Sun hopes to shine with blades

Servers This newsletter is sponsored by Mellanox Technologies ConnectX EN 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter Mellanox's ConnectX EN Dual-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapter chips and NICs optimize data center productivity with leading performance and capabilities. ConnectX EN enables multi-core server and storage systems running applications such as clustered databases, web infrastructure and virtualized solutions to deliver an enhanced user experience with reduced power and complexity. Network World's Servers Newsletter, 06/12/07 Sun hopes to shine with blades By Jennifer Mears Blade server sales may be a small percentage of overall server revenue today, but the market for the compact, module systems is set to take off. So it’s not surprising to see Sun trying to jumpstart its blade business with a handful of blades launched last week. Among the new blades include the Sun Blade 6000 Modular System. The system includes a compact blade chassis, which Sun executives claim will hold twice as much memory and twice as much I/O as competing offerings. The blades come nearly a year after Sun jumped back into the blade market after bailing out on blades in 2005. It also marks the first Intel-based offering from Sun since it announced its partnership with Intel in January. From servers to storage: Virtualization saves It's touted as one of the fastest and easiest ways to better manage and control your infrastructure. Download this guide today and see how network IT execs are making virtualization pay off in the real world; discover the 8 virtualization gotchas you need to know; and much more. Click here to download. Sun’s increasing focus on blades is a good move, since IDC expects blade servers to grow from about 10% of the market today to about 25% in 2005. I think Sun gains an even greater edge this time because, unlike last year, Sun is offering buyers a smorgasbord of blades. Last year, when it came to x86 blades, it was Opteron or nothing from Sun. With last week’s announcement, Sun now has an Opteron blade, a Niagara-based blade and an Intel blade. That means buyers can deploy everything from dual- to eight-core systems and run Solaris, Windows or Linux, all in one system. The Sun Blade 6000 Modular System includes the Sun Blade 10 RU Chassis, which holds 10 blade servers, fits four to a rack and starts at just under $5,000; the single-socket Sun Blade T6300, which starts at under $6,000 for a six-core configuration; the X6250, a two-socket quad-core Xeon-based server, which starts at under $3,700 for a single-socket configuration; and the Sun Blade X6220, a two-socket Opteron-based blade, which is priced starting at under $4,000. Get all the details on Sun’s new blades here. And, I’m curious, are you interested in these? Let me know.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Jennifer Mears is a freelance journalist based in Arizona. She was previously senior editor at Network World focusing on server issues. E-mail her at jlmears@gmail.com.   This newsletter is sponsored by Mellanox Technologies ConnectX EN 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter Mellanox's ConnectX EN Dual-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapter chips and NICs optimize data center productivity with leading performance and capabilities. ConnectX EN enables multi-core server and storage systems running applications such as clustered databases, web infrastructure and virtualized solutions to deliver an enhanced user experience with reduced power and complexity. ARCHIVE Archive of the Servers Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007