Cisco, IBM Announce New Partnership, Network Device 116
karthik_r085 writes "According to Washington Technology, Integrators considering server blade technology to simplify data center architectures stand to benefit from today's partnering announcement by Cisco Systems Inc. and IBM Corp. The companies introduced a combined solution that integrates Cisco switches and IBM blade servers into one unit to help speed deployment and manage data center costs."
Is this really a good deal? (Score:4, Interesting)
These are exciting times.
Re:Is this really a good deal? (Score:5, Interesting)
I think this is excellent. I bet if you'll wait about two months, news will appear that Cisco and IBM are going to deploy Linux instead of a proprietary OS in these systems.
In the routers? That would be interesting. Something tells me not to hold my breath though. Isn't Cisco's whole claim to fame the IOS? What reason would they have to give that up and open-source everything/use Linux?
That I wouldn't like to see it mind you -- I'd just be really shocked if it actually happened.
Re:Is this really a good deal? (Score:5, Interesting)
Enforced accountability in the routers? That would be scary.
--
Be really shocked ! Already been done. (Score:2)
Re:Is this really a good deal? (Score:1)
Juniper routers [juniper.net] use FreeBSD as the O/S for their routers and I was told by a Cisco certified network engineer that they were better at routing than cisco routers. While I have not ran enough routers to know which is better and why, the fact they use BSD is a plus in my book
Re:Is this really a good deal? (Score:2)
Re:Is this really a good deal? (Score:2, Interesting)
It is excellent, a good (if somewhat niche) idea, but the OS they deploy has little to do with it. IBM understands the greatness and is already a strong supporter of Linux, but they are ultimately in the game of making money -- "You want Windows on there? No problem."
I can't see this changing, at least for a while (and this certainly wouldn't be a catalyst for it).
If you really read it, this seems like a typical low-level, "slow news time" press release.
Re:Is this really a good deal? (Score:1)
Pun intended?
Re:Is this really a good deal? (Score:4, Informative)
Putting Linux on the switch modules would totally defeat the purpose of these new modules, which is 100% Cisco compatibility.
Re:Is this really a good deal? (Score:2)
TRUSTED COMPUTING (Score:5, Interesting)
If you check IBM's Tivoli whitepaper, [ibm.com] the top page states right off the bat that it is an "identity management system". Page 7 states that is is based on "tamper-resistant, non-bypassable trusted computing bases (TCBs)".
If we look at Cisco's BUSINESS READY DATA CENTER Security Overview and head down to the Trust and Identity Management [cisco.com] section we see Cisco Network Admission Control (NAC)
Cisco's Business Ready Data Center Initiative press release [cisco.com] says:
Cisco is collaborating with industry-leading technology, system integration and support partners including EDS, HP, IBM, Intel and Microsoft, to enable integrated solutions to be offered to joint customers. Collaboration efforts will include sharing of best practices, alignment of architectures
Alignment of architectures - that would be the new Trusted Computing architecture.
And they are working with EDS, HP, IBM, Intel and Microsoft. HP, IBM, Intel and Microsoft were four of the five Trusted Computing Group's founding members. But who the hell is EDS? Why they have been selected To Operate Root Key Certificate Authority [wave.com] for Trusted Computing. That's a press release from Wave Systems, another member of the Trusted Computing Group. Teir EMBASSY system was the Trusted Computing system before it was named Trusted Computing.
The initial Trusted Computing deployment will look like a GoodThing. Its security features will be used for the benefit of companies deploying it, and there is no infrastructure in place yet to abuse the system. But fundamentally Trusted Computing is designed to be secure against the owner. Once a signifigant number of desktop computers include Trust chips that anti-owner "security" is going to turn into a nightmare. If you computer is not "compliant and trusted" and running approved software then these Business Ready Data Centers may deny you access. Websites will start refusing you access. New software will refuse to instal. And in about 4 or 5 years, ISPs may start installing Cisco's Network Admission Control routers. At that point you will be denied internet access unless you have a "compliant and trusted" system. Then Trusted Computing is no longer "optional". You can't switch it off and opt out. Then you no longer own your computer.
