New Server Muscle Flexed with IBM PowerFlex for POWER Cloud

August 6, 2013

IBM is expanding its Flex Server lineup with three new POWER 7+ server designs as well as a new double-density x86 Flex System server.

On the POWER side, the new p260, p270 and p460 Flex Server systems are all updated or newer versions of servers that IBM already has on the market.

“We have been shipping POWER7 processor-based compute nodes since the original general availability in June 2012,”. “These are new or updated nodes with POWER7+ capabilities.”

Henry explained that the Flex System p260 is an existing POWER7+ compute node. The Flex System p460 is currently a POWER7-based compute node and is being updated to POWER7+.

The Flex System p270 is a new POWER7+, high-throughput, 2-socket compute node that features POWER7+ dual-chip module packaging technology.

“Flex System POWER compute nodes are targeted to clients who may be using multiple servers in a single location and can benefit from the simplicity as well as space, energy, and thermal savings that Flex System’s modular, dense packaging can provide over rack servers or existing blade solutions,” Flex isn’t just about POWER, though; it’s also about x86. IBM is now debuting a new x86 “double-dense” Flex System.

“The Flex System x222 compute node is a twin node that provides two independent 2-socket x86 EN processor servers in the same physical package as existing single-density 2-socket compute nodes such as the x220 or x240,” Henry explained.

He added that the Flex System x222 enables up to 28 independent servers to be housed in a single, 14-slot Flex System Enterprise chassis, supporting up to 2800 Windows 7 virtual desktop images in that single chassis.

“The x222 literally enables two times as many servers in the same physical space,”