computerwoche.de

Archiv

NEC offers new low-end, cheaper fault-tolerant system

16.01.2007
NEC Corp. is seeking to broaden the reach of its fault-tolerant server line with a new low-end model that's about half the cost of the previous low-end version. It has done this by reducing some of the features found on its more expensive systems.

The big changes in this new mode, the entry level Express5800/320Ma FT, will be one socket, instead of two, and the absence of the Active Upgrade feature, which allows users to upgrade the system without any downtime.

The price starting point of the previous NEC fault-tolerant system was about US$30,000. The company said the price of the new system will begin at about $12,000.

Mike Mitsch, general manager of alliance and strategy for NEC's Solutions Products Group, said the system is intended for those users who can manage planned downtime. That might involve a reboot as part of an operating system upgrade.

The server is designed to avoid any unplanned downtown, Mitsch said. It includes two modules, each with its own socket and motherboards that include a complete server. The two modules operate in lockstep. If one fails, the other is designed to keep running, according to NEC.

Mitsch said the system will likely find users in security, health care, manufacturing and virtualization. The system supports Windows Enterprise Server and Red Hat Linux.