The 1st Fault Tolerant server that integrates dual-core Intel® Xeon® 5100 processors
• Memory protection and data integrity
• Maximum level of reliability through component redundancy
• Easy management: switchover operations guaranteeing no service interruption
• Performance of dual-core Intel Xeon 5100 processors

On March 19th, Bull announced the NovaScale R620 Fault Tolerant server integrating Intel Xeon 5100 processors. This dual-core, two-socket server completes the R600 series belonging to the Bull NovaScale Universal range. The NovaScale R620 Fault Tolerant server meets the increasing performance requirement of applications in Microsoft Windows environments while guaranteeing business continuity.

“Combining the 24/7 fault tolerant technology with standard hardware and software, NovaScale R600 servers deliver continuous availability at an affordable price. Since they do not require any modification of Windows applications, these Fault Tolerant servers are easy to implement with no additional costs” declared Olivier Gaumont, Director of Bull’s NovaScale Enterprise Business Unit.

The Bull NovaScale R620 Fault Tolerant server provides continuous availability for applications run in Microsoft Windows environments, which goes beyond high availability, at the price of a standard server. Continuous availability guarantees at least 99.99% uptime, i.e. less than one-hour downtime per year, including the time required for updates and maintenance.

A unique technology for failure detection
In a NovaScale R600 system, every redundant central unit executes exactly the same instructions at the same time (lockstep mode). The NovaScale R600 patented failure detection system then compares the output of every transaction of every central unit. In case two outputs are different, fault tolerant algorithms identify the failing central unit and interrupt its operation; the output of the other central unit is then seamlessly used.

An innovating architecture in standard environments
The DMR (Dual Modular Redundancy) architecture of the NovaScale R620 server enables a systematic redundancy of every hardware component – central unit, I/O module, supply system and storage subsystem. Should any component fail, the duplicated component acts immediately as an active spare in a totally transparent way for the user. The switchover operations are executed while maintaining the same levels of performance, system availability and data integrity.

With the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), included in the Microsoft Windows Server operating system, fault tolerance is transparent for the system and applications.

As any other server based on standard components, the NovaScale R620 server can be easily integrated in existing infrastructures, thus reducing costs related to installation, services and management. In addition only one Microsoft Windows license is required per application.

Benefits of the NovaScale R620 servers
• Less than one-hour downtime per year for Windows applications
• Memory protection and data integrity
• Maximum level of reliability through component redundancy
• Easy management: switchover operations with no service interruption
• Performance of dual-core Intel Xeon 5100 processors
• Constant performance level during switchover operations

Technical specifications of the NovaScale R620 E1 model
• Compact 4U compact rack-optimized design
• 2 dual-core Intel Xeon 5100 processors (4 physical)
• FSB Bus 1066MHz, EM64T
• Up to 12GB DDR2 533 memory
• Up to 900GB (3x300GB SCSI) of internal disk capacity
• 3 PCI slots
• Certified by Microsoft certification laboratories
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition and ESMPRO Management Suite preloaded

Price and availability
Price of a configuration including 2 x Intel Xeon 5110 processors with 4MB cache L2, 1GB memory, one 73GB SCSI disk: 16,113 euros. Available now.

More information about NovaScale servers

• Substantial widening of the JOnAS developer community
• Innovative clustering enhancements for ultimate scalability
• 24/7 enterprise-class support options available from Bull

On March 12, OW2, the leading consortium in open source middleware, founded through the merger between ObjectWeb and OrientWare, announced the release of JOnAS 4.8 Enterprise Edition (EE), a new version of its flagship application server.
Already deployed in production for thousands of enterprises and government applications worldwide, JOnAS fulfils the needs of organizations seeking to deploy open and robust J2EEbased application services, while benefiting from the low TCO and the innovations of a leading international open source software community.

Widening the JOnAS community, innovative clustering enhancements and enterprise class support
In addition to the strong growth taking place within the JOnAS community, JOnAS 4.8 EE incorporates many innovations.
• Widening of the development community. With increased levels of collaboration on the part of the OrientWare consortium (including Peking University) and from Brazil (including Unifor), the JOnAS community is expanding to welcome many new contributors. This extended community will accelerate JOnAS development, and multiply production deployments in Asia and in America. This large developer base is quite unique, and guarantees JOnAS users will benefit from a truly open application server, developed by a large international community, without any risk of user lock-in.
• Innovative clustering enhancements. With 4.8 EE, JOnAS is extending its top level clustering and administration mechanisms even further to ensure scalability and high availability. Innovations include dynamic clustering, enhancements for generating an entire cluster configuration, EJB horizontal replication, cluster management and monitoring, cluster registry view, cluster daemon, and remote control from the JOnAS Admin console. In addition, the release includes a Thread Management Framework (for thread monitoring and control) and a Fractal Deployment Framework (to deploy JOnAS software). Further clustering management and monitoring features will be developed in the future through the OW2 JASMINe project.
• Enterprise class support. Available in open source under LGPL license, JOnAS 4.8 EE can be downloaded and installed free of charge by any enterprise, and benefit from the support of the community. For organizations seeking enterprise-class, 24/7 guaranteed support, industry-grade support can be provided by Bull at a worldwide level, under the scope of the Bull Open Energy offer. The first JOnAS Enterprise Edition, JOnAS 4.8 will notably benefit from a 3-year support option from Bull. As a result, JOnAS 4.8 EE offers users all the advantages of an independent, open source application server, plus the full range of industrial support options required by the most demanding organizations.

An open, powerful foundation for Service Oriented Architectures
As the foundation for a more global middleware suite delivered within the OW2 consortium and many ISV partners around the world, JOnAS holds a key position as a cornerstone for Service Oriented Architecture. It offers a large-scale solution ecosystem, that includes the EasyBeans EJB3 container, the Bonita workflow manager, the Orchestra BPEL engine, the Exoplatform portal and the Petals Enterprise Service Bus, among many other solutions.

More information on:
• the new JOnAS project web site
• JOnAS training and support services, which are provided under the terms of Bull’s Open Energy offer

About OW2
Founded in January 2007 as a result of the merger of ObjectWeb and OrientWare communities, OW2 is an independent industry consortium dedicated to developing open source code middleware, and to fostering a vibrant community and business ecosystem. Building on the legacy of ObjectWeb and OrientWare, OW2 federates more than one hundred organizations and 6,000 developers in Europe, Asia and the Americas. OW2 hosts over one hundred technology Projects, including Lomboz, Sync4j, eXo Platorm, XWiki, SpagoBI and JOnAS. OW2 has launched market-driven Initiatives, such as the ESB/SOA Initiative and the Business Intelligence Initiative, which combine projects to facilitate their implementation by systems integrators, OEMs and end-users. A typical global open-source organization, OW2 aims to bring together grassroots communities across all continents through Local Chapters.

To find out more about OW2, visit their website