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IBM plans 2003 muscle servers
By Stephen Shankland
Special to ZDNet News
November 27, 2002, 2:09 PM PT
IBM is taking the long view for Intel-based servers.
The company is poised to release its first blade servers and 16-processor Intel-based systems in coming weeks. But right now Big Blue is more focused its Intel products for 2003, according to the head of IBM's Intel server group.
Among the parade of Intel server products scheduled for next year are a system with 32 Xeon chips, skinny "blade" servers with four Xeons apiece, and a line of Itanium 2 systems that start with four processors and move up to 16, said Susan Whitney, general manager of IBM's xSeries group. The company also plans to release blade servers that commingle the Intel server line with IBM's Unix line by plugging IBM's Power chips into the Intel blade chassis.
The new products reflect a change for IBM. Big Blue rose to power by selling high-end networked server computers, and for years gave short shrift to models using Intel processors.
But in 1998, seeing the steady improvement in and use of Intel chips and Microsoft operating systems, the company concluded it was time to do something about its mediocre Intel server line, then called NetFinity and now called xSeries. The move was accelerated when IBM got Linux religion in 2000.
The first major results of the overhaul plan, known as the X Architecture project, started arriving this year with the x440 server, which comes with eight processors. By late December, a 16-processor version will be generally available, Whitney said.
The same EXA chipset that wires together the main processors in the x440 is also used in an Itanium version. The first versions of that system, using four Itanium 2 processors, will be released "beginning early next year," Whitney said. Later in 2003, the system will expand to accommodate 16 Itanium processors.
The x440 with Xeon processors also is due for a boost. Whitney said a 32-processor version is slated for release in 2003. IBM earlier had spoken of achieving that 32-processor goal through a successor to EXA called EXA2, but Whitney said the 32-processor system will be made of four eight-processor cabinets joined with high-speed links.
The activity at IBM isn't lost on competitors, including Hewlett-Packard, which garners more revenue than any other Intel server seller.
Dell Computer's Intel servers have been getting attention for its efficiency and prices, but HP is more worried about the "sleeping giant," IBM, said Tim Golden, director of marketing for HP's Intel servers.
"The reality is the better competitor is IBM," Golden said in an interview. "They're doing a lot of things right."
Slicing the pie
Market-share figures released Wednesday by research firm IDC bear out Golden's view of Big Blue. According to the IDC report, HP racked up 32 percent of the $4.3 billion in sales of Intel servers worldwide in the third quarter of 2002. Dell claimed 21 percent and IBM, 17 percent. Growth trends favor IBM and Dell, though, IDC researchers said.
IBM's revenue increased 22 percent from the year-ago quarter, Dell's rose 8 percent, but HP's dropped 7 percent.
For eight-processor servers, HP was king of the heap in the third quarter a year ago with 50 percent of sales, beating out IBM's 15 percent. In the same quarter this year, IBM had 42 percent and HP 40 percent in the market, valued at $185 million, IDC said. IBM's eight-processor server revenue increased from $28 million in the third quarter of 2001 to $63 million this year.
Behind this reversal of fortune, to some extent, were the particulars of new Intel processors. IBM's x440 server was able to use the new-generation Xeon MP, but HP decided to skip that product in its coming "F8" chipset-based servers because the chip's performance in multiprocessor servers didn't meet expectations. Specifically, the first Xeon MP had less high-speed cache memory than its predecessor; IBM compensated with a huge 32MB cache in the x440.
HP had said that its F8-based machines were awaiting a new Xeon with 2MB of cache memory. Golden said the servers, code-named Lightning 2, will ship in the first quarter of 2003. The new 2MB cache Xeon MP, code-named Gallatin, is available now.
Blades are another area of activity. IBM has shipped 200 blade servers thus far to early customers including AOL Time Warner, which, it said, is using them to run America Online e-mail software. Whitney said its blade servers will be generally available "in a couple of weeks."
IBM's first blade systems, named BladeCenter, use dual Xeon processors. Coming in 2003 will be blades with four Xeons, better for higher-powered tasks such as running large Microsoft Exchange e-mail servers.
