Hewlett-Packard Co is expected to roll out its N-Class servers next Tuesday. Code-named Prelude, the new servers using its 8500 PA-RISC can be upgraded via a board-swap to use Intel Corp’s IA- 64 chips when they become available sometime next year. They sit below the high-end V-Class and are much needed to boost HP’s mid- range Unix server product line where it generates most of its Unix business. Also known as N4000, the mid-range multiprocessor marks the beginning of HP’s migration to the IA-64 architecture it co-designed with Intel. Prelude is the follow-on to HP’s mid- range K-Series, which is estimated to account for 60% of the company’s Unix server revenue. Prelude uses a new system bus designed to support PA- RISC and IA-64 which the company has previously referred to as Stretch.
