HP sharpens blades with Cisco networking tech
Gigabit Ethernet to the max
Posted in Servers, 1st February 2005 16:23 GMT
Free whitepaper – Power and Cooling Capacity Management for Data Centers
HPis to integrate Cisco's network switch technology into HP's BladeSystem architecture. The technology pact, predicted by El Reg last September, makes it easier for customers to buy blade server systems and optimise their performance and reliability within datacentre environments.
A new Cisco Gigabit Ethernet switch module, specially designed for the purpose, will plug into HP's p-class Bladeserver. The product ships this months and will be sold exclusively through HP and its resellers.
Rick Becker, HP general manager for BladeSystema, said the Cisco deal means HP can simplify "network and management integration while reducing complexity and cost".
The company claims its blade systems are 16 per cent cheaper to buy than comparable rack-based systems and cost less to support once they’re up and running.
HP hopes that improved networking capabilities will boost the appeal of its blade server kit. IBM led the blade server market with 44 per cent share of the $287m segment in the third quarter of 2004, according to IDC. ®
Related stories
RLX quits blade server biz, whacks most of staff
IBM touts poor man's blade server box
IBM proclaims open blade spec a success
HP gets vague about Opteron and Itanium blades
HP summarizes blade strategy with new marketing term
HP gears up for Opteron server binge
Free whitepaper – Fundamental Principles of Air Conditioners for Information Technology

Enabling The Agile Data Center
Dell PowerEdge R710 solution with VMware ESX vs. Dell PowerEdge 2850 solution
New storage architectures make SSDs more cost-effective
Analyst Keynote: The Register Agile Data Center Summit

OpenOffice.org pushes gamers' buttons with OOMouse
Big Iron, big data, big networks, big problems
Spectra launches T-Finity, plans beyond
HP scores SMB storage hat-trick