If a customer needs more than a handful of dual-Xeon systems, using a BladeCenter will be less expensive than buying separate rack-mounted servers, Whitney said.
The BladeCenter chassis also accommodates blades using IBM's Power processor, and IBM will begin selling that product next year. Individual blades cost $1,879 apiece; the chassis, including a network switch, starts at $2,789.
On blades, Linux is a popular operating system, Whitney said, with about half of customers using the Unix clone. "We see Linux as a big driver in the blades," she said.
A major perceived barrier to Linux's adoption on high-end servers is its ability to take advantage of all processors in a system. Linux can exploit eight-processor servers today, and in some emerging markets, it's used on those systems. In China, for example, "half of eight-way servers are Linux," Whitney said.
HP Snatches UNIX Server Lead From Sun
Nov 27, 2002 (Internet.com via COMTEX) -- There is a new leader in the UNIX server revenue, and it isn't perennial favorite Sun Microsystems .
According to the latest numbers from server research firm IDC, Hewlett-Packard now leads the pack when it comes to the overall UNIX server market with a 32.9 percent market share, while Sun fell to the number 2 position this quarter with 30.4 percent. HP also managed to take the lead in revenue of Intel-based servers, holding 35 percent customer revenue market share worldwide followed by Dell with 21.9 percent.
Framingham, Mass.-based IDC says this is a reflection of two factors: seasonality caused by Sun's first fiscal- quarter and Hewlett-Packard's stable UNIX/Intel server business, which includes its Superdome servers and AlphaServer supercomputers. But IDC said the UNIX market would continue to be up for grabs over the next few quarters.
Overall, IBM regained sole lead of the server market with a 29.8 percent share, after tying with Hewlett-Packard for market share leadership following HP's May 2002 merger with Compaq. Meantime, Dell Computer was the only vendor in the top 5 to post year-over-year revenue growth with a 7.5 percent gain.
"IBM also had a very good quarter in IA 32 revenue. HP had more dollars, but IBM had more growth. That says something, considering the larger number a company has in market share, the harder it is to grow," IDC Research Vice President Jean Bozman told internetnews.com .
Bozman said HP's success in IA 32 is attributed to its ProLiant server line.
Both Linux servers and Windows servers are slowly gaining market share with Linux servers gaining 26.7 percent and Windows servers gaining 3.2 percent respectively. IDC said both Linux servers and Windows servers also showed sequential growth, compared with the 10 percent year- over-year decline of UNIX servers.
"This gain was fueled by the technical clustered server market as these systems gain more acceptance and momentum among buyers," said John Humphreys, a senior research analyst for the Internet Infrastructure Hardware program.
Even international vendors are making headway into the battle for market share. IDC says if Fujitsu and Fujitsu Siemens were combined as a single entity, their market share is only behind Dell by 2 points.
"We are definitely seeing stabilization in the server space as the year- over-year percentage decline rate has been decreasing for seven consecutive quarters," said Bozman. "Even though the worldwide server market has thus far been unable to break out of a decline that's lasted nearly two years, signs of life are returning to the market and the fourth quarter should continue this improvement."
HP Claims No.1 In Unix, Windows, and Linux Servers
Nov 27, 2002 (Internet.com via COMTEX) -- (Press Release) HP has taken the No. 1 position in total worldwide UNIX server revenue and has maintained the No. 1 position in Standard Intel Architecture Servers revenue for the third quarter of calendar year 2002, according to figures released today by market research firm IDC. HP also is No. 1 in total worldwide server shipments (30.3 percent), shipping more than twice as many servers as IBM. In addition, HP leads the emerging Itanium-based server market with 80 percent of market revenue. HP took the No. 1 spot over a dropping Sun in total worldwide UNIX servers with 32.9 percent market share.
In the high-volume worldwide market for Standard Intel Architecture Servers (SIAS), industry-standard HP ProLiant servers continue to hold a commanding No. 1 position with 32.2 percent of market shipments, more than 10 percent over its nearest competitor. In the United States, HP remains No. 1 in customer revenue market share for industry-standard servers with 33.3 percent.
