IBM rolled out new mainframes

IBM CORP., the world’s biggest computer manufacturer, has rolled out it newest mainframes in the Philippines, urging "cost-sensitive" local data centers to upgrade. Executives from IBM said the new line, called the z10 mainframe, is designed to increase data center efficiency by improving performance and reducing power consumption, cooling costs, and floor space requirements. The z10, a 64-processor mainframe that uses Quad-core technology, supports an increased range of workloads including the systems of Linux, XML, Java and WebSphere. On the sidelines of a press conference, Richard J. Pape, IBM Asia-Pacific Mainframe Systems business executive, said the z10 is the most ideal platform for the "highly intensive" computing requirements of local data centers. "This is the most advanced virtualization technology at the moment. It consolidates a lot of different servers into a single platform eliminating the need for a lot of energy and floor space. It is also highly secure," Mr. Pape said. IBM claims that the z10 is customized to be 50% faster, with 70% more capacity compared with its predecessor, the z9. The new z-Series mainframe is equivalent to 1,500 x86 servers, but with 85% smaller footprint and 85% lower energy costs. Joe Clabby, president of Clabby Analytics, an independent information and technology research firm, said the country’s outdated data centers using distributed systems should migrate towards a "consolidated virtualized technology." "The distributed systems are inefficient because they run on only 10% to 20% capacity. You purchase more equipment if you want to increase it (capacity) wasting a good amount of money on energy and acquisition," Mr. Clabby told reporters. IBM officials did not reveal the price of the z10 mainframe. The z9 mainframe starts at around $1 million apiece. - BusinessWorld