Technology News: Servers

Oracle's Ellison Challenges IBM to Server Duel
October 15, 2009

Larry Ellison ratcheted up his rhetoric against IBM on Wednesday, challenging Oracle's longtime partner and rival to "make our day" in a battle over business software performance. Ellison, Oracle's billionaire CEO, shook up the technology world in April by outbidding IBM and snatching up struggling server and software maker Sun Microsystems for $7.4 billion.

Ubuntu Server 9.10 Looks Skyward
October 14, 2009

Ubuntu 9.10 Server Edition will become available for free download on Oct. 29, and it may be able to give companies a quick on-ramp to cloud computing. The server software's list of new features is topped with Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud as a fully supported technology. UEC is the umbrella name for several cloud technologies, including the open source Eucalyptus project.

HP Works Macs Into the Media Server Mix
September 28, 2009

There's more for Mac users to like in a pair of media servers unwrapped this month by HP. The new media servers, the MediaSmart EX590 and EX495, offer an array of new features aimed at Apple-using households. They can collect media from Macs on a home network. Media collection can be automated so as new photos, video or music are added to a Mac on the Net, they will be automatically copied to the server.

EnterpriseDB Smooths Way for Oracle App Migration
June 16, 2009

EnterpriseDB, which has commercialized the PostgreSQL open source database, announced on Tuesday the fifth version of its Postgres Plus Advanced Server. This latest version of EnterpriseDB's relational database management system is designed to let users easily migrate more Oracle applications in order to cut costs.

Snow Leopard to Claw at Enterprise Front Doors
June 10, 2009

In what looks to be a bid to penetrate the corporate environment, Apple has provided Snow Leopard, its upcoming version of Mac OS X, with the ability to sync with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. On Tuesday, Apple previewed Mac OS X 10.6, aka "Snow Leopard," at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The Coming Visual Computing Revolution
May 18, 2009

For the last decade, the PC market has kind of sucked. Against the massive growth of the '90s, and with the exception of Apple, which didn't do well in that decade, the PC market has been a poor reflection of the excitement that once surrounded it. Part of the problem was the focus on computation and the lack of focus on things that make computing exciting.

Microsoft Serves Up Beta of Upcoming Exchange 2010
April 15, 2009

Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled a public beta version of Microsoft Exchange 2010. This next version of Microsoft's email server will ship later this year, Microsoft said. The new Exchange version is built around a hybrid design that will form the infrastructure for a hosted email service at home or at the office.

Group Logic: A Mac/PC Referee for the Enterprise
April 13, 2009

More than a few eyebrows were raised in surprise last year when a survey of global IT administrators and C-level executives revealed that 80 percent of them had Apple Macintosh computers connected to their enterprise networks. Not among the surprised, however, was T. Reid Lewis.

An Xserve Lift, an iTunes Shift and a Gift Card Grift
April 10, 2009

Most of Apple's core products have seen some sort of refresh since last September, and it appears there aren't a whole lot left to update any time soon. Most recently, Apple unleashed Intel's Nehalem processors in its Xserve server line, which doubled the performance ... so, that's cool, but definitely cool for a limited audience of professional business users.

Microsoft Offers Small-Biz Server Value Meal
April 01, 2009

Software giant Microsoft announced Wednesday that it will offer a stripped-down version of its server software, targeting small businesses with fewer than 15 employees. Windows Server 2008 Foundation, priced at $1,000, provides small business customers with the ability to run business applications, house databases and host Web sites.

Dell Dives Deep Into Data Center Market
March 26, 2009

Dell on Wednesday announced a slew of products and services to underscore its thrust into the data center market. These include servers and workstations, lifecycle and system management software, storage, virtualization, and data center consulting services. It is offering 11th-generation PowerEdge servers and its Precision workstations, both based on the Intel Nehalem chip.

Adamo Springs Forth From Dell, Sun Sets in IBM's Backyard
March 23, 2009

The U.S. stock market had a really happy week last week. The market was on a long rally, and a number of high-profile technology vendors made interesting moves. The first was the release of Dell's Adamo product -- the first laptop offering that really was rethought as more of an art project than a typical laptop. While expensive, it actually feels worth it.

Cisco Wraps Arms Around Enterprise Computing
March 16, 2009

Networking giant Cisco Systems unveiled a slew of new products and services Monday that promise to simplify, consolidate and lower the cost of running vast computer networks at large businesses. The new products and services fall under an initiative Cisco calls the "Unified Computing System," which unites computing, networking, storage access and virtualization into a scalable, single system.

HP, Sun Buddy Up to Offer Solaris on ProLiant Servers
February 26, 2009

Rivals Sun Microsystems and HP have inked a new multiyear agreement that enables HP to sell and support Sun's Solaris operating system on HP ProLiant server and blade system computers. The new deal's intent is to increase demand for Solaris on both HP ProLiant servers and server blades in new markets.

Marvell Offers Mini Plug Computer for Consumer, Network, Appliance Designs
February 25, 2009

Marvell has created a new Plug Computing initiative to help developers build high-performance, always-on, always-connected and environmentally friendly little computer devices that plug into electrical wall sockets and act like embedded or appliance computers in the home.

IBM Spreads Cloud Cover Across the Globe
February 11, 2009

IBM has rolled out new products and services -- along with a joint network offering with partner Juniper Networks -- that solidifies its foothold in the enterprise cloud computing space. The IBM-Juniper offering is an infrastructure play targeting IBM's private cloud clients.