HP continued its leadership in Windows-based server shipments, with HP ProLiant servers holding 35 percent customer revenue market share worldwide. In the important emerging category of blade servers, the HP ProLiant BL family held 53.9 percent unit share worldwide, setting the pace for competitors trying to enter this segment. HP also maintained its long-standing No. 1 position in the rapidly growing Linux server market across all server platforms with 31.7 percent customer revenue market share worldwide.
wbmw -
why would any customer care about an artificial model number for an Opteron CPU based on desktop software in a single cpu mode, when their targeted application is 2-way (or higher) running server and/or workstation applications?
Additionally, SMP environments are exactly where SMT shows it's stuff best. There is no way to compare QuantaHurts with a HyperThreading system.
EP
Spokeshave -
This is not entirely correct. The SEC only prohibits such trading if the insider has fiduciary responsibility. Now, I am not arguing that Sanders is not a fiduciary, but trading on insider knowledge is not illegal per se. There are other elements that make it illegal.
I don't know for certain what the SEC policy is but I have been told that anyone who trades based on non public information is violating the law. We have seen cases where the relatives of people with non fiduciary responsibility have been prosecuted for trading on insider information. Now what I can't understand is why Jerry has been allowed to get away with selling just before personally releasing bad news and perhaps now buying just before good news. We may find out shortly that AMD is getting a bump in Flash orders. I thought Officers had to announce their intention to trade well in advance. Why the hands off for this guy?
EP
Greg -
I'm stoked that this proved to be true. If my old brain cells don't fail me, turnarounds in past semi downturns were always led by memory devices. Do you recall it this way?
No I don't recall it that way but that doesn't prove anything. It's been so long since we've seen a recovery that I forgot the details but it seems to me that the chipset group got wind of it as early as anyone because the boards manufacturers needed the chipsets before the processors, but I guess the same would apply to memory. I'm just happy for some good news.
EP
From the Dow Jones Business Wire
*DJ Intel Spokesman Confirms Co. To Boost Flash Memory Prices
(MORE) DOW JONES NEWS 11-25-02
03:45 PM
Bone -
You don't know if he knows something or is just trading on technical analysis or something else.
Since he is an insider one might assume he "knows" something. This, however, could be completely false assumption.
It could be a wrong assumption but people in a position to know something should be held to a higher standard. I thought that was the way the law works.
EP
Bone -
You don't know if he knows something or is just trading on technical analysis or something else.
Since he is an insider one might assume he "knows" something. This, however, could be completely false assumption.
It could be a wrong assumption but people in a position to know something should be held to a higher standard. I thought that was the way the law works.
EP
John -
I second WBMW's post... Sanders was always a better AMD stock trader than a CEO.
What is the definition of insider trading? If he is buying or selling because he knows something isn't that illegal? I know people like Bill Gates sell in a predictable pattern so it can not be said they are doing so based on inside information. How does Sanders get away with this?
EP
Oops, deleted.
EP
subzero -
AMD could have live corporate sex acts onstage, and it still won't keep the vultures away.
I thought that's what Hector did but it was a one man show...
EP
borusa -
You should be able to buy one in the first half of next year
I was supposed to be able to buy one in 2001, then first half of 2002, then 2H 2002, then 1H 2003. So you don't really mean AMD has one. You actually mean they don't have one and you just hope they will. Funny how the AMD fans get mixed up about reality and their own dreams.
Thanks for the clarification.
EP
boruse -
You want to buy SOI process? But I thought inteL has decided no need for SOI process. You phuddy guy.
No silly. I want to but that 64 bit processor on SOI you say AMD's got. I can't find one anywhere so it looks to me like they don't really have any after all. I'm hoping you can tell me where they're for sale.
EP
Haddock -
AMD has the goods, 64 bit, SOI process
Really? Where can I buy one?
Nitt -
I think he was joking.
