Dell extends blade server and networking options

Dell has added a powerful new AMD-based option to its blade server line-up, capable of handling larger numbers of virtual machines and speeding database processing. The company also announced new networking options for blades and the wider network environment.

The portfolio of products unveiled today includes several based around Dell's blade server infrastructure. The new PowerEdge M915 is an AMD-based version of the current M910 blades designed to fit the same PowerEdge M1000e chassis.

Like the M910, the PowerEdge M915 is a full-height blade with four processor sockets. With AMD's Opteron 6100 series chips, this allows for up to 48 cores on each blade, backed by up to 512GB memory and two SAS or SSD hard drives.

According to Dell, this configuration makes the M915 ideal for mission-critical applications in datacentres, the large number of cores enabling it to run more virtual machines and boost database handling by taking on more tasks simultaneously.

The M915 can also fit two dual-port network adapters, plus four additional mezzanine adapters if required, potentially allowing each blade to have six dual-port 10Gbit/s Ethernet cards for an aggregate throughout of 120Gbit/s.

Prices for the M915 blades start at £2,150 for a diskless configuration.

Dell has also made available a new Ethernet switch blade for linking blades in an M1000e chassis to the wider datacentre fabric. The £5,850 PowerConnect M8024-k provides 16 internal ports along the backplane, plus four external ports, all capable of supporting 10Gbit/s Ethernet.

Other additions to Dell's networking kit include the PowerConnect B-TI24X, a 24-port switch designed to help customers migrate from 1Gbit/s to 10Gbit/s infrastructure, plus new top-of-rack PowerConnect B-FCX 1Gbit/s switches.

Dell also announced a new wireless LAN controller designed for large campus environments. The PowerConnect W-6000 is a chassis-based system designed to fit up to four W-6000M3 controller modules, and to handle up to 2,048 access points and over 30,000 mobile users. Pricing starts at £3,261.