Platform, Sun strengthen enterprise grid play
Platform Computing Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. are each separately working to move grid computing towards wider enterprise adoption.
Platform Computing Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. are each separately working to move grid computing towards wider enterprise adoption.
As Microsoft Corp. faces the cost-related controversy surrounding its Software Assurance licensing scheme, Sun Microsystems Inc. is hoping renewed interest in its gently priced StarOffice 6.0 suite will finally give it traction in the enterprise.
Although it may be some time before NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access) technology creeps outside its higher-end niche applications, Microsoft's strong endorsement of the technology figures to generate more market interest and possibly speed development among both Unix-based and Intel-based server competitors and allies alike.
In his first public appearance since being named IBM's CEO, Sam Palmisano this week at the PartnerWorld conference in the US is expected to underscore the company's commitment to Web services, roll out new servers, and kick off a major campaign to go after the small and medium business (SMB) market.
The message was clear at last week's LinuxWorld Expo in New York: The Penguin is ready for prime time. With the freshly minted Version 2.4 of the Linux kernel available, vendors showed off the latest advances in open-source computing as industry leaders expressed their confidence in Linux as a mission-critical operating system.
Beginning this autumn (US), IBM will kick its Unix strategies into a higher gear with a beefed-up version of its AIX operating system, which includes full Linux support, and a new series of servers that integrate NUMA technologies and are powered by IBM's long-awaited Power 4 chip.
When it was made official this week that Caldera Systems Inc. had agreed to acquire The Santa Cruz Operation Inc.'s (SCO's) Server Software Division and Professional Services Division, officials at both companies said the transaction would result in an open, Internet-based development platform that allows Unix, and particularly Linux, developers to create much-needed, highly scalable applications for data centers.
Attacking the Intel-based server market from both above and below, IBM unwrapped two more servers - a 64-way Numa-Q server and an entry-level Netfinity system - aimed at smaller companies looking to host budding e-businesses.
Attacking the Intel-based server market from both above and below, IBM Corp. today unwrapped two servers -- a 64-way NUMA-Q server and an entry-level Netfinity system -- aimed at smaller companies looking to host budding e-businesses.
With their larger customers' Y2K concerns in the rearview mirror, IBM Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., and Hewlett-Packard Co. are redoubling their efforts to go after market leader Sun Microsystems Inc. in the red-hot Web server market.
IBM Corp. is planning a series of announcements next month that will include new software for its RS/6000 and AS/400 platforms, and new desktop systems as part of its EON (Edge of the Network) initiative.