A recent addition to the Standalone Solutions Caonfiguration Tool is the option to be notified when a new version has arrived.

As of today a new version can be found. Just click on the Download button in the popup screen.

InternetNews reported that Sun Microsystems today announced it has licensed its UltraSparc T2 CMT (chip multi-threading) processor, a.k.a. Niagara 2, to Themis Computer, a maker of blade systems for the embedded market.  Direct link is @ Themis Product page

Does this mean we will see a UltraSparc blade into the IBM BladeCenter chassis, as Themis is also licensee of the BladeCenter chassis !!!

PINS, a leading Dutch Hosting Provider, announced that it has entered into a partnership with Q-layer. The partnership will allow PINS to launch a Virtual Private DataCenter solution, based on the datacenter virtualization technology from Q-layer and using the ESX server virtualization technology from VMware.

For a limited time registered users of xAnalisys.com can benefit from this partnership as PINS can offer you a try & buy of this solution.   All you have to do is sent an email to PINS and mention that you are a registered user of x4live.com / xAnalisys.com

The heart of the QS22 is a new processor compliant with the Cell Broadband Engine™ (Cell/B.E.) Architecture, originally developed by IBM, Sony and Toshiba to provide the computing power for cutting-edge gaming applications. And for the most challenging arithmetic operations, this new processor, the IBM PowerXCell™ 8i, offers five-times the speed of the original Cell/B.E. processor.

As we probably know this processor has been designed by a dutchmen !!

We know that the gigahertz race is over and that we will have a different design of microprocessors in a few years time. And memory will be the part of the system that will hold the most space on a motherboard.  Power consumption will be a very 'hot' issue. And so on, and so on.

During the technical conference in Sevilla (april 08) a group of people with extensive knowledge on IBM BladeCenter had a meeting and discussed the next waves of blades..... things like incorporating the solid state disks, hot-swap disks or rather diskless, the number of memory dimms on one blade, the chassis, the next fibre channel and ethernet standards.

IBM wants to know what your needs are in terms of the specs of the next blade.  Sent an email to your local representative or contact me directly.    This is your chance to speak out.

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The World Environment Day slogan for 2008 is Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy. Recognising that climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era, UNEP is asking countries, companies and communities to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them. The World Environment Day will highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.

The main international celebrations of World Environment Day 2008 will be held in New Zealand. UNEP is honoured that the city of Wellington will be hosting this United Nations day (read the press release).

Source: United Nations Environment Programme

IBM said it's planning to launch a global, online marketplace for software applications under a plan it's calling the Blue Business Platform.

Three key components of Blue Business Platform were unveiled today at the Business Partner Leadership Conference in Los Angeles:

1. IBM is opening up their powerful Application Integration Toolkit to all Business Partners, giving them immediate access to a set of standard interfaces to simplify installation of applications, systems management and online services for SMB clients.
2. IBM is launching a new Global Application Marketplace to provide a convenient nexus for Business Partner offerings targeting the SMB market.
3. and they are announcing a new IBM product for small businesses: Lotus Foundation Start, a pre-loaded server that can launch a small business in less than 30 minutes with e-mail, security, back-up and recovery and other collaboration software.

More components of Blue Business Platform will be introduced through 2008. All will share the same guiding principle: putting powerful IT into the hands of SMB clients in very simple ways.  Ask your local IBM representative for additional information.

Source:  CNN Marketwire, InformationWeek, CRN/ChannelWeb , Google Alert on blue+business+platform

We know by now that a lot of services and systems will become or already are virtual. And now Q-Layer has introduced the Virtual Private DataCenter.

With the Q-layer’s Virtual Private DataCenter (VPDC), service providers can offer their customers a “self-service” ability to build, provision and manage a private datacenter without the pains of buying, installing and configuring their own hardware and software. Instead of buying racks, servers or storage devices, the customer buys a pool of CPU power, memory, storage capacity and network capacity. The customer will use the acquired resources to setup his own (virtual) datacenter, including servers and storage, without touching any physical machine.

