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RLX Accelerates Modular Computing

RLX Technologies Inc, a leader in modular computing, announced the introduction of new management software, connectivity, storage and compute solutions that further enhance RLX solutions, allowing customers to be more productive and perform new types of tasks with less overhead. These solutions include integrated cluster resource management, high speed low latency Infiniband and 10Gb Ethernet Stacking Port chassis connectivity, Fibre Channel storage array and switching, and the fastest 3.2 GHz Intel Xeon-based blade server available. Together, these new products offer the most complete, flexible and easily managed modular computing solutions available in the industry today.

"RLX continues to distance itself from the competition by delivering the best modular computing management available, the highest performance interconnects, the greatest modular compute storage options, and new blade server speeds and functionality," stated Doug Erwin, chairman and president of RLX Technologies. "Instead of planning for some distant benefits, these introductions deliver the right modular computing solutions at the right price -- making 'on-demand' infrastructures a reality today."

RLX Modular Computing Product Announcements Include:

Connectivity

• Infiniband: RLX is the first vendor to deliver Infiniband connectivity for blade servers, providing the lowest-latency, highest-bandwidth interconnectivity for blade-to-blade communication available on the market today. At 10Gb speeds, high-performance clusters and highly parallel applications now have an ideal high-speed, low latency path to control parallel execution.
• The RLX InfiniBand PCI mezzanine card has dual-port HCAs, priced at $1159 per blade. Infiniband pass-through cards for the RLX High Performance 600ex Chassis are $2999 each. To enable Infiniband connectivity, RLX has formed a strategic partnership with TopSpin Communications, Inc., the leader in switched computing, and is using their Switched Computing System to provide an intelligent, high-performance interconnect for InfiniBand. RLX will also resell the TopSpin 90, 170, and 360 Infiniband switches.
• Stacking Port Option: For customers of the RLX Dual Gigabit Ethernet Switch, RLX now provides another industry first -- 10Gb chassis-to-chassis interconnectivity. This option provides the lowest priced 10Gb Ethernet interconnect on the market. Pricing starts at $999 per switch to be enabled with stacking ports.

Storage

• Fabric Attached or Storage Area Networks: Through partnerships with QLogic and LSI Logic, RLX now delivers up to 8 TB of fibre-attached storage with Fibre Channel connectivity to each blade for maximum IOPs of performance. This high throughput storage is ideal for customers looking to move to a fibre-attached architecture, or to augment an existing Storage Area Network.
• Direct Attached Dual Disk Storage Options: All performance-oriented RLX ServerBlades can now be configured with a second disk drive on the blade, offering up to up to 120GB of direct attached storage per blade.

Management Software

• HPC Cluster Manager v2.0: HPC Cluster Manager is an add-on module for RLX Control Tower XT 2.0, together providing an integrated systems and cluster management solution. HPC Cluster Manager provides a true cluster management solution allowing customers to monitor and manage the performance of an entire Linux cluster in aggregate as well as the performance of individual nodes. HPC Cluster Manager 2.0 now offers enhanced resource virtualization and workload management with support for OpenPBS. HPC Cluster Manager 2.0 also offers LDAP support allowing streamlined user additions and management on all nodes throughout the cluster. Server license pricing starts at $2,499 and $249 per client license.

Compute

• RLX ServerBlade 3200ix: RLX continues to set the pace in processor performance in blade servers. RLX introduces the RLX ServerBlade 3200ix -- dual Intel Xeon processor, 3.2 GHz, 533 MHz front-side bus, with a 1MB Level 3 cache. RLX also announces full Windows 2003 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux support across all high performance RLX ServerBlades. Pricing for the 3200ix starts at $5,349.