Compaq Computer Corp. is introducing its Wildfire series of high-end Alpha servers. The systems, which support up to 32 processors in some models and can, run both Unix and OpenVMS applications. Key among these capabilities are clustering technologies for increased scalability and reliability, a dynamic partitioning feature that allows online resource changes and a modular design that lets users build up their system incrementally on an as-needed basis. Each Wildfire system can be partitioned into smaller virtual systems, which Compaq said would allow administrators to take workloads off of multiple smaller servers and consolidate them on one large box. Clustering technology will let users tie multiple Wildfire systems into even bigger configurations for increased scalability and reliability, Compaq added. The Wildfire family will be available in three flavors supporting eight, 16 and 32 processors, respectively. Prices start at less than US$100,000 for low-end configurations and can go up to more than $1 million at the high end. An AlphaServer GS320 with 16GB of memory and 16 processors will cost about $831,000, Compaq said.
Prices listed are in US currency.