IBM Introduces New Low-Priced POWER5 Server Based on Linux

January 24, 2005

IBM today announced it will offer a new, low-priced IBM POWER5 processor-based server running the Linux operating system (OS). The introduction of the IBM eServer OpenPower 710 marks IBM's continued commitment to extend POWER5 performance for Linux environments to companies of all sizes.

The powerful new IBM eServer OpenPower 710 provides a Linux OS-based alternative to HP and Sun entry-level UNIX and Linux systems, helping clients to attain greater business productivity and lower costs. Its introduction is significant news, as it provides smaller businesses greater opportunity to access high-performing systems and is ideal for companies in industries such as financial services, life sciences and government.

The IBM eServer OpenPower 710 is a reliable, one- to two-way rack-mount system that supports the Linux operating system as distributed by both Red Hat and SUSE LINUX. The system is tuned for Linux for optimal performance and utilizes high-end features of larger server systems such as IBM's proven 64-bit Power Architecture(TM) technology and optional mainframe-inspired virtualization and Micro-Partitioning(TM) capabilities unique to POWER5 systems. When compared to similar offerings, the OpenPower 710 beats HP and Sun in system performance including:

-- The IBM eServer OpenPower 710 2-way Linpack HPC performance is higher than the performance of both the HP Itanium® 2 rx1620 and rx2620. The only published higher 2-way RISC SMP non-vector performance result was run on the IBM eServer BladeCenter(TM) JS20.

-- The IBM eServer OpenPower 710 2-way SPECompM2001 (peak) performance is higher than the performance of the Sun Opteron V40z. The only higher 2-way SPECompM2001 performance result published was run on the IBM eServer p5 520.

The result is a system that allows clients to support multiple workloads on fewer systems -- making the OpenPower 710 optimal for datacenter consolidation and enterprise-class scale-out growth. Software developers in organizations of any size can also leverage the OpenPower 710 as they develop and run applications on the Linux OS.

"With the addition of the OpenPower 710, IBM extends Linux on POWER(TM) even deeper into the entry-level market where demand is increasing for substantial functionality and benefits of the POWER5 architecture," said Brian Connors, vice president, Linux on POWER, IBM. "OpenPower is a revolutionary option for businesses, particularly in the financial, government and retail industries, who are looking for lower-priced, more powerful Linux OS-tuned alternatives to HP and Sun systems."

IBM plans to make the IBM eServer OpenPower 710 available on February 18, 2005 with 1.65 GHz POWER5 microprocessors. The system will be available in a 1- to 2-way rack with maximum memory of 32GB. The OpenPower 710 supports Novell SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 (SLES 9), and Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 3 (RHEL AS 3). The OpenPower 710 will have a starting price of $3,449 (excluding operating system) and includes a 1.65 GHz processor, one gigabyte (GB) memory, 73GB 10K rpm disk drive, DVD-ROM and three-year, next-business-day warranty.