Servers and Blades

Carat Computer Systems is able to offer an excellent choice of high performance servers, blade servers and cluster systems.

Servers

Our range of business Servers ensures you have excellent reliability, flexibility and security. All our products deliver superior performance, along with easy integration and at a range of price points designed to suit your business requirements.

We have the hardware and operating system software you're looking for.

Linux
Intel processor-based servers
AMD processor-based servers
POWER processor-based servers

Blade Servers

Self-contained computer servers, designed for high density, Blade servers are ideal for specific purposes such as web hosting and cluster computing. As more processing power, memory and I/O bandwidth are added to blade servers, they are increasingly being used for larger and more diverse workloads.

Why choose Blade servers?

In a standard server-rack configuration, 1U (one rack unit, 19" wide and 1.75" tall) is the minimum possible size of any equipment. With blade computing components are no longer restricted to these minimum size requirements. The most common computer rack being 42U high, limits the number of discrete computer devices directly mounted in a rack to 42 components. Blades do not have this limitation; densities of up to 100 computers per rack and more are possible with Blade systems.

Introducing the new IBM BladeCenter S

Large enterprises and small businesses alike depend on their IT systems to provide the high performance, availability, and resiliency customers and partners demand. Yet to stay competitive, organisations must find an economical way to simplify and efficiently manage evolving technology requirements. Small and midsized businesses in particular are pressured to do more with less space, fewer IT resources and tighter budgets. The new IBM BladeCenter S is designed to help you do just that:

Integrates servers, storage and networking in a single chassis
No special wiring needed
Flexible, modular technology
Easy to deploy and manage

Efficiency and Savings

The IBM energy management portfolio tackles the challenge to increase power and thermal efficiency and reduce costs on three levels:

Inside the system. All IBM System x™ and BladeCenter® servers start with Calibrated Vectored Cooling technology, which allows dual paths of air to each component, improving uptime and longevity and reducing wasteful air movement and heat generation. Coupled with more energy efficient power supplies, IBM BladeCenter and System x servers can generate less heat in the critical AC-to- DC power conversion than many alternative systems from the competition.

In the rack. IBM System x servers are designed to work at full density in a well– planned rack solution. They are also designed to operate at extended temperature ranges to keep the system up and running even in extreme temperature and failure conditions. IBM rack solutions are engineered to optimize air flow and prevent undesirable recirculation within the rack, meaning your servers can run in optimal temperature conditions.

In the room with servers and storage. Understanding the datacenter is key to a healthy server environment. If your room cannot handle the kind of density your business requires, then look to smart rack-level heat solutions like the efficient IBM Rear Door Heat eXchanger. The water-cooled door is designed to dissipate heat generated from the back of your rack to reduce the overall room temperature.

With IBM BladeCenter, less power per processor means more processing capacity per kilowatt. BladeCenter servers, with IBM X-Architecture® technology, can enable you to pack more processors into the same power and cooling envelope as well as better utilize your floor space to “right size” your data center design. Simply put, IBM BladeCenter runs cooler to deliver greater reliability and uses up to 24 percent less energy than HP c-Class blades.

Reasons to consider Blade technology

The compact BladeCenter reduces the number of cables, power supplies and fans for greater simplicity.
IBM Bladecenter systems use up to 24 percent less energy than the HP BladeSystem c-Class.
BladeCenter offers higher density, which helps save you space and money.
BladeCenter storage and expansion offers greater I/0 connectivity, hot swap drives, and RAID-5 capability to help utilize storage more efficiently.
IBM BladeCenter is designed so you can use any generation blade in any generation IBM chassis. Your investment is protected

IBM BladeCenter integrates servers, storage and networking into a single enclosure, tying it together with powerful system management tools, to help you reduce complexity, simplify IT management and reduce costs, through a flexible and highly scalable design. Blade servers offer higher density and potentially lower total cost of ownership with no sacrifice in performance, and can deliver significant advantages over typical rack servers:

Space saving: BladeCenter can save up to 50% of the floor space of an equivalent rack solution, without sacrificing application performance.
Efficiency: BladeCenters can use as much as 34% less power than prior generations of rack servers, and they can also produce as much as 35% less heat per server, compared to 1U servers.
Cable reduction: With BladeCenter, you can have up to 82% fewer cables than with rack servers, which can mean dramatically lower costs and less complexity.

