Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jason Hall who wrote (30204)	8/1/1998 8:58:00 AM
From: Jason Hall	Respond to of 97611

Compaq ships Xeon servers By Michael Kanellos Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM July 31, 1998, 4:05 p.m. PT Compaq started shipping four-processor servers based around Intel's Xeon chip this afternoon, claiming to be the first company to get these high-end machines out the door. The debut of powerful ProLiant server computers marks the beginning of Intel's next big push into corporate computing. All of the top vendors have been waiting to introduce Xeon-based servers. Since June, successive bugs in the 400-MHz Xeon processor and a complementary chipset have delayed their release. The holdups came as a black eye to Intel, which has positioned Xeon as the first in a series of chips designed to move the Intel chip platform into the "enterprise" computing market, currently dominated by computers based on a different chip architecture. On the eve of the chip's launch, a bug was discovered in the 450NX chipset that causes server computers using four processors to freeze up and stall. As a result, server vendors delayed the launch of new systems, which were ready to ship in late June. While the first bug was being fixed, Intel came across a second bug that disables the Error Correction Code function (ECC) in four-way servers. ECC allows the processor to cross-check data in main memory, and is considered an essential feature by customers. Intel initially said that the flaw existed in the 450NX chipset, but it was eventually discovered to be incorporated in the processor itself, according to Tim Golden, director of enterprise server marketing at Compaq. "It has not been identified as being in the processor," he said. Like the original flaw, the second bug only occurs when four processors are used at once. "There has been some errata with the Xeon but that is behind us," said Golden. "This is the first opportunity anyone has had to ship a Xeon four-way server...The servers were ready to go then [in June] but that kind of held us up." Compaq will include the Xeon in its ProLiant 6000 and 7000 servers, he said. A base configuration of the 6000 including a 400-MHz Xeon processor with 512K of secondary cache memory and 128MB of main memory will sell for around $10,800, according to Jeff Schnabel, server marketing manager for Compaq North America. A 7000 ProLiant with a 400-MHz Xeon with 1MB of secondary cache, 256MB of memory, and greater expandability for other features will start at $22,700. A four-processor ProLiant 7000 will cost around $56,000. Interestingly enough, Compaq will only use the 450NX chipsets in the four-way servers, said Golden. One- and two-way servers will come with the 440GX chipset, also found in workstations. The 440GX chipset can only accommodate two processors, but no bugs have been reported with its use.