IBM launches world's most powerful server in Mideast

DUBAI — IBM, which according to IDC, is the number one vendor of UNIX systems based on revenue share,

By A Staff Reporter

Published: Mon 14 Aug 2006, 10:40 AM

Last updated: Mon 22 Jul 2024, 3:55 PM

Has introduced a pair of ultra-powerful high-end machines, including the world's most powerful server, the IBM System p5 595 — a 64-core speed demon capable of a record-shattering four million transactions per minute at an affordable cost per transaction.

IBM attributed the huge leap in performance in the industry to the company's revolutionary new Dual Stress processor technology, pioneered for ultra fast videogames and making its first appearance in System p5 machines.

IBM has also announced a major advance in virtualisation: IBM Tivoli Usage and Accounting Manager (UAM). UAM allows IT departments and outsourcing vendors to accurately monitor and bill for individual usage of server resources, like utility companies charge for electricity and water.

"The new system is the first to combine immense power and linear scaling with the ability to create virtualised environments that map business functions with IT assets," said Wael Abdoush, systems group manager, IBM Middle East. "This is a powerful combination that helps make the concept of the virtualised data centre into a reality for the emerging business market in the Middle East."

Owning the number one position in five key benchmarks, the new IBM System p5 595 is designed to help companies improve IT operational efficiency while cutting overall infrastructure costs.

The bigger of the two IBM servers, the 64-core p5-595 running a single instance of the IBM DB2 9 data server on the AIX 5L operating system and using IBM System Storage DS4800, processed 4,016,222 transactions per minute on the TPC-C benchmark — 3.2 times better than the HP Integrity Superdome. The TPC-C benchmark is an industry standard for measuring the ability of a system to process complex online transactions and large volumes of business data.

The TPC-C benchmark is unique in the way it exercises all components of a system, including processors, memory, networking, storage, operating system and database software, demonstrating total system performance in a way that many of the other benchmarks touted by some competitors do not.

The new systems leverage IBM's leadership Virtualisation Engine technology offerings to accommodate up to 10 virtual servers — or partitions — per processor core, enabling clients to consolidate multiple systems and distributed applications — even entire IT infrastructures — on a single box.