IBM drops Intel high-end server

Jaikumar Vijayan   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other Servers Stories  

Server Management: The tried and true vendors vs. the new-idea startups Gain a faster, cheaper way to manage workload Blades: fast growing and incompatible Solving 9 Common IT Challenges Through Workload Profiling and Portability Lowering the Total Cost of Ownership for SME Reporting Green IT: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint with Citrix Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT SaaS Solutions for Remote Systems Management Learn-Fast Guide: Software as a Service is Growing Up Sign up to receive Servers Resource Alerts

May 13, 2002 (Computerworld) -- Users of an IBM server line the company acquired through its purchase of Sequent Computer Systems Inc. are being forced to migrate to other systems as a result of IBM's decision to ditch the technology.

IBM announced the Intel-based 64-processor xSeries 430 server featuring Sequent's Non-Uniform Memory Architecture in March 2001. In March of this year, it posted a notice of plans to withdraw the product, along with Sequent's associated Dynix/ptx Unix operating system.

Some Sequent users are clearly agitated.

"IBM's actions have left us with a very bad taste in our mouths for anything IBM," said Michael Wojtowicj, manager of systems engineering at Entertainment Partners, a Burbank, Calif.-based company that provides production management services in the entertainment industry.

The company has been a Sequent customer since 1989 and uses several NUMA systems and Dynix/ptx to run all of its core applications. Now it's being forced to rewrite all of its applications in Java and C to enable a migration to a new platform.

"I think IBM's objective was to first trap customers on this platform and then force them to move to [IBM's] Unix boxes," Wojtowicj said.

The move has been expected for some time because of both the lack of customer response to the NUMA box and the lack of software and database support around Dynix/ptx, said Michael Prince, vice president and CIO at Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp. in Burlington, N.J.

Nonetheless, "it's disappointing that this happened," said Prince. He added that his company has a "significant investment" in Sequent's NUMA systems, which it uses as database and application servers.

Pulling the Plug

With IBM pulling the plug, Burlington Coat Factory is considering moving everything to a cluster of smaller Unix or Linux servers. That task is complicated by the company's planned upgrade to Oracle9, Prince said. Moving off the NUMA boxes, adds a significant amount of extra work, Prince said.

Starting Dec. 31, IBM will stop selling both the server and the operating system, though it will continue to support Dynix/ptx through 2006 and the hardware through 2007.

Sequent's NUMA technology allowed the company to assemble very large Intel boxes using four-processor building blocks.

Although Sequent never managed to find a large market for its products, it did snag several big-name customers, such as The Boeing Corp. and Carlson Hospitality Worldwide.

When IBM acquired Sequent for $810 million in 1999, the company said it would use NUMA to deliver very large Intel boxes. The xSeries 430 server, which started at $160,000 for an eight-way system, was expected to be the first in a line of even larger Intel boxes.

IBM is now urging users to move their applications to its 32-way p690 Unix/RISC servers or to smaller four- or eight-way Intel boxes.

Continued...
1 | 2 | NEXT  

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

IBM drops Intel high-end server

"It's IT Blogwatch: in which an alleged conspiracy of international cyber-criminals is indicted, in the largest such case the DoJ..." Read more... "Account manager pilot fish at an IT service provider is pitching the company's virtual hosting service -- and he brings..." Read more... Read more Servers & Data Center posts or See all Blogs

Microsoft: We'll help other vendors find, fix their bugs Free Windows XP tuneup: Put new life into an old workhorse Politics 2.0 heats up traditional summer doldrums Judge rejects student visa injunction sought by H-1B opponents Kaminsky: Many ways to attack with DNS TSA relaxes laptop screening rules this month Road-warrior conundrum: Laptop or handheld? First responders get more emergency communications options $12 Indian 'TV computer' a knockoff of '80s Nintendo system, not Apple II Jobs shakes up Apple management over MobileMe debacle More top stories...

Russian hacker gang steals with impunity, says researcher Microsoft promises 12 patches next week Credit card thieves ran a polite, professional help desk Bet on it: Employee wagers help companies predict the future Massive faux-CNN spam blitz uses legit sites to deliver fake Flash Search closing in on e-mail as most popular online activity, report says At LinuxWorld, problem-solvers hunt open-source solutions SQL Server 2008's future 'cloudy' as Microsoft releases new database Missing Registered Traveler laptop found New Google tool aims to provide more insight into online searches

