IBM adds five to e-server lineup

IBM has added Wintel, Linux, Domino and storage server appliances to the new e-server-branded product lineup it launched earlier this month.

Server appliances are purpose-designed computers for specific network jobs such as encrypting communications, storing files or sending streams of video. Compaq, Hewlett Packard and now IBM have followed pioneering startups Network Appliance, Cobalt Networks and CacheFlow into the market.

IBM's latest machines include web hosting units the xSeries 130 (Windows) and the xSeries 135 (Linux) plus the xSeries 150 - IBM's storage appliance boasting a claimed throughput of up to 44Mb per second. These are joined by the iSeries 400 model 270 - a Lotus Domino server appliance and its higher powered cousin the iSeries 400 model 820.

The x130 and x135 appliance servers are based on a 1U (1.75in high) rack server. The x130 includes IBM Web Server Accelerator software, allowing it to cache static content in memory. The x135 includes the IBM HTTP Server powered by Apache middleware.

The x150 appliance is offered as either a tower or rack model, providing storage at the departmental and the workgroup level. It can work in an Active Directory and DFS environment, and supports CIFS, HTTP, and NFS file formats.

Previously known as the popular AS400 series, the new entry-level iSeries 400 model 270 Appliance Server for Domino is available as a rack-mount or tower in either Uni-processor or 2-way processor configurations, supporting a claimed total of more than 5000 Domino mail and calendaring users.

The more powerful iSeries 440 model 720 is available in Uni, 2-way or 4-way processor configurations, and is claimed to be capable of supporting up to 10,000 mail and calendaring users.

Analysts said the new offerings fill a gap in IBM's product lineup.

Mark Melenovsky, research manager at IDC, said: "With the appliance server market growing at more than 50 per cent a quarter, IBM has positioned these new eServer appliance offerings to address the explosive demand for businesses to build out their internet infrastructure.

"While other vendors, such as Cobalt, [recently acquired by Sun Microsystems for $2bn] have built an effective brand image in the web-hosting market, IBM is aggressively filling out its appliance server offering with an entire line of internally designed servers."