More HyperThreading -
Thomson Financial Doubles Performance Of Thomson One Server and Portia(R) Using Systems Based On the Intel(R) Xeon(TM) Processor With Hyper-ThreadingTechnology@ Thomson Looks Forward to Delivering High Level of Analytic Applications To Institutional Investment Firms Via Thomson One, Customizable Market-Data Platform and PORTIA, Portfolio Management Solution
NEW YORK, Nov 20, 2002 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Thomson Financial, an operating unit of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), and leading provider of information and technology solutions to the worldwide financial community, today reported significant enhancements to the performance of the Thomson One price-server and to PORTIA using systems based on the Intel Xeon processor and its ground-breaking Hyper-Threading Technology.
During a week of intensive study and benchmark testing of the Thomson One price-server using Intel Xeon processor-based systems, Thomson and Intel Corporation were successful in optimizing the performance of the server by 200 percent, as compared with the performance of the existing server architecture using the same software configuration.
"The performance of the Thomson One price-server experienced a tremendous boost from the Intel Xeon processor," said Louis Eccleston, president of the Thomson Financial Sales and Trading group. "Based on this powerful performance and new technology, we can look forward to the Thomson One platform delivering a high level of analytic applications to institutional investment firms in the near future," said Eccleston.
Thomson and Intel were also successful in accelerating the performance update for nearly 1,200 portfolio's in PORTIA -- Thomson Financial's portfolio management solution -- by 8 times using servers based on the Intel Xeon processor and the Hyper-Threading Technology. PORTIA's performance detail report was also much less time-consuming, completing in less than 1/10th of the time of current benchmarks by using the new technology from Intel.
"Intel Xeon processor-based servers provide PORTIA users with astonishing speed," said Doug Morgan, senior vice president of Thomson Financial's Investment Management Group. "Intel provides a powerful technology providing our customers with scalable solutions that streamline workflow and help them to implement investment decisions with ease and efficiency."
Thomson One platform is an open application framework that provides access to market data drawn from across Thomson Financial including ILX, AutEx, IFR and others. Thomson One allows for easy integration and distribution of Thomson market data, third party and proprietary products on one convenient platform, according to Eccleston.
PORTIA is the investment industry's most powerful and comprehensive portfolio management system, automating the trading, analysis and operations of money managers in more than 40 countries. PORTIA gives users the benefit of real-time trade updates and powerful calculation logic for portfolio management reporting and pre-to-post trade compliance.
"The Intel Xeon processor based servers with Hyper Threading Technology offer tremendous performance, reliability and scalability for the financial services industry" said David Brown, general manager for Intel's Platform Enabling Group. "Intel is excited to help Thomson enhance their product to cost effectively serve their customers with high speed access to quality data."
Intel Hyper-Thread Technology is a multi-threading technology where multiple threads of software applications can be run simultaneously on one processor. This is achieved by duplicating the architectural state on each processor, while sharing one set of processor execution resources, yielding an improvement in CPU resource utilization and higher processing throughout.
Greg -
Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., has delayed the start of 90nm chip production at its Dresden, Germany, fab from the second half of this year to the first half of 2003, according to its newly released processor roadmap.
Is this a typo? Delaying 90nm from the second half of this year?
EP
"NEW YORK, Nov 19 - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today that it lowered its corporate credit rating on Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) to 'B-' from 'B'. Other ratings were also lowered. At the same time, Standard & Poor's assigned a 'CCC' rating to the company's $300 million proposed convertible senior subordinated note issue, which is structurally subordinated to the debt of its Germany-based operations."
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/021119/tech_advancedmicro_s_p_1.html
John -
Also interesting from the article: "The company said it has registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to sell up to $2 billion of securities."
Who's going to buy them?
EP
John -
AMD to sell $300 mln convertible notes Tuesday
I see those notes will carry a single "B" rating. Is that junk status?
EP
wbmw -
More benchmarks there with HT both on and off. All benchmarks showed gains with HT on...
EP
Wbmw --
Those Xeon benchmarks today were sure outstanding. The only one to show a drop in performance was for light workloads and you have to wonder how much it hurts to have a slight performance hit under light loads...
EP
New Itanium Servers
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,714430,00.asp
November 18, 2002
NEC Unveils New High-End Servers
NEC Solutions America Inc. on Monday unveiled a new series of high-end servers based on Intel Corp.'s Itanium 2 chip.
