IBM is taking aim at the internet service provider market with a pair of new thin servers to be available by month's end.
Netfinity 4000R, code-named Intimidator, will be a 1.5-inch-thick stackable unit. Priced from $US3,000 to $US4,000 depending on configuration, the 4000R includes a 500MHz Pentium III processor and will run Linux and Windows NT.
IBM this month will also unveil the Netfinity RS6000 Model B50, called Pizazz. It's 3 inches thick and comparable with the 4000R in performance, but it runs Linux and IBM's AIX for RISC platforms.
"It's all about a push toward the [internet service provider] market," said a spokesman for IBM. "The biggest concern they have is to get their system up and running as fast as possible."
IBM will offer configure-to-order and preinstalled NT on the new servers.
Early in the first quarter, IBM will also preinstall software based on the configuration requested by an Internet provider.
That way, internet providers or application service providers can order a server, pull it out of the box, slide it into the rack, plug in the power and network connections and be up and running. The servers' small size also lets Internet providers expand without space constraints.
About 30 software vendors will offer applications for the new IBM servers, according to a company spokesman. They include Inktomi, Real Networks and Resonate.