Getting a short leap on the majority of the PC server competition Hitachi Data Systems Ltd is finally making its much-touted eight- way VisionBase 8880R Windows NT server generally available. HDS did its own implementation of Intel Corp’s Corollary Profusion chipset which is driving other eight-ways, which gave it early samples as well boosting Profusion’s memory throughput to 1.6Gbps from 1.3Gbps. VisionBase is available with 500MHz Pentium III Xeons now – 550MHz CPUs next quarter. IBM, Compaq, Dell HP and others expect to have eight-way NT servers using Profusion boards out later this summer. Other vendors, including Unisys Corp, have pushed out NT to 10- or 12-ways, but HDS says it has no interest in scaling the Profusion architecture to this extent.
Profusion was developed by Corollary as a way of fusing together two four-way Pentium Pro SHV buses. HDS says it will use Intel’s IA-64 architecture to reach beyond eight-way NT. Whether it does that using OEMed boards from Intel or building its own, Hitachi has its own teams working on boards designs – which need to be in the can this year with IA-64 Merced due late next year.
HDS has brought some of its HSM mainframe clustering and systems management services technology over to VisionBase but isn’t extending Microsoft Cluster Server beyond support for two nodes like IBM Corp is doing with Cornhusker, for example. Sun Solaris and SCO UnixWare are certified on all HDS Intel servers and VA Research is poised to begin reselling VisionBase fitted with its Linux distribution. HDS has hired Clark Straw to be its new EVP worldwide sales. Clark was formerly general manager of HP’s worldwide solutions reselling and distribution program.
