HP updates mission-critical BladeSystem servers with quad-core model

HP has updated the BladeSystem edition of its NonStop mission-critical server platform with a quad-core Itanium server model.

The Integrity NonStop BladeSystem NB54000C sports a quad-core Itanium 9300 processor which will double performance over the previous model, the firm claimed.

Designed for maximum uptime and reliability, the NB54000C models use the same enclosure, form-factor and ServerNet interconnect. The design aims to minimise the time and effort needed to upgrade to new server modules, said HP.

Bob Kossler, director of strategy and planning for HP's NonStop business division, told V3.co.uk that the new models are part of a larger update to the NonStop server platform.

"This is the next proof point in our NonStop line. The applications are 100 per cent portable, so we can move applications from earlier generations to this blade platform without changing the user's application code," he said.

Kossler added that the NonStop line of mission-critical servers help to support many long-running platforms and applications, and that in some cases customers use the system for applications that can run for more than a decade without downtime.

The NB54000C and other systems in the Integrity NonStop line hold a particular appeal for mission-critical tasks in areas such as financial services, banking and mobile communications networks, according to Kossler.

"There is a misnomer that this is an older technology. Customers can develop using the most modern tools and deployment mechanisms and we are still able to maintain the NonStop attributes," he said.

The NB54000C is currently available worldwide. Kossler said that HP is already running early deployments in parts of Europe and Asia.