Tyan introduces the first .2222U server

Updated:18 servers in a 4U box, no blades in sight

Tyan LogoTyan (TSE: 2315) has an interesting little not-a-blade-really micro-server called the FM65-B5511. It packs 18 servers into a 4U rack node, and a 1GbE or 10GbE switch module.

Updated: We were wrong about the memory, it is Unbuffered ECC.

Yes, there are 18 full machines here, sharing nothing other than power supplies, and those have 2 + 1 redundancy. Each node has a ‘next-generation Xeon’, so called because Intel’s naming scheme is so broken that even it’s execs can’t use it with a straight face, 32GB of unbuffered memory, 2 GbE ports, and 2 2.5″ HDs. The Ethernet switches are on top of the ports per module. It all looks like this.

TYAN FM65-B5511 server

Lots and lots of modules in a box

While this may sound good, there is one major problem, the chipset. Intel’s ‘next-generation Xeon’ is nothing more than a desktop Sandy Bridge chip with the price tag multiplied by an AMLOCT (Arbitrary Monopoly Lack Of Competition Tax). It isn’t really a server chip, it doesn’t even support ECC, (Update: It does support ECC, just not buffered ECC) but it hits several marketing checkboxes, so that wins. This may be fine for some customers, but I can’t see any serious deployments until Intel provides an actual server part in this space. That will be Q3.

Once that happens, Tyan looks to have a killer chassis on their hands, I can’t think of anything like it on the market that doesn’t have the ‘blade tax’. The FM65-B5511 is going to start a trend, by this time next year everyone will have something similar. For those that don’t need ECC, this is a great start, and that gap will be filled in soon enough.S|A

The following two tabs change content below.

Charlie Demerjian

Roving engine of chaos and snide remarks at SemiAccurate
Charlie Demerjian is the founder of Stone Arch Networking Services and SemiAccurate.com. SemiAccurate.com is a technology news site; addressing hardware design, software selection, customization, securing and maintenance, with over one million views per month. He is a technologist and analyst specializing in semiconductors, system and network architecture. As head writer of SemiAccurate.com, he regularly advises writers, analysts, and industry executives on technical matters and long lead industry trends. Charlie is also available through Guidepoint and Mosaic. FullyAccurate