IBM preps new Xeon kit, returns to iSCSI game

Hardware love for LinuxWorld

By Ashlee Vance, 30th July 2004

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IBM next week will kick off Linux World with a hardware charge, announcing new servers and storage systems.

On the server front, IBM's moves are fairly expected. The company will upgrade its existing Xeon processor-based server line with Intel's upcoming processor code-named Nocona. The Intel chip will debut at 3.6GHz and, of course, be the first part designed for dual-processor systems that supports Intel's, er AMD's, 64-bit extension technology. IBM is expected to pick up the new Xeon for its x205, x225, x235, x305. x335 and x345 servers, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.

There is more detail on Intel's Monday Xeon launch available here.

HP also plans to upgrade its ProLiant of Xeon servers on Monday. You can expect other servers makers, most notably Dell, to do the same. Sun Microsystems, however, will boycott the processor launch, keeping attention on its rival Opteron-based gear instead.

On the storage front, IBM will announce a pair of entry-level boxes - the DS300 and DS400. The DS300 is of particular note, as it marks IBM's return to the iSCSI market.

Way back in 2001, IBM led all major hardware vendors with the delivery of an iSCSI system - the 200i. This box, however, did not sell well, and IBM eventually pulled it from the market in 2003. Since then, IBM has teamed with Cisco to offer an iSCSI adapter - a product designed to bridge the gap between IP and Fibre Channel worlds. With the DS300, however, IBM is reentering the iSCSI game with a box of its own, our sources said.

The DS400 is a less exciting but perhaps more practical Fibre Channel system. Expect more detail on all this on Monday, when IBM opens up and talks to the press. ®