. While the universities will see the immediate benefits, the project also figures to advance the business interests of Google and IBM, both prominent backers of open source software. Cloud computing services are a major focus for Microsoft, and the new research consortium will train developers to build similar apps on an open source platform. As more computing functions shift to cloud-based software as a service (SaaS), so will the competitive battle between Microsoft and the open source community.
Posted by Rich Miller October 08, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
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