So, if you think a Blade infrastructure is right for you, make IBM BladeCenter the RIGHT choice: OPEN, EASY and GREEN.

RIGHT choice, tailored to fit your diverse needs
- Flexible and modular – 5 compatible chassis and 5 blade types supporting multiple I/O fabrics, all managed from a common point
- Robust and reliable – redundancy throughout and the information you need to keep your business up and running
OPEN and innovative for a flexible business foundation
- Comprehensive – broad, fast, and reliable networking and storage I/O with BladeCenter Open Fabric
- Collaborative – harness the power of the industry to deliver innovation that matters
EASY to deploy, integrate and manage
- Efficient, integrated management – minimise costs with the tools you need for effective management
- Deployment simplicity without tradeoffs – speed deployment of new hardware to minutes rather than days with BladeCenter Open Fabric Manager
GREEN today for a better tomorrow
- Control – powerful tools that help you optimise your data center infrastructure so you can be more responsive.
- Environmentally friendly – servers and services that can help you to reduce your energy usage

IBM BladeCenter takes the best of IBM engineering and delivers it in an industry-standard platform. It combines technology innovation with industry standard hardware and software for rock-solid servers with the following:

Engineered for reliability:

Dual power connections
Thermal/cooling redundancy
Dual blade connections for all I/O
Dual switch modules
Dual paths through backplane
Dual Management Modules
Dual N+N power topologies
True N+N thermal solutions

Engineered for availability:

Automated failover capability via Management Module
Management Module monitors health of chassis components
Comprehensive Predictive Failure Analysis® proactively identifies many potential issues before they cause failures
First Failure Data Capture helps provide integrity of error reporting
Light Path Diagnostics for easy trouble shooting

To help you to realise the benefits of IBM BladeCenter for yourself, IBM are offering a great deal to help you move to IBM BladeCenter.

See below for more details - BladeCenter S - Starter for £10

Burning Questions

Can’t fill racks, because I am out of power, why move to Blades?

IBM BladeCenter® uses up to 50 percent less floor space and up to 35 percent less energy than competitor rack servers without sacrificing performance.

Won’t blades make my heat problems even worse

IBM has pioneered new technologies that allow our blades to generate less heat output and use less energy to cool the system than the competition in comparable configurations. Simply put, IBM BladeCenter can run cooler to potentially deliver significant cost savings in a high-density environment.

We’re standardised, moving to another provider will be hard

Aimed at helping Dell and HP clients escape outdated, disparate and complex architectures by moving to a smarter IT platform, IBM has created the IBM Blade Migration Center.

The IBM Blade Migration Center offers tools and services to help clients consolidate and virtualize their IT infrastructures on IBM BladeCenter® servers. These no-charge and fee-based services help to simplify and accelerate the migration process while minimizing downtime.

IBM can help you with your data migration and provide easy access to key IBM resources, as well as technologies from our team of industry partners. Offerings include:

Migration methodologies, consulting and implementation assistance
IBM BladeCenter education.
Financial incentives.
Technical and marketing material.
Leading-edge technologies from IBM and IBM Business Partners.

Whether your need is big or small, the IBM Blade Migration Center can help you successfully move to IBM's leading blade technologies. Experience the power and innovation of IBM BladeCenter servers.

How will it help me keep up with the latest technology?

Blades are the next-generation solution, promising improvements across the board. IBM BladeCenter's innovative, open design offers a true alternative to today's sprawling racks and overheated server rooms. As a trusted partner who can help not just change your IT, but improve your business as a whole, IBM offers systems with the performance and flexibility you need to manage growth and respond to the changes in your business. With extraordinary energy efficiency, industry-leading virtualization capabilities and a broad portfolio of systems, IBM can help your business deliver innovation now.