The Sacramento, Calif., company also rolled out a Linux-based fault-tolerant server that features many of the same capabilities found in its Intel-based servers, including lock-step processing to ensure processors work simultaneously and hot-swappable components.
At the Supercomputing 2002 show in Baltimore, NEC Solutions announced its Express5800/1000 series of high-end servers, which include an eight-way rack system called the Express5800/1080Rc and a 16-way server called the Express5800/1160Xc. The Express5800/1320Xc is a 32-way system.
All three servers include memory capacity of up to 256GB and expansion capabilities of up to 112 PCI-X slots. They also feature up to eight partitions and hot-swappable components.
The servers will be available in December, according to the company.
The Express5800/ft Linux server features a version of the operating system developed by NEC to support fault-tolerant features, including the company's hardened drivers for SCSI, Fibre Channel and networking designed to increase availability via failover and analysis capabilities, the company said.
NEC also has upgraded its remote management software, Esmpro, to support Linux. Included in the software are such features as power cycling and power reset, enabling users to remotely monitor and diagnose the servers.
The Express5800/ft Linux server includes Intel Pentium iii processors and the ability to scale the storage up to 2 TB.
The Linux server is available immediately, starting at $27,199.
wbmw -
Yes, excellent gains. The bar has been raised!
so Prestonia will have to make up for it for most of the year
And Gallatin!
EP
Spokeshave -
I spoke with my contact in Intel got a clarification on the Vcc_max specification. For the 3.06GHz P4 with a VID of 1.55 the Vcc_max spec is 1.425 Volts. Clearly there is confusion and the key to clearing it up is to look at table 2-7 labled Vcc Static and Transient Tolerance. For an Icc_max of 65A, the Max Tolerance is -0.124Volts. When you subtract this from the VID=1.55V you get 1.426V which is in agreement with the other 2 references to Vcc_max of 1.425.
Hope this clears(?) it up.
EP
wbmw -
Anandtech reviews the 2.8GHz Xeon and 2.0GHz Xeon MP, and the results will leave you speechless.
Wrong! I am not speechless...
I can say !!!WOW!!!
Spokeshave -
Note that on Business Winstone, the 2.8 outperforms the 3.06 with HT off with a score of 31.6 vs. 31.
Note that the 3.06GHz P4 uses the 850E chipset while the 2.8GHz P4 uses the 850e (upper case E vrs lower case e). Because the 3.06GHz P4 must have a chipset that is HT aware, it looks like the 2.8GHz P4 is not running on the same platform. The article describes the 3.06GHz P4 platform, which is the 850E but it doesn't describe the 850e used for the 2.8GHz P4. The 850E/e platform distinction is used throughtout the series of tests.
It is my opinion that we cannot conclude that this is an apples to apples comparison.
EP
Matt -
I see you had to go back and "delete" part of your own post...
Let me ask you this, do you read every post or does "someone" report "impure thoughts" to you? Why shouldn't we be upset with that "someone" when he kills an interesting conversation for no good reason?
EP
Greg S
If either of you have a problem with posts which have been removed or the board moderator in general, please take it up either in a PM to Matt or on the Q&A board. This board is not the place to initiate such discussions. Now, please, get back on topic.
Greg you are the one who is destroying the flow of the topic with your petty deletions. There was no problem here. No vulgarity, no insults, no threats, nothing. You are over reacting in the extreme to harmless interactions. You are the problem.
You have no right to play snitch and then refuse to be held responsible. You are responsible for putting an end to an interesting technical discussion.
Greg, you are the one causing problems here, not anyone else.
EP
Censorship -
Well I've just had another post deleted for using the horrible word "snitch". At least that's what I think was the reason. Are we now at the point where the nannys must cover up the trail of their censorship?
We have an over zealous moderator who is the board "informant" and he must cover up all evidence of his cleansing.
You want us to leave, just keep it up. There was no vulgarity, no insults to anyone. Nothing but references to "snitch". You are over the line here.
EP
Spokeshave -
What's going on?
That's the problem with this board. The rules are whatever the moderators feel like making them. So in short, there are no clear rules. They have this Politically Correct notion that everybody has to be "nice". Just think of this place like Kindergarden and they are the nannys, so be nice to the other boys and girls. Despite the $$ some of us paid, this board belongs to the moderators and we are allowed to post here at their pleasure.
