Partitioning servers all the rage at IBM

ARMONK, N.Y. - Users looking to do more with less - or fewer - servers will be able to do just that next month when IBM unveils a new 16-processor system that can be split up into as many virtual servers.

The IBM xSeries server is a high-end Intel-based system designed to let users allocate processor and memory resources to specific applications, reducing the number of servers they may have to support and letting users more quickly add application-processing power.

The server will run partitioning software from VMware. IBM and VMware have developed a version of the software for IBM's x360 server and plan an update to the software for the third quarter that will be aimed at the high end of the xSeries line.

The IBM eServer x360, which IBM announced in November, is a four-way rack server designed to take up less floor space than traditional single rack-unit servers. The 16-way-capable x360 will be introduced next month at the CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany.

Agilera, an application service provider with more than 130 servers in the Eastern region of the U.S., has used VMware's virtual partitioning software coupled with IBM's xSeries servers. The technology combination has let the company cut by two-thirds the amount of time it takes to deploy new servers, says Chip Gums, vice president of Eastern region operations at the company. Agilera also has been able to reduce the number of servers it needs to support users' applications overall.

"Using the partitioning features lets us take advantage of our large servers that were sitting idle because of their single-customer, single-server aspect," Gums says.

What's unique about IBM's approach to virtual partitioning - for now - is that the company is bringing the feature to high-end Intel-based systems. Secure virtual partitions that let users run multiple operating system and application images on a single system were once reserved for mainframe-class systems. However, in the last year, Sun, IBM and Hewlett-Packard have brought those features down to their Unix systems. IBM now is upping the ante with its Intel-based offering.

The aim of bringing virtual processor and memory partitions to Intel-based servers is to reduce the total cost of ownership for users with multiprocessor systems - many of which go unused in part because they support single operating system and application images. Moreover, a software bug or virus can be isolated in one partition without affecting other software on the server.

IBM's strategy hasn't been limited to its Intel-based systems. The company also announced an entry-level mainframe, its z800 server, which for hardware-only starts at about $250,000, compared with a z900 server (hardware-only), which starts at approximately $750,000.

An IBM spokeswoman says the z800 has a three-year total cost of acquisition, including the z/OS operating system and maintenance, of about $330,000. That price is much less than traditional mainframes, which start at upwards of $1 million.

IBM says it hopes the new mainframe will be attractive to users looking for a way to run a number of applications such as databases, customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning from one big server instead of numerous small systems.