But more Integrity application support may be needed. One Integrity user, Doug Burak, server network security manager at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pa., said he can't run all the Windows-based applications he would like on his Itanium systems. He pointed in particular to a backup and recovery application he uses on Windows systems running on x86 platforms.

Burak runs six Integrity servers -- mainly to support applications running on HPUX -- and has one that runs Windows 2003 Server for Itanium that supports file and print operations. While Burak spoke highly of Integrity's Windows performance, he may consider other x86 hardware platforms if he feels the Windows application support is lacking.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Itanium, but I'm also a realist," said Burak.

Gordon Haff, an analyst at Illuminata Inc. in Nashua, N.H., said Integrity will continue to be seen as predominately a platform for supporting Unix systems "because Windows and Linux are in primarily scale-out environments. But there is some value of being able to mix and match within a single box as well."

HP also said it is upgrading its systems with the latest dual-core Intel Itanium 2 processors, previously named Montecito. The company expanded its Integrity line to seven server models, adding some lower-end models, the rx3600 and rx6600. HP's high-end Superdome system can support up to 64 Itanium physical processors.