Almost makes you miss Mani's mind control...
EP
What was deleted?
Spokeshave -
So, if 82W is not the max power dissipation, then what is? (Note that AMD *does* include max power in its datasheets). Well, there is more than one way to skin a cat. The Intel docs state that the 3.06 max current is 65.4A at 1.55 volts. Well, now, that is pretty easy. Power = volts x amps. So, based on that doc, the max power is 101.37 watts. WOW!
There is some real confusion here. Table 2-2 indicates the VID=1.55 refers to a Max_Vcc, however I believe you need to read Table 2-6 Voltage and Current Specifications. It appears that VID=1.55V actually sets Vcc_Max at 1.425 Volts, not 1.55 Volts. Also note that the 3.06GHz P4 come with the VID at 1.475V, 1.5V, and 1.525V. So not all P4s operate at these worst case conditions. We also see there that the Max_Icc is 65.4 so that gives a max power of 93.195 Watts, not the 101+ you quote. Also, as I said in my previous post, this is an absolute worst case power number and requires Max_Vcc and presumably the fastest process corner which is admittedly probably the case at this speed (for now). This also matches exactly the numbers in Document # 24919929 where they clarify that Vcc_Max=1.425V. Note, this is Max_Icc, not typical and Max_Vcc. It doesn't get any worse than that but it can get better.
The confusion seems to be in the term VID which, according to table 2-6 and document #24919929, doesn't refer to Vcc.
EP
Wanna -
It's important to note that numbers published in the DataSheet are worst case numbers, meaning that because of process variation, not all parts will perform the same way. They are simply guaranteeing that no individual part will exceed the specification to a confidence lever of a couple hundred outliers per million units or less. Therefore, just because a 3.06GHz P4 could theoretically reach the maximum power levels, it does not mean any given device actually does, in fact it is possible that no device ever does. Intel is not specifying how much power a device consumes, only that it will not exceed the max value. That is the nature of maximum specification guarantees.
EP
I thought maybe you were the Humble one...
Carl - is that you?
Intel server chips to outsell RISC
By Stephen Shankland
Special to ZDNet News
November 14, 2002, 12:54 PM PT
In 2003, sales of servers built on Intel processors will for the first time exceed sales of more customized Unix systems built on RISC processors, analyst firm Gartner Dataquest has predicted.
The change will be a milestone for Intel and allies like Microsoft and Dell Computer, which for years have sold large quantities of servers but haven't made as much money as rivals such as Sun Microsystems that sell Unix servers which use RISC (reduced instruction set computer) processors. Intel server advocates have been working for years to endow their hardware and software with the reliability and performance features of the more customized RISC-Unix systems.
Gartner Dataquest analyst Jeff Hewitt said in a report that the change was driven by fierce price competition among Unix server sellers combined with a growing Linux industry. Linux is a clone of Unix that most often runs on Intel servers.
"RISC server vendors will need to take strong action to ensure that they position these hardware platforms as viable," Hewitt said. Sales of RISC-Unix servers are expected to drop from $18.8 billion in 2002 to $18.1 billion in 2003, while Intel server sales will increase to $20 billion, Gartner Dataquest forecast.
Servers are higher-end machines that typically run round-the-clock for critical computing tasks such as logging a retail chain's sales or powering a stock exchange. They range from high-end Unix servers and mainframes with numerous processors and multimillion-dollar price tags to comparatively inexpensive Intel-based machines running Linux or Windows.
Of the largest server sellers, IBM and Hewlett-Packard sell both Intel and RISC servers; Sun Microsystems sells Unix-RISC servers but has just begun selling Intel servers; and Dell Computer sells only Intel servers.
The change in fortunes for Intel servers was foreshadowed by U.S. server sales in the third quarter, when Gartner Dataquest said Intel server sales exceeded RISC sales. Buying patterns in the United States often spread later to the rest of the world.
Back to growth
For the first time since 2000, the server market will grow again, the report predicted, driven largely by increasing sales of Intel servers running Windows and Linux. However, it won't be a big jump: Server revenue is expected to increase less than 1 percent from 2002 to 2003, Hewitt said.
