IBM has unveiled the zEnterprise mainframe server and a new systems design that allows workloads on mainframe, POWER7 and System x servers to share resources and be managed as a single, virtualised system.
The company said that its new systems design combines its new zEnterprise mainframe server with new technology-the zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension and the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager. The zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension allows supports purpose POWER7 and System x BladeCenter systems as well as blades optimised for specific workloads, such as analytics and managing Web infrastructure.
IBM said that its new Systems Software, Unified Resource Manager, is a first-of-its-kind software that controls how the hardware functions. It integrates multiple platform resources as a single virtualised system and provides unified management for zEnterprise.
Big Blue said that its zEnterprise System’s core server zEnterprise 196, contains 96 of the world’s fastest, most powerful microprocessors running at 5.2Ghz, capable of executing more than 50 billion instructions per second. The z196 has also a water cooling option that can minimise energy use by reducing the required system air flow and system air heat load.
The company claimed that its new system offers 60% more capacity than its predecessor, the System z10, and uses about the same amount of electricity. This new technology is the result of an investment of more than $1.5bn in IBM research and development as well as more than three years of collaboration with some of IBM’s top clients around the world.
Tom Rosamilia, general manager of IBM Power and z Systems, said: "The new IBM zEnterprise System represents a bold move to fundamentally change how data centres are managed. The new mainframe is the fastest enterprise server in the world and represents a giant leap forward in performance.
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"This new dimension in enterprise computing- extending mainframe governance to POWER7 and System x blades integrated into the zEnterprise System architecture-was developed over the past three years with direct involvement from a team of IBM’s 30 top customers, which provided direct input at every stage of the development process."
