Intel delays Xeon E-0 core update to 29 October

Intel has rescheduled the release date for Xeon processors supporting what the chip maker calls Execution Disable Bit (EDB) technology - essentially the same code-disabling technology found in AMD, Transmeta and other CPUs, and used by Windows XP Service Pack 2 to render some viruses ineffective.

Xeons that support an 800MHz frontside bus will now ship with EDB support on 29 October, according to Intel documents seen by The Register.

In July, Intel informed its customers that the EDB-enabled Xeons would arrive on 24 September. That date came and went without any indication of the new CPUs, though Pentium 4 processors with EDB support did arrive early this month, as anticipated.

Like the P4s, the updated Xeons are based on the revised E-0 core - the previous model being the D-0. The two parts are pin-compatible, so vendors should be able to slot in the new chips and go.

E-0 Pentium 4s are indicated by a 'J' at the end of their model number. Presumably the new Xeons will be similarly marked, this time with the suffix applied to their clock frequency. ®

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