Hewlett-Packard launched a lineup of Intel Itanium 2 64-bit servers in early November. HP has added five new Itanium 2 servers to its Integrity server lineup, including the XC6000 HPTC Cluster, eight-way and 16-way standalone systems, a four-way rack-mounted system, and a Network Equipment Building System-compliant two-way system tuned for the telecom industry.
HP's new XC6000 HPTC Cluster is a self-contained, clustered rack of servers that can hold up to 512 Itanium 2 processors. The XC6000 is designed to further HP's clustered, scale-out server offerings through the addition of the 64-bit Intel processor and embedded interconnect hardware and software. HP also offers a 32-bit Intel Xeon-based version, the XC3000 HPTC Cluster. Other models joining HP's Integrity lineup of Itanium 2-based servers are the four-way rx4640, the eight-way rx7620, and the 16-way 8620.
CitiStreet LLC, a joint venture between CitiGroup Inc. and State Street Corp., plans to replace 64 PA-RISC processors in its two HP Superdome servers with Itanium 2 processors. CitiStreet in 2001 migrated its record-keeping application for retirement plans off an IBM mainframe and onto an HP Superdome running PA-RISC processors. The application--SunGard Data Systems Inc.'s Cobol-based OmniPlus--processes retirement-plan information for more than 5 million people working in academia, business, and government. CitiStreet estimates that move saved about $4 million annually. Now CitiStreet is looking to save even more money by moving to Itanium 2.
HP's partnership with Intel is a model that CitiStreet strives for in its business, CIO Barry Strasnick says. "Instead of spending the same billions of dollars as Intel, why not leverage their [combined] investment?"
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
