Thursday, 9 November 2006

IBM Launches Midrange Servers for Telcos

IBM has shipped its first disk array that is fully compliant with the NEBS Level 3 standard for physical robustness. The box is the DS4700, which sits in the middle of IBM's mid-range DS4000 series aim to address requirements for companies in the telecommunications industry. To make the device NEBS-3-compliant, IBM has fitted it with a 48-volt DC power supply, and a particulate or smoke filter.

"Telecommunications clients have ever increasing storage requirements, as well as restrictions on the types of systems they deploy," says Charlie Andrews, director, IBM system storage product marketing.

The Network Equipment Building Systems (NEBS) standard was created by the telecommunications industry, and requires that data center equipment survive a range of tests simulating earthquakes and fires. "It's something short of an atomic bomb attack," said IBM's marketing manager Craig Butler.

The standard also sets tough limits in other areas, such as electromagnetic emissions and sensitivity, Butler said.

IBM's pSeries AIX servers have been NEBS-3 compliant for some years. The company's DS43000 and DS400 disk arrays have also been almost but not quite fully NEBS-3 compliant, because they have passed the testing but have not had options for the 48v power supply or particulate filter.

Now IBM is stepping up its efforts to sell into the telcos and RBOCs, where it says its main competitor is Sun.