Hewlett-Packard has unveiled an open specification for blade
servers, the server format aimed at making best use of limited data
centre floor space.
HP said the new OpenBlade specification extends and complements the
existing CompactPCI (cPCI) standards. It adds features designed for
enterprise computing including Fibre Channel connections to SAN and
NAS storage and remote management capabilities through the use of
an on-board management LAN.
The company has also announced it has signed up more than 100
partners in its channel programme for blade servers. According to
HP the HP Blade Server Alliance Program is designed to deliver
complete, reliable, end-to-end blade IT systems. Partners on the
programme include Intel, Oracle and Microsoft. The company said it
has seen a five-fold increase in the number of partners since the
programme and HP's standards-based blade server products were
announced two months ago.
The blade server is a new form of rack-mounted server in which the
server slots vertically into a standard rack. A special chassis is
used to hold the blade servers, and this is slotted into the rack.
One of the issues identified by industry experts is the lack of
standards in the blade server market, leading to proprietary
technology.
A report from Dataquest recently said that users would eventually
demand a standard for blade servers. However, since manufacturers
are only just beginning to understand how blade servers might be
best deployed and used, the report suggested that users wait until
the market is more mature before purchasing blade server products.