Oh, and if anyone doubts that ISPs would ever instal such routers that deny you internet access, may I point you to another slashdot story Cisco Working to Block Viruses at the Router. [slashdot.org] Even Slashdot missed the story that these are Trusted Computing routers. They are being pitched as a GODD THING. They don't actually block virues. What they do is make sure you have a Trusted Computer, then they can use the Trust system to ensure that you are running (or not running) any software they want to require you to run (or that they forbid you to run). In particular they could check that you operating system has the latest patches and that you are running an approved virus scanner, thus the claim that they fight viruses.
To top it off, Bush's cybersecurity advisor gave a speech at a computer convention where he called
Re:In the Palladium-enabled future... (Score:2)
Nope. That's part of why Trusted Computing is so insidious. There is absolutely no reason hold onto or buy a non-Trusted machine. The simplest comparision is that a non-Trusted computer is like a machine with no speakers. You have no rational reason to object when they hand you a computer WITH speakers (the Trusted machine). You could just pretend the speakers aren't there.
Then what happens is
Re:In the Palladium-enabled future... (Score:2)
This definition of "trusted computing" has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Palladium. This is not about rights management on individual machines. This is about authentication and auditability of access to a shared server. Even companies that ha
Re:In the Palladium-enabled future... (Score:2)
Note that in any business setting it is the company that owns the computers. The good system where the owner is given the master key still provides all of the benefits that T
Arm and a leg (Score:2)
Re:Arm and a leg (Score:4, Funny)
Actually a 3-company partnership (Score:5, Funny)
Cisco, IBM... and Crazy Glue to make the two parts hold together.
Re:Actually a 3-company partnership (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Actually a 3-company partnership (Score:2)
h
this seems like a good deal (Score:5, Insightful)
So, if I can combine my networking and server areas into one, well hell, I can fit more servers into the same space without shelling out for data center expansion.
It's almost a no-brainer.
Integrating content switching more the point... (Score:2, Informative)
Take it a step further (Score:5, Interesting)
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to buy a "system chassis" like one does a standard rack, and be able to plug in industry-standard blades as easily as PC expansion cards?
Not just from a couple vendors, but from any major vendor.
With all the industry standards for memory interfaces, power interfaces, drives, etc. I'd think it would be a lot easier to do than the vendors would like.
Re:this seems like a good deal (Score:5, Informative)
Re:this seems like a good deal (Score:2)
Re:this seems like a good deal (Score:3)
Then, the Cisco BladeCenter switch allows to to assign VLANs to blades on a blade-by-blade basis. You can run several hundred VLANs down to the switch.
If you are not using VLANs already, then the BladeCenter in general is probably not going to make sense for you.
Re:this seems like a good deal (Score:1)
This is the problem with Cisco 65xx solutions, they become very expensive, very qui
Is it just me ... (Score:5, Interesting)
Is it just a normal activity spike on their part, or could this be a way of saying that it's business as usual to those worried over SCO?
feel free to ignore, it just occurred to me that I don't usually notice IBM announcing things like this that often.
Re:Is it just me ... (Score:4, Interesting)
I wonder if it's just that IBM gets more press lately because of the SCO thing? Or maybe you are right. Both theories seem logical enough.
Another theory is that maybe it is because of the technology-related parts of the economy are finally showing signs of life again. Now certainly is a better time for this sort of stuff than it was even 6 months ago.
Re:Is it just me ... (Score:1, Interesting)
they try a lot of things to see what works.
thats my take, coupled with maybe some more press coverage due to the SCO case.
but remember, IBM is an enermous company so i think this isnt too new. they are suprisngly adaptive to new endevours. (the "new ibm" not the one that got crushed years ago
Re:Is it just me ... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Is it just me ... (Score:1, Informative)
For example, on April 6 we bought Trigo Technologies (they make supply chain middleware). No big fanfare on this one, but business goes on...
OH YEAH (Score:5, Funny)
Re:OH YEAH (Score:2)
Almost Old News (Score:4, Informative)
A lot of people mistakenly seem to think these are blades similar to what go into a Cisco 69xx chassis. They're not. They're a module that goes into the back of the blades that allow you to connect your blade server to the rest of your network. You're not going to find ports for plugging in any other servers.
Re:Almost Old News (Score:1)
You need one of the two modules, and/or a firewire module for the i386 blades to have access to the outside world.
