Over 2,000 vehicle excise tax transactions processed online since April 1, 1999.
New 8880R server is first installed eight-way in the Americas.
Industry-first Profusion™-based 8880R now widely available.
25 May 1999 — Hitachi Data Systems today announced that it has been selected by the City of Boston to implement a Hitachi VisionBase 8880R eight-way Windows NT server to support the city's e-commerce strategy.
"We were looking for a highly robust platform to support our new transaction-oriented Web site, CityofBoston.com," said W. Todd Sims, Director of Technology for the City of Boston. "This box needed to be able to handle everything we threw at it, from ASP (ActiveX® Server Pages) to Microsoft SQL Server™ to back-end e-kiosk applications, all while maintaining high-performance and maximum availability. We found it in the Hitachi Data Systems eight-way servers. We don't call it `Hercules' for nothing."
Hitachi Data Systems shipped an evaluation model of the VisionBase 8880R to the City of Boston in December, 1998. The company was able to gain a significant lead on other major manufacturers in delivering an eight-way server based on Intel's Profusion architecture because of an existing co-development and design license relationship between Hitachi, Ltd. and Corollary (which was thereafter acquired by Intel). The 8880R is the first and only Profusion-based eight-way server currently available on the market.
According to Sims, the Hitachi VisionBase 8880R has continuously provided the blistering performance needed to run the CityofBoston.com Web site, which requires a great deal of processing power because the Web site is almost completely based in ASP, utilizing Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 and Microsoft Transaction Server, as opposed to most Web sites which are written in a basic HTML format.
The Hitachi VisionBase server also enables the Web site to sustain over 3.5 million hits per month, and cater to more than 5,000 visitors per day. CityofBoston.com currently allows Boston residents to pay all vehicle excise taxes, parking tickets, and city dog licenses online, with further transactions such as property tax payments planned for the near future.
According to a recent IDC white paper on eight-way server technology, "Hitachi is first to market with a migration path for customers with Intel 4-way NT servers. In this dynamic market, for customers whose 4-way systems are straining, Hitachi has a solution now. IT managers should include Hitachi on their list of possible system providers for larger entry-level servers."
The VisionBase 8880R server, which received AIM Technology's highest overall performance rating in Windows NT domain server benchmarking, has 15 64-bit and three 32-bit peripheral component interconnect (PCI) slots, as well as two Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) expansion slots. Its CPU, memory, disk drives, I/O, and network subsystems options are fully upgradeable.
Originally shipped with eight 400MHz Pentium® II Xeon™ processors, the VisionBase 8880R server can now be fully optimized to support up to eight 500MHz or 550MHz Pentium III Xeon processors. Products equipped with the 500Mhz processors are now shipping, and products equipped with the 550MHz processors will be available in Q3 1999. Now available with up to 16GB of main memory, the VisionBase 8880R will support up to 32GB of memory in June.
"Hitachi Data Systems has enabled the City of Boston to address its e-commerce needs by providing a server that can handle unpredictable transaction volumes, mixed workloads, and support 24 by 7 by 365 worldwide access," said Michael Krieger, Vice President of PC Servers for Hitachi Data Systems.
"We were able to bring the VisionBase 8880R to market months before our competitors because of our partner relationship with Corollary, who licensed to us the design, allowing us to continue with our own ASIC (Application-specific Integrated Circuit)," Krieger said. "The result is a chip set that is 100-percent compatible with Corollary/Intel's Profusion eight-way chip set but with additional Hitachi Data Systems-designed enhancements to memory."
The VisionBase 8880R is available immediately in North and South America, with availability in Europe and Asia Pacific slated for later this year. VisionBase servers are available through Hitachi Data Systems' value-added resellers (VARs) — with selected configure-to-order options — and are fully backed by Hitachi Data Systems' service and support. As part of the service and warranty program, Hitachi Data Systems provides toll-free, 24x7 customer support at 1-800-776-6747 or via e-mail at support@hds.com. Hitachi Data Systems' server management software contains a predictive failure analysis component that will allow users, VARs, or their support organizations to order repair components or dispatch a service technician before a problem causes any "hard" errors.
Recognized as a leading provider of business solutions for the world's most IT-intensive corporations, Hitachi Data Systems offers a global professional services division, multiplatform storage subsystems, and the industry's broadest line of high-performance servers. The company's extensive range of products and services, coupled with its business alliances with key industry leaders, enable it to translate technology into enterprise-wide solutions for high-end and middle-market customers. Hitachi Data Systems is owned by Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT) and has its headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
Contacts: PR
Mark Lewis , Hitachi Data Systems Corp.
(408) 970-4356
Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. VisionBase is a trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. Pentium is a registered trademark and Profusion and Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corporation. Windows NT and Active X are registered trademarks and Microsoft SQL Server is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand or product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify, products or services of their respective owners.
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