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2.1.3 Infrastructure applications
Some of the infrastructure applications are database, messaging/collaboration,
and e-business applications. The x440 can be recommended for these three
areas as follows:
Database applications:
Four-way and eight-way configurations can be used as database servers, and
application servers or combination database and application servers
providing an extremely scalable platform with room to scale to additional
nodes. These configurations require an external storage enclosure or SAN,
depending on the size of the database, which is driven by the number of
users.
The 16-way configuration can deliver a highly reliable and capable platform
for customers who need to run multiple instances of databases that can scale
beyond eight processors.
Key database software vendors include IBM (DB2), Microsoft (SQL Server),
and Oracle.
Messaging/collaboration:
The four-way x440 with its high-availability features is a good platform for
messaging/collaboration applications. Even though there are some scalability
limits for Microsoft Exchange 2000 (which does not scale well above four
processors), the x440 can be seen as an ideal server for Exchange 2000
deployments.
Another possible operation area for the x440 in the messaging/collaboration
arena is the utilization of partitioning, allowing customers to maximize server
resources while improving overall manageability.
Key messaging/collaboration software vendors include Lotus (Domino) and
Microsoft (Exchange).
e-business:
e-business is the use of Internet technologies to improve and transform key
business processes.
This includes Web-enabling core processes to strengthen customer service
operations, streamlining supply chains and reaching existing and new
customers. In order to achieve these goals, e-business requires a highly
scalable, reliable, and secure server platform.
The x440 is a strong candidate for an application integration server that
integrates the back-end data with the servers containing end-user or client
programs. This involves data transformation, process flow, and other
capabilities, thus allowing companies to integrate applications and other data
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IBM ^ xSeries 440 Planning and Installation Guide
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