CeBIT 2010: IBM's Fifth x86 Generation Sets New Standards
Much more working memory, Flash drives instead of conventional hard disks, and physically partitioning multiprocessor systems. These are some of the new features of IBM's fifth generation of x86 architecture: eX5 servers.
More virtualized hosts, larger workloads for virtual machines and especially large databases have one thing in common: they are memory hogs. Up to now the maximum amount of working memory was pegged to the number of CPUs. The new IBM architecture raises the bar. Three new server systems, the X3850 X5 (high end), X3690 X5 (entry level) and the Blade Center HX5 were presented March 2 to the public in a CeBIT preview. These systems provide double the previous maximum working memory. According to IBM, they should support the same number of virtual machines at half the cost, or 82 percent more VMs. The latter would drastically reduce the Hypervisor license costs for CPU-bound licensing.
The new server systems replace conventional hard drives with Flash memory. A single Flash slot, per IBM, with 450,000 I/O operations per second can deliver as much performance as four racks with 800 hard disks, with a 97 percent cost savings and only 1 percent of the power consumption. Finally, the physical partitioning allows transforming a four-processor system into two dual cores, which has further licensing cost benefits.
IBM sees the newest generation models as the exact solution in the context of sinking budgets, increasing complexity and higher demands made on IT.
Issue 268/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
KDE Plasma 5.27 Beta is Ready for Testing
The latest beta iteration of the KDE Plasma desktop is now available and includes some important additions and fixes.
-
Netrunner OS 23 Is Now Available
The latest version of this Linux distribution is now based on Debian Bullseye and is ready for installation and finally hits the KDE 5.20 branch of the desktop.
-
New Linux Distribution Built for Gamers
With a Gnome desktop that offers different layouts and a custom kernel, PikaOS is a great option for gamers of all types.
-
System76 Beefs Up Popular Pangolin Laptop
The darling of open-source-powered laptops and desktops will soon drop a new AMD Ryzen 7-powered version of their popular Pangolin laptop.
-
Nobara Project Is a Modified Version of Fedora with User-Friendly Fixes
If you're looking for a version of Fedora that includes third-party and proprietary packages, look no further than the Nobara Project.
-
Gnome 44 Now Has a Release Date
Gnome 44 will be officially released on March 22, 2023.
-
Nitrux 2.6 Available with Kernel 6.1 and a Major Change
The developers of Nitrux have officially released version 2.6 of their Linux distribution with plenty of new features to excite users.
-
Vanilla OS Initial Release Is Now Available
A stock GNOME experience with on-demand immutability finally sees its first production release.
-
Critical Linux Vulnerability Found to Impact SMB Servers
A Linux vulnerability with a CVSS score of 10 has been found to affect SMB servers and can lead to remote code execution.
-
Linux Mint 21.1 Now Available with Plenty of Look and Feel Changes
Vera has arrived and although it is still using kernel 5.15, there are plenty of improvements sure to please everyone.