Unisys Breaks Windows 2000 Scalability Barrier with Intel-Based Mainframe

Strategic Insights -

At the Windows 2000 Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Unisys Corporation's Unisys e-@ction Enterprise Server ES7000 demonstrated near-linear scalability, breaking the eight-processor barrier for Microsoft Windows software. Running Amadeus/ITA Software's low-fare search solution, the Unisys system employing an advance copy of Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server achieved unprecedented performance in a 16-processor environment.

The demonstration, led by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, showcased the combined power and scalability of the Unisys ES7000 Intel-based mainframe and Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server. Amadeus/ITA Software's low-fare search application, designed for high-traffic websites, requires stringent scalability, performance, and availability. The system processed 4.3 billion to 8.5 billion flight segment analyses per day, depending on the number of processors used.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Unisys ES7000 Intel-based mainframe, featuring Cellular MultiProcessing (CMP) architecture, broke the eight-processor scalability barrier for Microsoft Windows software.
  • Running Amadeus/ITA Software's low-fare search solution, the system achieved near-linear scalability in a 16-processor environment using Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server.
  • The demonstration showcased the combined power and scalability of the Unisys ES7000 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server.
  • Amadeus/ITA Software's low-fare search application, designed for high-traffic websites, requires stringent scalability, performance, and availability.
  • The system processed 4.3 billion to 8.5 billion flight segment analyses per day, depending on the number of processors used.
  • The Unisys ES7000 is designed to accommodate up to 32 Intel Pentium III Xeon processors or field-upgradeable to Itanium processors.
  • The ES7000 provides an array of computing capabilities required for enterprise-class e-business computing, including partitioning, reallocation of server resources, and management of I/O channels.
  • The demonstration leveraged Microsoft Windows 2000 Job Object Management tools to manage resources and provide detailed performance statistics.

Statistics:

  • The Unisys ES7000 achieved 4.3 billion to 8.5 billion flight segment analyses per day, depending on the number of processors used.
  • The system demonstrated near-linear scalability in a 16-processor environment.
  • The Unisys ES7000 can accommodate up to 32 Intel Pentium III Xeon processors or field-upgradeable to Itanium processors.
  • The ES7000 features a maximum of 32 processors, enabling the system to process 16.8 billion flight segment analyses per day.
  • Amadeus/ITA Software's low-fare search application is designed to support high-traffic websites, requiring stringent scalability, performance, and availability.

Sources:

  • M2 PressWIRE-17 February 2000-UNISYS: Unisys revolutionary Intel-based mainframe breaks Windows 2000 scalability barrier on stage at Microsoft launch event; Unisys e-@ction Enterprise Server ES7000 delivers mission-critical scalability for unique Amadeus/ITA Software e-commerce application in Windows 2000 Datacenter Server environment (C)1994-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:17022000