Source: Q-Layer VPDC, VMWorld Video, VPDC Demo
 

IBM (NYSE: IBM) introduced today an entirely new category of server uniquely designed to address the technology needs of companies that use Web 2.0-style computing to operate massive data centers with tens of thousands of servers.

Companies that operate massive scale-out data centers spend 10 to 30 times more on energy costs per square foot than a typical office building.(1) The energy powers both hundreds of thousands of servers and the air conditioning needed to cool them. The exponential growth of such data centers will continue as streaming video, online gaming and social networks spike Internet traffic, requiring companies to build ever vaster pools of computers that devour energy resources to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

iDataPlex = (i – Internet) + (Data = Data Center) + (Plex = Large Scale)

Updated April 23rd: This conference has been rescheduled to a later date in the autumn. Read the whole story HERE.

Systems based on IBM POWER™ microprocessors provide industry leading technology proven in systems that range from gaming machines to supercomputers. These systems offer the enhanced reliability, scalability and robustness of the IBM POWER platform. The IBM POWER™ Systems Technical Conference is a new event and combines the well known System p, AIX & Linux Technical University and System i Technical Forum into one global event.

This conference is intended for customers, IBM employees, IBM Business Partners, Independent Software Vendors and System Integrators.

Source:  IBM

Got info about the IBM Mac Pilot Program which is being published on Roughly Drafted Magazine. Keep sending me those links. 

by Daniel Eran Dilger on Roughly Drafted Magazine
As further evidence of the growing interest in Macs among enterprise customers, IBM’s Research Information Services launched an internal pilot program designed to study the possibility of moving significant numbers of employees to the Mac platform. The study has already found an enthusiastic response from participants and is helping to drive Mac support for IBM’s business applications.

IBM’s Mac Pilot Program.
A summary of the pilot program, detailed in a IBM document obtained by RoughlyDrafted, revealed that IBM is actively working to move away from its dependence upon Microsoft Windows and toward a heterogeneous cross-platform future.

Source:  IBM Research and Roughly Drafted  

I attended a session on the IBM PDU's (made by Eaton / Powerware) at the Technical University in Sevilla and heard that a new PDU Selection sheet or PDU Decision Tree has been released.  This guide is essential in selecting the right PDU for your configuration.

They also updated the special Powerware IBM EMEA website. The recently announced Ultra Density PDU is already there as is the PDU+ and the UPS3000.

Source: Powerware EMEA, Powerware EMEA PDU Decision Sheet

Got an email about bundling Red Hat with Domino

Improve reliability, security, and performance while lowering costs with IBM Lotus Domino 8 and open collaboration client powered by Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®.

Looking for a new way to cut IT costs and increase capability at the same time?
Click to download a live evaluation of Lotus on Linux.

Learn about virtualization on Mainframe, Power and Modular Systems as well as software and storage technologies that are used to implement virtualization.  This paper is suitable for people who want to expand their knowledge of virtualization and what IBM can offer with its systems and software.

Source:  IBM RedBooks

In february we published that the dutch i5live.nl community was launched. And now we can publish that the i5live.com website is LIVE.

i5Live is a new community that aims to increase and promote the use of the IBM midrange server platform through knowledge transfer and information delivery via both online and 'offline' activities. By sharing the knowledge of the i5Live members and partners, and by using the most recent and innovative System i and i5/OS technologies, i5Live makes sure that the IBM Midrange server platform and its supporting applications can be optimally used in organizations. By its activities, end users and independent hardware and software vendors are getting more connected.

Customers who are installing BladeCenter S do not need two-socket blades but do require two local hard drivers and more memory slots.  The estimated selling price is $ 999 (or euro 858 !!) and is listed in SSCT 1.18. 

Last week we even saw that VMware has changed its license policy that permits using UP systems with VMware ESX (see HERE).