Sunday, October 30, 2011

ARM Enters the World of 64-bit with New ARMv8 Chip Architecture

ARM chipARM has just introduced its very first 64-bit microprocessor architecture, known as ARMv8. This new architecture should enable wider use of ARM chips in servers as well as other enterprise equipment and also increase the competition the company currently has with Intel.

ARMv8 adds 64-bit addressing capabilities, which is an improvement over the ARMv7-A architecture. The ARMv7-A architecture is capable of up to 40-bit addressing, though this new architecture puts ARM into more direct competition with Intel and its 65-bit Xeon processors.

The new architecture will take time to show up, though. ARM expects to release its first ARMv8 processor designs next year with prototype consumer and enterprise systems not expected to arrive until sometime in 2014 according to ARM. In a speech by ARM CTO Mike Muller at ARM TechCon on Thursday where the new design was announced, Muller stated, "This is the beginning of quite a long road to 64-bit products."

The ARMv8 processor architecture will offer backwards compatibility as well as migration for existing software, ARM added. Most of the PC and server operating systems in today's market ar 64-bit. 64-bit allows computers to address larger amounts of storage and memory, something that is especially useful for data-intensive applications.

ARM licenses processor architectures and designs to mobile chip companies, like Nvidia, Samsung, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, and the company's processors are also used in most smartphones and tablets on today's market. However, the company has practically no presence in the server and PC markets, both of which are dominated by Intel and its x86 processors.

The new ARM architecture will be implemented in chips that range from tiny sensors to large-scale infrastructure equipment, according to ARM, who also stated that it will bring "energy-efficient 64-bit computing" to high-end servers. Microsoft has said previously that 64-bit applications run faster than 32-bit applications, and ARM's new architecture could make future chips with ARM processors capable of running 64-bit Windows applications.

Microsoft's Windows 8 will work on ARM and x86 processors, and devices like tablets have been demonstrated running on ARM's 31-bit processors. The lack of 64-bit capabilities was considered a drawback in ARM's efforts to enter the PC and server markets with most applications running 64-bits. ARM had previously stated that it would address 64-bit only when necessary, pointing out that it would not sacrifice power consumption in order to bring more performance. It looks like that time has come.

Source: Computer World - ARM goes 64-bit with new ARMv8 chip architecture

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Sunday, October 16, 2011

Microsoft Announces HP Enterprise Database Consolidation Appliance for SQL Server

Microsoft, along with HP, has just announced that the HP Enterprise Database Consolidation Appliance for SQL Server will be available this November. The hardware-software package is targeted directly at increasing the speed of deployment and simplifying the management of hundreds to thousands of database instances in a virtualized "private cloud" environment.

Microsoft has stated that the appliance will allow customers to deploy new database instances in a matter of minutes while also reducing the cost of operations by as much as 75% over conventional database deployments. This is accomplished via savings on floor space, energy usage and infrastructure.

Microsoft has also described the new appliance as an industry first due to its ability to consolidate a database with no application or database changes using built-in tools for database migration as well as management. However, the device is clearly the Microsoft-HP answer to Oracle's Exadata, which now claims to have more than 1,000 deployments.

The HP Enterprise Database Consolidation Appliance is basically the transactional-side counterpart to the HP Enterprise Data Warehouse Appliance which was introduced earlier in the year. The HP Enterprise Data Warehouse Appliance runs on Microsoft's SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse.

The full rack consolidation appliance provides 58 terabytes of storage as well as 400 hard drives, 192 logical processors and 2 terabytes of RAM. If that seems like it may be overkill for what you need, you can always opt for a half rack option which, obviously, takes everything offered by the full rack and cuts it in half. Supporting software includes Windows Server Datacenter 2008 R2, new Microsoft Database Consolidation 2012 software to manage the appliance, SQL Server virtual machines and new appliance tools for configuration, testing and day-to-day management.

Source: Information Week - Microsoft Counters Exadata With SQL Server Appliance


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Sunday, October 2, 2011

UTStarcom Debuts MS 3005 Blade Server

UTStarcom logoUTStarcom Holdings Corporation, one of the leading providers of interactive IP-based network solutions in iDTV, IPTV, Internet TV and broadband for telecom and operators, has just announced the launch of its MS 3005 streaming media storage unit and blade server, both of which provide users with expanded storage capabilities as well as faster processing capacities.

The MS 3005 server allows operators of IPTV, iDTV and Internet TV to stream large amounts of HD content while also providing added-value services including video-on-demand and expanded recording capabilities. In addition to that, this new product also allows operators to manage and store different types of media data collected from TV, Mobile PC and other digital media more efficiently.

Environmentalist will appreciate the fact that the new MS 3005 server is also more energy efficient compared to the previous version, consuming less electricity per hour. As a result of this energy savings, operators will be able to enjoy energy and maintenance cost-savings. Improved technology as well as high storage density also help reduce costs in processing, storage, and spare parts while at the same time enhancing the operator's efficiency and scalability.

When combined with the new MC6098B HD set-top box, the MS 3005 blade server also enhances the experience of the subscriber while also improving not only the telecom operator's service capabilities but also the cable operator's service capabilities through UTStarcom's integrated Internet TV solution.

Source: Market Watch - UTStarcom Launches MS 3005 Server

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