IBM Corp is expected to launch 18 new ES/9000s on Tuesday, February 9, ranging from air-cooled 9121 frame models to the eight-way 9021. The numbering scheme is very similar to that of Hitachi Data Systems Ltd – and akin to the one IBM itself uses on the RS/6000 – so that the first system digit represents engine power; the second digit indicates the number of engines; and the last shows the number of sides. The 9021 systems are the 711; 821; 831; 941; 822; 942; 952; 962; 972; and 982. Sievers Consulting reckons that the 711 and 811 will be poor performers, but the 831 and 941 will be very powerful single-sided machines, making the 982, essentially two 941s bolted together, an attractive option – if the price is right. Within IBM, the individual engines on the 962 have been rated as 23% faster than the existing 9021-900 technology. A combination of speed plus new technology and design improvements places the 9021-962 around the 290 MIPS mark, a fairly conservative estimate. The 982 comes in about 363 MIPS, although IBM is more likely to announce it at the more optimistic 380 MIPS. The air-cooled 9121s will be announced as the 311; 411; 511; 521; 522; 622; 732; and 742. Sievers says that the last two, the 732 and 742, are likely to have long lead times. IBM won’t be all that keen to sell the things since they could seriously damage the bottom end of the 9021 range. Other sources say that the eight-way multi-processor – which may initially be offered only as an upgrade – will come in at about 400 MIPS simply because it is not operating as a single image system. Four-ways are more efficient than than six-ways, but being true multi-processors, they will demand a different allocation of workload and they may not be able to perform all of the functions of a single-image six-way.