All it on it is compact but pricy, and very very noisy.
GPL (Score:2, Insightful)
But wait!! There's more!!! (Score:5, Funny)
...now with two backdoors!
Re:But wait!! There's more!!! (Score:2)
Doesn't ANYONE at IBM read SlashDot? (Score:3, Interesting)
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/04/04/08/1920228.shtm
Switch + Blade (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Switch + Blade (Score:2, Funny)
--laz
oh please (Score:4, Interesting)
and before anyone starts it up, I've helped design, build, and maintain a > 5000 CPU cluster ( admittedly, we only process across 250+ CPUs per job )...
anyways, Cisco switches/routers have always performed below and beyond our worst expectations. And the funny thing is, a certain large vendor that might or might not be mentioned in this above-referenced article always recommends them. And I always tell them to bugger off...Cisco switches are the equivalent of Microsoft OSes - the worst quality, most-prevalent standard that one can find. I'll take a HP or Foundry switch any day, thank you very much.
Oh, yeah, and we don't even want to get into the auto-negotiation issues...
TV video combo anyone ? (Score:5, Insightful)
I mean if one of the two fails you can still use the other, but you are stuck with the broken secundary unit being attached, forever and always...
pcimg 2.16 (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure how much overlap there is in the target markets, but the concept seems more or less identical to this 'new breakthrough'. The artcicle's/IBM's statement that to date, no standard exists to pull together blades and switches, making the Cisco-IBM solution "a de factor (sic) standard," according to an IBM spokesperson seem like blinkered wishful thinking from their marketing departement.
backdoor password (Score:2, Funny)
Press release? (Score:3, Interesting)
And no, it's not meant to be a flamebait; it's a valid criticism to maintain the neutrality of
Re:Press release? (Score:1)
"...a valid criticism to maintain the neutrality of /. posts."
Hi, you must be new here.
Someone Help Me... (Score:4, Interesting)
See, normally, with a cluster of 1U x330 series IBMs, you use up a lot of space, but if the mainboard died, you only lose one node. With the single mainboard for multiple blades and now a switch, what assurances are there for the mainboard not going south taking 15 nodes with it? (Besides dual power supplies, etc.)
thanks!
Re:Someone Help Me... (Score:3, Informative)
Each chassis contains two main (backplane) boards, two power supplies and up to four switch modules (2 ethernet and 2 optional fibrechannel). Each blade has two 1G ethernet connections and two power connections, one to each backplane board. And, optionally, two more fibrechannel.
These are really for large environments (Score:1)
If your customer has 15 servers and no redundancy then you need to see if its even worth it to split servers up. If one of those servers fails and nothing else will work (for that customer) anyway it doesnt matter if everything else is down the the w
Re:Someone Help Me... (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, the one bit that isn't redundant in these is the motherboard in each blade, but that only affects a single blade. Every other component in these systems is redundant and hot-swappable.
Cisco and IBM, eh? (Score:2, Funny)
went down to the colo on friday night
it seems the network was down, I had to set things right
I had a little money to burn and no local friends
So I bought a blade server for each of my LANs
IBM had a plan, said we're gonna get rich
Put the double cross on a doublecrossing SCO bitch
Just a dirty little F-U-D but it's a sure-fire win
Cisco, when we shut them down we're gonna cut you in
Yeah, late and wired as I was, y
move from Nortel, or complement.. (Score:2)
Do this add something in the middle of a replacement for the Nortel unit?
Re:move from Nortel, or complement.. (Score:2)
this is new? Sun might be surprised to hear that (Score:2)
5 years from now microsoft will rule networking (Score:2)
I think that in 5 years MS will rule the router and switch market with the X-Router and the DirectSwitch. GUI based OS for easy setup and one scalable hardware platform.
Reeses (Score:1)
All in one boxes suck... (Score:1)
Re:All in one boxes suck... (Score:2)
already been done (Score:2)
Blue Smoke .. (Score:2)
Re:Blue Smoke .. (Score:2)
Maybe that's why people think this is a new idea and why people are predicting the demise of Sun...
Sun's blade server has a built in Cisco switch (Score:1)
Here's the config guide for it:
http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/hard