Compaq launches ‘blade’ server for corporations

NEW YORK: Compaq Computer Corp. on Monday launched a new computer server for
corporations that packs more computing power into the same space as the
standardized servers it competes with while consuming less energy.

The ProLiant BL e-Class is the first of the "blade" servers
designed for use in corporate data centers that Compaq will launch this year.
Because the microchips used in blade servers consume less power, they require
fewer fans and one rack can fit more than six times the number of servers
included in a traditional set-up.

Compaq is using a microprocessor from Intel Corp. called a Pentium III that
runs at 700 megahertz, or 700 million cycles per second. Because of the design,
a blade server can be easier and cheaper to use because the components can be
easily swapped in and out.

Compaq executives say as a result of the more efficient design, one
technician can now manage 30 servers instead of the 15 he or she might have
responsibility for with traditional servers. That is important given tight
technology budgets and uncertainty about the economic recovery, they say.

"When the economy turns around is anybody's guess, but going in with a
value proposition of saving costs is the right story to be telling right
now," Mary McDowell, general manager of the Compaq Industry Standard Server
Group, said in an interview.

The ProLiant BL e-Class server starts at $1,799 per server, and a rack can
include 280 servers. It is available immediately. Compaq's latest version of its
standard Intel-based server also launched Monday, the ProLiant DL360, starts at
$2679.

Hewlett-Packard Co., which has proposed merging with Compaq, launched its
first blade server in December. The merger, which some shareholders are fighting
against, is expected to go to a shareholder vote in March.