HP Introduces Midrange Server
HP rounds out Unix offerings with rp7410.
Rounding out its Unix offerings, Hewlett-Packard Co. introduced a new midrange server based on its PA-8700 RISC processor.
The HP Server rp7410 is available in two- to eight-way configurations and runs HP-UX 11i. HP positions the server as a platform for running application servers and other mid-tier components for enterprises.
One of rp7410's unique features is its ability to use either HP's PA-RISC processor or Itanium and upcoming IA-64 processors. Changing processor cards or the processors themselves can convert the system from PA-RISC or IA-64. By design, PA-RISC and Itanium share the same pin-outs.
rp7410 also supports multiple partitions, creating virtual servers on the machine. Users can create two completely isolated partitions with separate power supplies and I/O. If one of these partitions fails, the other partition is completely unaffected.
Moreover, rp7410 can support up to eight software-based Dynamic Virtual Partitions. These partitions lack the same independence of the hardware-based partitions, but Dynamic Virtual Partitions are still tied to processors. Each processor is assigned to a specific partition.