Egenera Inc., a supplier of data center virtualization architecture, has announced it is expanding its line of Egenera Processing Blade configurations with seven new offerings incorporating the Next-Generation AMD Opteron processors with DDR2, unveiled by AMD this week. With the addition of the new pBlade modules -- completely new architectures engineered to take advantage of the features in the new AMD Opteron processor -- Egenera is addressing the varied performance needs of customers committed to AMD platforms for their mission-critical applications.
Next-Generation AMD Opteron processors are designed to deliver continued performance-per-watt advantages, enhanced x86 virtualization capabilities and reduced total cost of ownership. Engineered using AMD's Direct Connect Architecture, AMD Virtualization technology can increase performance with multi-core capabilities and fast memory access, while enabling hypervisors to run more efficiently and supporting unmodified guest operating systems.
The new Egenera pBlade modules include two-socket configurations using the new Dual-Core AMD Opteron Model 2216 (2.4 Ghz) or Model 2220SE (2.8 Ghz) with 4 to 16 GB of DDR2 memory, as well as 4 Socket configurations using the new Dual-Core AMD Opteron Model 8216 (2.4 Ghz) or Model 8220SE (2.8 Ghz) with 8 to 32 GB of DDR2 memory, providing customers with flexibility in selecting the right Egenera pBlade for their application and performance needs. Operating systems certified to run on these 1U pBlades include Microsoft Windows 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and 4, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and Sun Solaris 10.
Within the Egenera BladeFrame system, Processing Blade modules provide a suitable platform to run mission-critical applications. These diskless, stateless resources enable automated allocation, repurposing and failover since any server can assume the identity of any other server. Moreover, Egenera virtualization technology transforms 80 percent of the I/O devices on a legacy server into software, delivering flexibility and reliability. A single BladeFrame system can simultaneously run Processing Blades with various processor architectures and operating systems, enabling customers to align computing resources to application requirements and scale performance dynamically.
"Egenera Processing Blade configurations based on Next-Generation AMD Opteron processors will deliver a new standard in performance-per-watt efficiency and expanded x86 virtualization capabilities -- benefits that are top-of-mind with our enterprise, government and service provider customers," said Susan Davis, vice president, Egenera. "We believe AMD's new processors offer meaningful advances across the spectrum -- from power efficiency to total cost advantages - and we're pleased to be extending our collaboration with AMD for joint customers' benefit."
"AMD and Egenera continue to work together to help enterprise customers simplify their high-end computing needs," said Randy Allen, corporate vice president, Server and Workstation Business, AMD. "Egenera Processing Blades featuring Next-Generation AMD Opteron processors are designed to directly address customers' needs for improved productivity and performance, with low energy consumption."
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