Amdahl Corp believes it has another quarter before it has to decide whether to bring out an eight-way symmetrical multiprocessing server or whether it should simply cluster two four-ways together, reports our sister publication ClieNT Server News. If Amdahl was to consider an eight-way, it would probably lean towards using NCR Corp’s anticipated OctaScale machine. It has a pre-existing relationship with NCR and is currently reselling its LifeKeeper fail-over clustering software. However, Amdahl says that its information from Intel Corp – with whom it also claims a special relationship – suggests that a 250MHz four- way would outperform a 200MHz eight-way. Besides with a four-way cluster, the system is also fail-safe. Amdahl currently rebadges Intel-supplied four-way kits. Six or seven months into the NT business, Amdahl is finding it its biggest growth market. It has 25-50 systems on average in 100 sites in the Global 2000, 75%-80% of them four-ways, the rest two-ways. NT appears to be changing Amdahl’s entire business strategy, making it more and more a provider of services, application knowledge and installation expert.
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