SYSTEMS
Systems vendor gives nod to AMD Opteron
By Deni Connor, Network World -- Systems vendor Appro has introduced AMD Opteron processor-based servers for technical computing and high-performance computational applications. 
The HyperBlade B12H blade server, which uses two Opteron 32/64-bit processors, can fit as many as 80 blades in a single rack. Realizing that power can be an issue in blade servers, Appro has designed a custom power supply that it claims takes care of thermal problems.
The B121H has 128K bytes of L1 cache, 512K bytes of L2 cache and as much as 16G bytes of memory.
It supports as much as 14 terabytes of Ultra320 SCSI-connected storage. The servers contain up to 180G bytes of internal storage and have dual embedded Gigabit Ethernet connections. They have one PCI-X expansion slot and a service processor that runs an embedded Web server and Secure Sockets Layer encryption for secure browser-based management.
The servers will run 32-bit versions of Linux. Individual servers can be clustered using software from Myrinet, Quadrics or InfiniCon.
The dual-processor servers will be available in May after AMD's Opteron processor ships. A fully configured rack of 80 dual-Opteron servers will cost between $160,000 and $320,000, the company says.
Appro will also sell 1U and 2U servers that use the Opteron processor.
Newisys, a start-up in Austin, Texas, was one of the first companies to commit to using the AMD Opteron processor in its compact 1U servers.
The HyperBlade B12H blade server, which uses two Opteron 32/64-bit processors, can fit as many as 80 blades in a single rack. Realizing that power can be an issue in blade servers, Appro has designed a custom power supply that it claims takes care of thermal problems.
The B121H has 128K bytes of L1 cache, 512K bytes of L2 cache and as much as 16G bytes of memory.
It supports as much as 14 terabytes of Ultra320 SCSI-connected storage. The servers contain up to 180G bytes of internal storage and have dual embedded Gigabit Ethernet connections. They have one PCI-X expansion slot and a service processor that runs an embedded Web server and Secure Sockets Layer encryption for secure browser-based management.
The servers will run 32-bit versions of Linux. Individual servers can be clustered using software from Myrinet, Quadrics or InfiniCon.
The dual-processor servers will be available in May after AMD's Opteron processor ships. A fully configured rack of 80 dual-Opteron servers will cost between $160,000 and $320,000, the company says.
Appro will also sell 1U and 2U servers that use the Opteron processor.
Newisys, a start-up in Austin, Texas, was one of the first companies to commit to using the AMD Opteron processor in its compact 1U servers.