KEY INsights is sent to you as a free news service providing information regarding Information Technology and Company Information.

Don't forget to forward to your colleagues.
In this issue...
  • Feature: Blades, an IT evolution as great as the PC
  • Spotlight Article: IBM Adds Fibre Channel To Blade Servers
  • From the KEY e-Lab: Blade Redpaper
  • KEY Special Offer: iSeries: Zero Downtime ROI Analysis
  • KEY Definitions: Terms of the Month
    • Feature Article :.

    Blades, An IT evolution as great as the PC
    By Peter Judge ZDNet (UK)

    COMMENTARY--When the IBM PC arrived, expansion slots didn't look that exciting but they changed the world of computing. Twenty years on, blades could have the same impact, by simplifying the mess that early PC architecture has led to.

    When IBM jumped into the PC market, it didn't realize what it was doing, and accidentally developed a sensible strategy. It set up an open platform (such a departure for the IBM of the 1980s that no-one doubts it was an accident), and the rest of the industry jumped on board. The Intel architecture, boosted by the PC, was such a success that for a long time IBM struggled to keep up with it. The company has only seemed to catch up now Intel has become a serious server platform.

    click here to continue reading
    Spotlight Article :.

    IBM Adds Fibre Channel To Blade Servers - The vendor's ultimate goal is to have all blade-server storage on a storage area network.
    InformationWeek

    IBM on Wednesday introduced a number of iterative improvements to its eServer BladeCenter in a move designed to gain wider acceptance of the nascent technology. IBM, which says it has shipped 5,000 BladeCenter server blades since the product debuted late last year, is now shipping blade servers with integrated Fibre Channel connectivity that will let blade customers tie their servers directly into storage area networks.

    click here to continue reading
    From the KEY e-Lab:.

    The Cutting Edge: IBM BladeCenter

    In this Redpaper,we provide an introduction to the IBM BladeCenter. This introduction includes an overview of the BladeCenter technology and hardware for the chassis and the blades. In addition, we take a look at blade management and the options that are currently available. This Redpaper presents the advantages of blade servers over other servers in the market, where the blade servers fit into the market, and why the market is driven towards blade servers. We also look at the various installation methods that are available and what important considerations should be made before you perform your installation. Several installation examples are provided using Windows 2000 with CD-ROM, RIS and RDM.

    Click here to download
    KEY Special Offer:.

    iSeries: Zero Downtime ROI Analysis
    Could you benefit from 5-15 MORE hours of system availability per week on your iSeries? The solution is easy, installs in a matter of weeks, and completely eliminates downtime for daily and weekly backups. Plus you’ll achieve the first step in a high availability strategy.

    Click Here to request your fast, easy and FREE Zero Downtime ROI Analysis.
    KEY Definitions:.

    Rack Density: The degree to which equipment efficiently uses the space it takes up on a computer rack. Blade servers can improve performance by doubling current rack densities. By integrating resources and sharing key components (power, fans), availability is improved and costs are lowered.

    Hot-pluggable: The ability to install or remove a hardware unit without removing power to that unit. Enables the upgrading of hardware without taking the system offline.

    Blade server: A thin server that is configured to fit with minimum space into a computer rack; usually used in conjunction with other blade servers. They can all share common components such as power supplies, blowers, network connections and control modules.
    Key Information Systems, Inc., (www.keyisit.com) a Premier Business Partner with IBM, is a systems integration company located at 22120 Clarendon St., Suite 100, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, USA. Founded in 1995, the company provides corporate infrastructure architecture for business continuity, storage, and e-business solutions. Key Information Systems is a leading provider of IBM server solutions for the iSeries, AIX (UNIX), NT, and Linux platforms and has distinguished itself by extending its high availability infrastructure solutions to the Internet economy. The company delivers a complete range of professional services including education, maintenance, and IBM Global Financing. For more information, please visit the company online or call 1-877-442-3249.

    You have received a copy of KEY INsights. If you’d like to be removed, please click here.