IBM Targets Midmarket With New Servers

IBM Power 560 Express

is a 4U rack server that comes in four-, eight-, or 16-core Power6 configurations. It can consolidate AIX, IBM i, Linux for Power, and x86 Linux applications on one system, with up to 384 GB of memory and a maximum of 12 internal SAS drives.

IBM BladeCenter LS22 Express and IBM BladeCenter LS42 Express blade servers feature quad-core AMD Opteron processors and are available with solid-state drives. The LS22 is a two-socket blade servers aimed at companies that run high-performance applications. The LS42 blade server, available in either two- or four-socket configurations, is aimed at memory-intensive applications, like those for virtualization and database.

BladeCenter S Express (which we wrote about earlier this month) includes shared storage and software that eases setup and maintenance. The BladeCenter S comes with two optional disk storage modules capable of holding up to six 3.5-inch SAS/SATA HDDs each. In addition, the system supports up to six BladeCenter blades, according to InformationWeek. (This is the only product not available immediately; IBM says it'll ship at the end of the month.)

WebSphere Application Server Express V7 helps midsize companies develop, run, and manage dynamic Web sites and applications, allowing for such capabilities as transaction management. The solution delivers simplified programming models for building reusable persistent objects through single-step installation and configuration, wizards, and default configurations, according to IBM.