HP unveiled its Superdome 2 server and Blade Server

The Hewlett-Packard has unveiled its latest high-end server, the Superdome 2, which is built to run mission-critical applications efficiently in the public and private sectors.

With it, users are assured of a reduced risk of downtime. This is because users can perform their routine maintenance activities without switching off or rebooting the system.

“This ensures maximum availability for mission critical applications,” said Kelvin Khaw, country manager for business-critical systems of enterprise servers, storage and networking at Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn Bhd.

He said this power-on-once technology also comes with a set of resilient features that help keep mission-critical applications running.

The server also has improved reliability thanks to its Superdome analysis engine, according to HP. The engine proactively checks for errors and automatically corrects and recommends resolutions when needed.

An end-to-end transaction retry feature, meanwhile, optimises and reroutes data traffic to ensure transaction integrity.

Users will also find the Crossbar Fabric feature useful because it has the capability to intelligently route transactions to the fastest, most optimal pathways between blades and input/output devices, said HP. A blade is a self-contained server which collectively fits into an enclosure with other blades.

And to ensure fast processing speeds, the Superdome 2 is equipped with Intel Corp’s quadcore processor — the Itanium 9300.

HP’s new server is expected to be ship in the third quarter of this year. No pricing was announced.

The company also unveiled three Integrity blade servers and the HP-UX 11i v3 Unix operating system.

These blades are BL860c i2, BL870c i2 and BL890c i2. They promise improved flexibility thanks to a Blade Link feature which combines multiple blades to create two-, four- or eight-socket systems that easily scale up and out to meet changing computing needs.

HP said this enables users to consolidate critical applications onto a common platform. The blades are already available in the local market.

The HP-UX 11i v3 operating system has several new features, including an improved energy management system that graphically monitors power consumption. This means users can improve power and thermal planning using policy-based controls.