I need an infrastructure that will meet my different IT requirements

BladeCenter® systems integrate servers, storage and networking, to offer up to 31% more density than competitors to help you reduce complexity, improve power and cooling and simplify managment. And unlike competitors, all BladeCenter blades, switches and adapters are interoperable in all chassis, providing mix–and–match migration choices.

Blades sound good, but I have strict networking and storage standards

BladeCenter is easily integrated into your IT configuration with the help of BladeCenter Open Fabric . With a rich set of switch offerings ranging from low cost to high function to leadership performance, it lets you match your data center needs with the appropriate interconnect — without being locked into a decision by your vendor.

Putting all the servers into a single chassis makes me very concerned

An intelligent system design that includes multiple layers of redundancy combined with advanced availability tools help BladeCenter stay up and running. And with the ability to add blades on demand, you can grow as needed to create a dynamic and scalable infrastructure.

WATCH AND LISTEN ABOUT THE BLADECENTER S



IBM executives talk about the innovative BladeCenter S chassis.	Watch the exciting BladeCenter S video

BladeCenter S - Starter for £10

When you buy a minimum configuration of 2 IBM Blade servers containing a minimum of 4GB each, IBM will provide a IBM BladeCenter S for £10. Furthermore, if the you purchase 6 blade servers containing a minimum of 8GB each, you will receive:

6 base IBM Blade servers for the price of 3
1 free services day from an IBM engineer to help or advise on any key infrastructure areas, including: virtualization, systems management, energy efficiency, blade technology update, and more!

Eligible Products and Configurations:

Minimum configuration for the Blade servers in this offer is:
Any 2 non Express Blades (HS, LS, JS):

each with at least 2 processors (any type)
and, an extra 4GB RAM to the base unit (any type)
and, 1 disk (any type) or 1 adapter (any type)

Minimum BladeCenter S configuration for this offer is:

Any non Express BladeCenter S chassis
Plus any non Express internal BladeCenter Ethernet Switch Module (Cisco, Nortel or IBM)

Terms and Conditions
1. This offer is strictly limited and subject to availability via an IBM reseller between 1st January 2008 and 30th June 2008.
2. This promotion cannot be combined with other applicable IBM discounts on the eligible products.
3. There is no theoretical limit on the number of chassis' included in this promotion for any one customer, but this does remain at IBMs discretion
4. If multiple chassis are ordered, each will be subject to the guidelines above. So for example, if Chassis 1 contains 6 blades with 8GB RA M, it will be eligible for 1 free services
day. If chassis 2 contains 4 blades, it will not be eligible. Each chassis will need to comply with the guidelines in its own right to attract the relevant offers.
5. This offer is intended for any customer that has not purchased IBM blade before as opposed to replacing existing blade pricing agreements for existing customers.
6. IBM reserves the right to modify or withdraw this promotion at any time.
7. Void where prohibited, restricted or taxed.

Cluster Systems

Meet the ever-increasing business demands with highly reliable, easily managed, scalable server solutions. Clustering offers a cost-effective way to provide high-performance, high availability computing for a wide variety of commercial workloads such as business intelligence, engineering design, financial analysis, digital media and petroleum exploration. Because it behaves like a single large resource, a clustered system offers many valuable benefits to a modern e-business environment including:

High processing capacity
Resource consolidation
Optimal use of resources
Geographic server consolidation
24 x 7 availability with failover protection
Disaster recovery
Horizontal and vertical scalability without downtime
Centralized system management

Virtualising Your BladeCenter

IBM BladeCenter takes advantage of virtualisation to help move computing resources to where they are needed the most, as they are needed. This allows end users to enjoy better service and helps IT respond more effectively to business goals.

Consolidate multiple servers into fewer, more powerful systems &mdasg; with server virtualization, create multiple virtual servers on a single physical server. Streamline the management of your computing environment and reduce maintenance and support costs by consolidating your infrastructure.

Click here for more information on Virtualising Your Servers

We partner with IBM and HP to bring you the latest in server and blade technologies.

To discuss your server requirements further, please call or email and one of our team will contact you.

Email: sales@carat.uk.com Call +44 (0) 1223 499150