Intel Launches Xeon 7300 and vPro in Australia
Intel Launches Xeon 7300 and vPro in Australia
September 6, 2007: Intel has held its official launch for the Xeon 7300 and vPro server platforms at Fox Studios in Sydney.
The Xeon 7300 server platform is comprised of the processing chip which was codenamed ‘Tigerton’ and the chipset its built into which was codenamed ‘Clarksboro’. Put simply the Xeon 7300 server platform being launched is the latest chipset and processor from Intel aimed at servers running twenty or more virtual machines. “This release completes Intel’s transition to core technology” said Sean Casy, Business Development manager at Intel.
Due to a shortage of disk space, the demonstration model was only running twenty five virtual machines, which it was handling at around 75% CPU capacity. In fairness the showroom at the Arena Restaurant is hardly a chilled data centre, and the limitation was hard drive space not the actual processor. Intel proclaimed that in ideal conditions with more hard drive space, the server could easily push upwards of thirty five virtual machines. According to Case the new platforms are “built for virtualisation and consolidation”.
The Intel Enterprise day also saw the Australian launch of vPro, the platform marketing initiative similar to that of Intel Centrino. Also included in vPro is built in virtualisation technology and extensive remote management features. Intel demonstrated the remote management features by frying an XP system with virus’s to the point where windows would not boot, then restored and rebooted the system from a completely remote terminal.
Interestingly enough the remote management is agent free, meaning there is no program in windows acting as a conduit for the remote access. Intel’s vPro also allows the keyboard to be completely locked out so end users can’t interfere with the system restore, as well as cutting a system’s hard line off at the network card if any suspicious activity is occurring.
The release is the latest step in Intel’s roadmap which will see the release of codename ‘Nehalem’ in 2008, an improved chipset focusing on micro-architecture improvements, and ‘Westmere’ in 2009.