How to configure and deploy the iPhone 3G for business, part 1 Before the iPhone will ever rival the BlackBerry in the workplace, IT admins need to know how to best activate and deploy it to their workers. Part 1 of a three-part series focuses on activation and configuration. All-screen clamshell concept phone: A glimpse of the future How do you make a phone with the smallest possible size, but the largest possible screen? Blogger Mike Elgan knows. How to build a free computer from spare parts Got a basement full of old components? Why not use them to build yourself a new PC? We show you how to do it.   Narcissists at work: How to deal with arrogant, controlling, manipulative bullies Narcissistic employees — yes, IT has its fair share — can wreak havoc in the office and put your own job at risk. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland Security Apple's iPhone Ask a Premier 100 IT Leader Bill Gates steps down BlackBerry Legal Battle Data Security Breaches Electronic Voting Firefox H-1B Visas HP's Boardroom Scandal Handheld Devices Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Microsoft Legal Issues Microsoft's Vista Open Source RFID Technology SCO's Linux Fight Sarbanes-Oxley Act Spam Voice Over IP Wi-Fi Windows Meta File Vulnerability Windows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class 2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2006 Salary Survey 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 IT Forecast 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 40 Years of Computerworld ASPs, Take Two Best Places to Work in IT 2003 Best Places to Work in IT 2004 Best Places to Work in IT 2005 Best Places to Work in IT 2006 Business Intelligence Home Runs Business Intelligence: Smarter BI Business Intelligence: The Future of BI CRM Goes Vertical CRM: Sober CRM Career Planning Guide 2005 Careers: IT Profession 2010 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005 Data Management: Mining for Gems Data Management: Taming Data Chaos Development: Hard-Workin' Web Sites Development: New Tools New Choices Development: The New World of Application Development Development: The Web Services Tsunami Development: Web Services Hurdles Disaster Recovery: Preparing for the Worst E-commerce Grows Up E-mail/Groupware: Big Decisions Faces of Mobile IT Forecast 2006 Global Mobile Hardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple Challenges Hardware: On-Demand Un-Hyped Hardware: The Shape of Things to Come Horizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Technologies IT Management: Guide to Managing Vendors IT Management: Navigating Global IT IT Management: Recovery Ahead IT Management: The Future of IT IT Management: The Resourceful Project Manager Innovative Technology Awards 2004 Management: Reinventing IT Microsoft in Transition Mobile/Wireless Leaders and Laggards Mobile/Wireless: The Untethered Worker Mobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge Costs Network Management: Taking Control Networking: Turbulence Ahead! Networking: VoIP Goes Mainstream Operating Systems: In the Slow Lane Operating Systems: Linux Goes Global Operating Systems: Should You Nix Unix? Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's Guide Outsourcing: Outsourcing Dangers Premier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in Class Premier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in Class ROI: Do the Math! Salary Survey 2003 Salary Survey 2004 Salary Survey 2005 Security Action Plan Security: Compliance Headaches Security: Proactive Security Security: Risk and Reward Security: Tips From Security Pros Souped-up Security Storage: Battling Complexity Storage: Cheap & Secure Data Stores Storage: Stretching Your Storage Dollars Storage: The Lean Storage Machine Storage: The New Rules of Storage Storage: The Ultimate Backup Guide Supply Chain: Missing Links Supply Chain: RFID Reality Check The Business of Security Web 2.0 Security Wireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone Identity & Security Management Zone See your link here

Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT (Source: Computerworld) Whether it's in the front office or the server room, green thinking can save energy, trees and money. From the Editorial Staff at Computerworld, here's the latest thinking on greening your operations. Download this executive briefing  Embracing Innovation - The Business Case for PC Blades Embracing Innovation - The Business Case for PC Blades Watch this webcast now! Go to the webcast  Virtualization Everywhere Download this white paper, free, compliments of Citrix. (Source: Citrix) Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, the cost and complexity of server virtualization solutions has been a barrier. In this paper, we'll discuss how Citrix XenServer" provides simple, economical server virtualization for any size company. Download now! Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Archiving Compliance with Sunbelt Exchange Archiver The Impact of Messaging and Web Threats Web Security SaaS: The Next Generation of Web Security View more whitepapers

• IBM drops Intel high-end server

• Microsoft: We'll help other vendors find, fix their bugs
• Russian hacker gang steals with impunity, says researcher
• Free Windows XP tuneup: Put new life into an old workhorse
• More top stories 

SQL Anywhere Developer Edition Download SQL Anywhere is the industry-leading mobile and embedded database. Designed for database-powered applications that operate in frontline environments without onsite IT support, SQL Anywhere offers enterprise-caliber features in a database that is easily embedded and widely deployed in server, desktop, remote office and mobile applications. Download the free SQL Anywhere Developer Edition

Intercept Spam & Viruses With MessageLabs MessageLabs is offering a complimentary 30 day trial of its managed Anti-virus and Anti-spam security solutions. MessageLabs guarantees complete protection against all know and unknown email threats. By providing 24 hour support, your business can increase productivity and decrease risk. Register for a complimentary trial and receive a free datasheet. Download this white paper now!