Still, it would be an improvement from years past for server makers, which have been suffering with the demise of manic Internet spending and with the economic recession.
With resumed growth, though, companies won't be able to blame the economy for poor sales. "Ailing economies will no longer be an acceptable excuse for poor performance," Hewitt said. Without effective sales and marketing in 2003, server makers likely won't be able to participate when server sales growth accelerates in 2004, he said.
Part of the reason for the revenue growth is that server makers simply can't cut prices much more, Hewitt said. "Because 2002 saw this aggressive pricing by vendors, it does not leave much room for continued price reductions in 2003. This will help to keep pricing more stable in 2003," he said.
Shipments of Linux systems likely will double from 2002 to 2003, rising to about 800,000 units, Hewitt predicted. Linux server revenue will increase to about $4 billion in 2003.
Server makers must build effective Linux marketing, sales and support programs as a result, Hewitt said.
"Lip service will not be enough; the ability to execute and show significant participation in Linux server market share will be vital to capture growth from this operating system as Linux continues its acceleration in 2003," Hewitt said.
One compelling pricing advantage of Linux is lower "client license" fees, the money software companies charge according to how many computer users are tapping into a server. Linux software, unlike many competitors, often comes with no client license fees.
wbmw -
So this is the official word from Intel on SPEC performance. As was speculated, the 3.06GHz Pentium 4 does about 1100 in SPECint. Both SPECint and SPECfp fall short of the projected Hammer SPEC scores by about a hundred points; although, those scores were for a version of Hammer with 1MB of L2 cache - enough to give a sizable increase to SPEC performance.
It is likely that those Hammer scores were Peak rather than Base as Intel stresses, closing the gap slightly more.
EP
IBM Itanium 2 servers appear in massive NCSA cluster
By Ashlee Vance
November 14, 2002 6:22 am PT
IBM WON'T SAY a word about its Itanium 2 servers, but a cluster of more than 800 of them at The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) is speaking for itself.
The NCSA has started work on a massive cluster that will combine the computing power of 3,300 Itanium 2 processors from Intel, said Rick Herrmann, head of the high performance computing office at Intel. IBM has provided the servers that make up the cluster, giving the NCSA hundreds of four-processor systems, he said
IBM has yet to announce when its Itanium 2 servers, code-named Man-of-War, will arrive on the market, but one source who is close to the matter said users could expect to see the systems announced by the end of November.
An IBM spokeswoman confirmed that the NCSA is working with its Itanium 2 servers to build the giant system. She declined, however, to provide the name or shipping date for IBM's servers.
The deal with the NCSA is a boost for Intel's Itanium 2 processor, continuing the success for the chip in the scientific computing space. The NCSA calls the Linux cluster its TeraGrid system. It is housed at the University of Illinois, according to the NCSA Web site.
The news would appear to confirm IBM's commitment to support Itanium 2. Based in Armonk, N.Y., IBM has held off announcing any systems based on the chip even though its rival Hewlett-Packard Co. has already delivered a number of Itanium 2 systems.
However, IBM earlier this year allowed a system dubbed the x450 to slip on to the showroom floor at the LinuxWorld conference here. At the time, an IBM representative said the x450 would arrive this year and would hold between 4 and 8 processors.
IBM has been reluctant to give the Itanium chips vocal support as they compete directly with its own Power4 processor-based Unix servers, according to one analyst.
"IBM wants to leverage its own proprietary technology," said Gordon Haff, an analyst at Nashua, New Hampshire-based Illuminata Inc. "For this reason, they are not enthusiastic promoters of Itanium, but I fully expect to see systems from IBM."
IBM is expected to base its Itanium 2 servers on the same chipset currently used in its xSeries line of Intel-based servers. The chipset -- code-named Summit -- will allow customers to use either Xeon or Itanium 2 processors in the same chassis, which could give IBM an edge over the competition, Haff said.
"Because of the strength of Summit, I expect IBM's Itanium 2 servers to be among the stronger pieces of big iron in the marketplace," Haff said.