Force announces high-performance ATX PowerServers with high functionality and lowest total cost of ownership

Summary:
· Initial 1U server configuration based on versatile
motherboards with dual Xeon processors, 533MHz FSB,
two GigE and up to 12GBytes SDRAM
· Optimised TCO and product longevity backed by value-
added technical services such as life cycle
management, revision control and EOL support
· PowerServers set milestone in Force´s strategy of
developing modular products: rapid deployment and
lower costs for OEM infrastructure

Full Text:
Force Computers, a Solectron company, has announced the Force PowerServer (FPS) line of high-performance ATX system solutions with the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) for any embedded platform. As the first product announced in the FPS line, the FPS-4204-1U offers a motherboard design with dual Intel Xeon™ processors, 533MHz FSB, two Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) interfaces and up to 12GBytes of DDR-SDRAM in a versatile 1U-high (4.5cm high) server. The FPS family provides optimised TCO and product longevity via the backing of value-added technical services such as life cycle management, revision control and end-of-life (EOL) support.


Designed and integrated using open-standards-based, off-the-shelf building-blocks, FPS products offer developers a flexible choice of technologies as well as lower operating and capital costs and a fast time-to-market. With its modular product initiative, Force commits itself to innovating interoperable building blocks that expedite development and lower the cost of equipment for next-generation OEM infrastructure – based on solutions running industry-standard processors and operating systems.


A very high density, rack-mount computing solution, the FPS-4204-1U is particularly suitable for Internet appliances, security firewalls, digital X-ray, high-end print/pre-press and other communications, medical and industrial control applications that need small-footprint servers. Up to 42 PowerServers fit in a 19-inch, six-foot rack.


The FPS-4204-1U offers components from the embedded roadmaps of strategic suppliers – ensuring stable product definition for a substantially longer timeframe than comparable offerings based on non-embedded parts. In addition to its field-tested, standard ATX motherboard design with dual Xeon processors (with Hyper-Threading Technology), PowerServers also implement:

· Single 64-bit PCI-X slot
· Internal drive bays – capable of integrating mass
storage options (CD-ROM, DVD or floppy drives or
CompactFlash)
· Onboard VGA, mouse, keyboard, serial and dual USB
interfaces
· 400W AC power-factor-correction PSU
· Multiple OS support – including Linux and Windows
2000/NT/XP – making PowerServers easily configurable
for many applications
· Optional integrated Remote Access Server Management
card (IPMI 1.5) – for real-time system monitoring of
vital system performance data such as CPU temperature,
CPU fan speed, local board temperatures and system
voltages

Backed by Force´s technical services, FPS servers provide the most optimised TCO/ product longevity of any embedded computing solution, based on offerings such as:

· Complete product life cycle management – including
design, component selection, prototyping, new product
introduction, volume manufacturing and support
· Revision control – customers are alerted early about
product updates and provided with technical data to
assess the impact of configuration changes on end-
products
· EOL support – PowerServers are designed with embedded
components on roadmaps of technology suppliers with
re-qualification/redesign strategies for obsolescence


As a long-term partner to OEMs, Force offers the broadest, deepest technical know-how in the embedded industry – meeting precise specifications for nearly any application from “ready-to-go” systems to custom variants. Force´s dedicated engineering team can work side-by-side with a customer to add the level of customisation needed for any particular solution. With a worldwide network of ISO 9001-certified design/manufacturing centres, turnkey systems can be integrated close to OEMs. Overall, Force´s extensive engineering capabilities and design methodologies ensure robust, cost-effective, quick time-to-market solutions for a cross-section of product/profit objectives.


Availability
FPS-4204-1Us are now available in volume. For more information, e-mail info@fci.com.


About Force Computers
Founded in 1981, Force Computers (www.forcecomputers.com) is a leading designer and worldwide supplier of open-standards-based and custom board- and system-level embedded computing solutions. These solutions address telecommunications, data communications, medical, industrial control and
defence and aerospace markets. Force systems offer capabilities for Ultra Availability™, remote system management and platform management as well as featuring telecom protocol software, telecom controllers and chassis compatible with NEBS Level 3 and ETSI building practices for 1U to 15U standard servers and custom integrated solutions. For boards, the company develops and manufactures leading-edge designs across a breadth of high-performance processors, high-bandwidth input/output interfaces and robust digital signal processors. Through its Dy 4 Systems division, Force builds on its expertise in hardening COTS products for ruggedised embedded applications. Certified to ISO 9001, the company practises Total Quality Management principles in all phases of its global operations. In 1997, along with its parent company, Solectron Corp., Force won the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for manufacturing. Force´s company headquarters is in Fremont, California. Its Europe and Asia-Pacific headquarters are in Munich and Tokyo respectively.


Note: All brands are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Specifications subject to change without notice. Contact Force for current information.

Contact:
Tony Roberts, Force Computers UK Tel: 01908 524133
e-mail: tony.roberts@fci.com

Ulrike Mueller, Force Computers GmbH Tel: +49 89 608 140
e.mail: ulrike.mueller@fci.com
or
Laura West, Napier Partnership Tel: 01243 531123
e.mail: laura@napier.co.uk