Copied and posted from the DELL thread.
IBM May Sign Tech Pact With Dell, HP, Intel
(10/21/99, 11:45 a.m. ET)
By Edward F. Moltzen, Computer Reseller News
IBM said it plans to sign a licensing deal with several OEMs for a key piece of server technology it has been putting into its Netfinity systems.
According to sources knowledgeable of the agreement, IBM will license its Active PCI technology to the other vendors -- technology that allows for the hot-swapping and hot-adding of components within a server.
Initially, sources identified the OEMs as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel, but later, backed away and would only describe the licensees as "other companies" within the industry.
With Active PCI, for example, IBM resellers that have been certified for Netfinity systems are able to change or add cooling fans, memory, and other pieces without downtime on an installed server.
The companies were scheduled to make an announcement on the licensing agreements later Thursday or Friday, sources said.
IBM, based in Armonk, N.Y., and Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, have signed several technology deals already this year -- including a multibillion-dollar agreement in which IBM will supply components to Dell, as well as as separate pact for IBM to provide high-end services in Dell accounts. |
