Bull announces NovaScale® 5085 and 6085 eight processor ultra compact servers

Providing easy administration, flexibility and modularity, these Intel® Itanium® 2 based servers reduce infrastructure operational costs

Paris, May  20, 2005 -  

Bull today announces the new 8 processor NovaScale 5085 and 6085 servers. Very compact and equipped with powerful administration tools, these servers reduce overall implementation and operational costs, in particular those of complex infrastructures such as Grid or Cluster, associated with a large number of servers. They run Microsoft Windows® and Linux® operating systems.

Highly flexible and modular compact servers

Thanks to the optimised 8U module supporting up to 8 processors and including up to 4 internal disks, the NovaScale 5085 and 6085 models supplement the NovaScale range by offering a density twice that of the NovaScale 5080 and 6080 servers. They are available in a low (19U) or high (40U) cabinet, the latter being able to house 4 eight processor servers.

Equipped with NovaScale Master Software, these new models are particularly simply to install, operate and manage.

Powerful partitioning and virtualisation functionalities

Resulting from Bull's partnership with SWsoft, these NovaScale servers will be incorporating the Virtuozzo software developed by SWsoft allowing the virtualisation of numerous servers on the same physical server, irrespective of the operating system: Microsoft Windows® or Linux®.

The difference between the NovaScale 6085 and 5085 model is to be found in its capacity to provide physical partitioning by groups of 4 processors, delivering a superior level of flexibility.

"We designed the Bull NovaScale 5085 and 6085 servers for companies that wish to benefit from ultra-compact, powerful and robust servers. Moreover, the possibility of having multiple virtual servers and the physical partitioning on the NovaScale 6085 model provides very high level of modularity and flexibility. Whether running under Microsoft® Windows® or Linux®, these new NovaScale servers are a true alternative to traditional infrastructures" stated Henri Pfahl, director of Bull NovaScale Servers.

Designed for Grid and Cluster Infrastructures

The NovaScale servers are designed for Grid and Cluster infrastructure deployments and to host distributed databases such as Oracle 9iRAC and Oracle 10g, "datamarts" at the heart of decisional systems, and replicated applications that benefit from the power of large multiprocessor servers. They are also perfectly adapted to host scientific and technical applications, through the combination of the power of their architecture with the performance of the Intel® Itanium® 2 processors.

Draw upon the evolutions of Intel "dual-core" and "multi-thread" processors

NovaScale servers' architecture provides extended granularity and modularity. Through the use of Intel® standard chipsets, the large NovaScale servers can benefit, as of their availability, from the latest evolutions of the Itanium® processors, in particular the future "dual-core" and "multi-thread" processors, so as to offer more power and parallelism.

"While helping organizations benefit from the leadership performance of the Intel® Itanium® 2 processor, the unique compact design 8-way NovaScale servers showcase Bull's capability in developing innovative, standards-based solutions that can help customers grow their business while reducing costs", stated Kirk Skaugen, general manager, Server Platforms Group Marketing, Intel.

Pricing and characteristics of the new Bull NovaScale 5085 and 6085 servers

Physical partitioning differentiates the NovaScale 6085 server from the NovaScale 5085. Offering full compatibility with the complete range of large SMP NovaScale servers, the new servers are available from May 2005 at an entry price of 55,000 euros.

The main characteristics or the new servers are:

- 8U module including 2 Quad Brick Blocks (each 4 processor blocks), 2 I/O modules,

- 8 Intel® Itanium® 2 processors, 64 GB memory,

- 2 x 6 slots PCI-X 133 MHz

- 2 to 4 Internal SCSI disks and/or external SCSI or RAID Fibre Channel systems;

- From 1 to 2 physical partitions (Bull NovaScale 6085 model only);

- Available with Microsoft® Windows® Enterprise Server 2003, Microsoft® Windows® DataCenter Edition, Linux® RedHat Advanced Server3, Novell® SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 9.

For more information

To find out more about the Bull NovaScale offer: www.bull.com/novascale

Also see the White Papers:

"Mainframe Applications under Microsoft® Windows®" http://www.bull.com/novascale/dc/windows.php
and "Mainframe Applications under Linux®" http://www.bull.com/novascale/dc/linux.php

As one of the leading European IT companies, Bull delivers open, flexible and secure information systems. The group helps public and private sector customers transform their information systems, applying its know-how and expertise in three main areas:

• Capitalizing on its extensive mainframe experience, Bull designs and produces robust, innovative and open servers, based on industry-standard technologies;

• Building on its alliances with leading ISVs, Bull develops and implements flexible and interoperable application infrastructures which give business processes the freedom to evolve;

• Bringing together recognized expertise in end-to-end IT security, Bull secures data and exchanges that are so critical in preserving customers' business integrity.

Bull has a particularly strong presence in the public, healthcare, finance, telecommunications, manufacturing and defense sectors. Its distribution network and business partners cover more than 60 countries worldwide.

For more information visit: http://www.bull.com

Bull
Anne-Marie Jourdain
rue Jean Jaurès - 78340 Les Clayes sous Bois - France
Phone: +33(0)1 30 80 32 52
E-mail: anne-marie.jourdain@bull.net