PRIMERGY Feature Story - Ready for Tomorrow

In response to rapidly growing rack server demand in Asia Pacific (APAC), Fujitsu has taken a more innovative approach to the design and construction of its PRIMERGY RX200 series. As a result, shipments have increased 20%, with some markets reporting triple-digit growth. Why has Fujitsu experienced such success in the market? While PRIMERGY RX200 servers offer new levels of performance, that is only part of the story. More and more customers are selecting PRIMERGY for mission-critical applications.

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The rapidly growing IT market in the Asia Pacific region is characterized by a number of factors that make rack servers the popular choice. Owing to high locations costs in urban areas, and electrical infrastructure considerations, customers are demanding rack servers that are smaller, lighter, and use less electricity. Another strong consideration in the choice of a server can be summed up in a single word: reliability. Generally, performance specs of server products are similar across the board. But, what sets Fujitsu apart is its total dedication to quality design and construction. This assures the highest levels of reliability on top of performance.

Sales Increasing Strongly Fujitsu rack servers are enjoying strong sales increases throughout markets in the APAC region. Comparing third-quarter shipments in 2006 with the same period in 2005, overall growth registered 20%, which some individual markets showing far stronger three-digit growth.

Improved Speed, Efficiency and Manageability

PRIMERGY's advanced configuration uses the very latest processor chips, together with improved power efficiency and a superior high performance cooling design. As a result, extremely stable operation at higher speeds is assured 24/7 for greater overall efficiency. Since nominal power consumption is 20% lower, the difference is striking in data center applications where multiple units are configured.

This remarkably efficient performance is matched by a reduction in weight, giving the PRIMERGY an excellent performance to mass ratio. The 1U high RX200, for example, is a space-saving champion that enables greater flexibility in system configuration. PRIMERGY Rack servers also have distinct advantages in terms of scalability, with Web, proxy and database servers able to be freely configured for virtually any requirement.

Redundancy has been enhanced in memory, hard drives, power supplies (optional) and cooling fans to prevent system failure due to hardware breakdown. This redundancy is absolutely essential for proper failover in the event of a job stoppage. What's more, all models feature hot-plug switching for seamlessly continuous operation, while supporting memory ECC (1-bit) error correction to ensure higher memory reliability.

The integrated Remote Management Controller makes it possible to receive a warning alarm in the event of a server malfunction, while complete out-of-band monitoring and test diagnosis is also enabled. In addition, simple license upgrades bring more advanced features, such as web-based Graphical Console Redirection for easy management from any remote location, and the Remote Storage function that allows OS installation from virtual devices.

Satisfied Users Tell the Story

A survey of satisfied customers shows they have selected PRIMERGY for the obvious advantages of low power consumption, ease of management and minimal size/weight. In addition, they also point out that the ease of upgrading processors, the unique cooling design technology, and the universal conversion kit enhances their ability to grow their systems.

Currently, PRIMERGY RX200 units are used as both application servers and search servers. Since huge volumes of data are dealt with, high-speed operation is indispensable in reducing search times. Users report that data changes and renewals are extremely easy, while responding to significantly growing data volumes is simply a matter of increasing the number of CPUs and the volume of available memory.

Other users report that PRIMERGY RX200 servers have vastly strengthened performance levels, and improved system response by five to six times. In general, customers have found the reliability, ease of processor enhancement and unique cooling technology all factors in their decision to purchase the RX200.

Finally, customers register very high satisfaction with the initial support and follow-up service offered by Fujitsu sales engineers. They report higher levels of efficiency and greater overall effectiveness than they received from previous server vendors.

Important in all of this is Fujitsu's close track of the current needs of data center operators. With Fujitsu operating their own data and outsourcing centers in Australia, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, Fujitsu servers are put to the test with many different yet demanding applications. According to Fujitsu research, internet data centers generally have the same requirements, namely low power consumption, space efficiency and improved remote management capability. These needs are particularly important for environments where more than 40 servers are in operation.

Reliability Ensured from Design to Manufacture

Fujitsu takes a thorough and comprehensive approach to product quality. This begins with its Supplier Quality Management program, an ongoing effort to always improve the quality of all components procured for use in Fujitsu servers. In addition, a Material Task Force monitors the detection of material failures and follow-up procedures. Advanced on/off testing involves turning power on and off as many as 3,000 times in succession to guarantee reliability in operation. A number of different thermal and humidity tests are also performed to ensure stable operation in high-density environments, typical of data center server stacks. Fujitsu operational temperature margins therefore safely exceed standard values.




At the manufacturing stage, age degradation testing is performed to ensure stable performance. Should changes in product quality be detected, response measures are implemented immediately. Fujitsu even uses their exclusive Black Box Clip (BBC) testing device to produce pseudo-failures. This ensures that failover occurs automatically, bringing down system failure from job stoppages to as close to zero as possible. Moreover, SAS RAID configurations ensure minimum down time for enhanced reliability. With PRIMERGY rack servers, job stops were decreased fourfold between 2002 and 2004.

Finally, Fujitsu products are designed to be "people-friendly" to ensure a comfortable working environment. Heat-pipe cooling systems, designs for quieter operation and more, make application sites far more pleasant for both visitors and workers alike.

The Legacy of Leadership and Experience

Perhaps the most significant factor in the superior performance and flexibility of the PRIMERGY products is Fujitsu's position as a comprehensive industrial group in all phases of information technology. Within this, Fujitsu is a worldwide leader in Intel, Linux and UNIX architecture servers, with a long and impressive track record of superior reliability, availability and total performance.

Fujitsu is among the world's top five providers of servers and PCs. There are Fujitsu research labs in Japan, US, UK and China, as well as manufacturing bases throughout Japan, Asia, Europe and North America. Fujitsu also holds 32,000 technology related patents.

In addition, the close integration of design, manufacturing and service engineering results in the highest levels of quality available in the server market. Plus, with global support capabilities, Fujitsu offers complete solutions that meet your present needs in an economical manner while offering the scalability to grow with your future needs. Fujitsu sales and service operations are available in over 70 countries.

Conclusion

Owing to its leading position in the global IT industry, it is no surprise that Fujitsu is the world's third largest IT services provider. It is also the market leader in Japan owing to its reputation for thorough quality from design to manufacture that ensures delivery of specified performance. Since Fujitsu operates data centers in 14 countries, experience in varying markets around the world has resulted in the types of improvements that are in universal demand, such as unique approaches to heat dissipation and cooling methods, as well as dramatic reductions in noise levels. The PRIMERGY RX200 rack servers reflect Fujitsu's many years of experience in data centers worldwide.

Fujitsu is positioned to track trends and market growth, and will continue to design and build workhorse products that feature the levels of performance and reliability required in demanding data center environments. Fujitsu, through all of its group companies, is poised to capture greater market share in the years ahead by fully harnessing its extensive network that spans the entire IT industry.