IBM has unveiled the xSeries 260, a four-processor machine geared to power remote offices that require large amounts of storage and local backup of critical information.
The machine is 7U (1u = 1.75 inches) and lets customers include up to twelve 3.5-inch Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) disk drives for greater capacities and faster processing.
Customers can install capacities up to 300 gigabytes per drive for a total of 3.6 terabytes of local storage.
IBM said bank branches can use the x260 to meet federal rules for data retention and auditing purposes. Hotels are another ideal candidate for the z260 because they can use it to back up their records and reservations. Retail outlets can use the x260 to run point of sale systems and serve as central storage for inventory and sales.
Dual-core-capable, the x260 uses 64-bit Intel Xeon MP processors and can run on standard 110 volt power in a fully redundant configuration. The x260 offers customers investment protection possibilities through expandable processing power, memory and storage capacity.
The x260 starts at $4,599, and will be available in mid-September. All X3 systems run the latest 64-bit x86 operating system software from Microsoft, Red Hat and Novell.
Introduced at Intel’s Developer Forum Wednesday, the x260 is the Armonk, N.Y., company’s third server based on its X3 architecture, a $100 million development effort to bring mainframe-like capabilities to IBM’s newest 64-bit Intel Xeon processor xSeries servers. X3 is designed to boost virtualized environments.
The system vendor raised the curtain on X3 in February with the x366, a four-way server that uses Intel’s Xeon DP Cranford processor for server consolidation and enterprise applications.
IBM followed that machine up with the more powerful x460 in June, which uses four Intel processors and scales up to 32 processors in an eight-chassis configuration.
The x460 is built to scale for environments that require “always-on” computing for industries such as financial services, government and healthcare.
Article courtesy of InternetNews.com