-- A new server for mid-size companies, the Power 560 Express, is due on Nov. 21. It uses a 3.6Ghz Power6 processor, comes in four-, eight- and 16-node configurations, and packs a hefty 384G bytes of memory. It's designed for companies looking to run multiple applications on a virtualized system. It will be offered with Linux, AIX or i. Pricing wasn't announced.

--IBM said its blade server can now be pre-installed with its i software and attached to its DS3200 storage gear to create a low-cost SAN (storage area network).

-- Handy said almost two-thirds of IBM's Unix servers shipped in the second quarter included its PowerVM virtualization software, up from 21 percent in the second quarter the year before.