Unisys Corporation has introduced new ClearPath Dorado and ClearPath Libra 800 Series which feature improvements to handle customers' growing mission-critical workloads. The new offerings feature more powerful processors and I/O capabilities, as well as enhancements to the ClearPath software operating environments - such as support for Apple iPad tablets and Android and BlackBerry smartphones - are key elements of the new offerings.
The growing numbers of smart devices and increased use of SaaS and other cloud-based solutions are multiplying transaction loads and driving information-processing levels ever higher, resulting in enterprises' urgent need for more powerful servers, says Bill Maclean, vice president, ClearPath portfolio management, Unisys. The ClearPath enhancements, he notes, demonstrate Unisys' commitment to giving clients additional computing flexibility to deal with changing requirements while building on their long-term investments in strategic applications.
The ClearPath Dorado 800 Series, comprising six new models, enables clients to migrate applications transparently across multiple generations of the Dorado server line and reduce total cost of ownership. The Dorado 800 Series improves processor performance up to 70% and I/O performance up to 740% over predecessor models Dorado 280 and 380.
In addition, Unisys has also announced a new third generation of the Extended Processing Complex Locking (XPC-L) enterprise clustering innovation available for the Dorado 800 Series and other Dorado systems. Providing enhanced capabilities for high availability in the most mission-critical applications, the XPC-L3 enables up to four host systems to access a shared database concurrently - even the same record. It synchronizes database access so records are always accurately updated, to simplify day-to-day operations and disaster recovery.
The new two-model ClearPath Libra 800 Series provides hard partitioning so clients can configure a server as a single system or one with multiple independent environments. The new models feature processor performance up to 50% higher and I/O performance up to 59% higher than predecessor Libra models 585, 680 and 780.
Unisys developed and tested the new releases of the ClearPath operating environment - OS 2200 Release 13.0 and MCP Release 13.1 for the Dorado and Libra lines, respectively - as integrated software stacks. According to Unisys, in each case, 120 or more operating-system, database, transaction-management, communications and other products have been integrated to deliver high performance, availability and reliability. The tight integration enables the new environment to be deployed on previous and future generations of ClearPath systems, relieving clients of the need to perform system integration themselves while enabling them to preserve and build on their prior investments in mission-critical infrastructure and applications.
By enhancing the operating environments, Unisys has also added capabilities to specialty engines integrated with the ClearPath systems. These special-purpose processors enable clients to meet evolving data center requirements, such as application modernization and creation of service-oriented architectures (SOA), open application development and enhanced security.
For example, the ClearPath ePortal for MCP and the ClearPath ePortal for OS 2200 now provide integrated support for a growing array of mobile devices, complementing the Apple iPhone support the engine already provided. The enhancement of the ClearPath ePortal engines gives clients new ways to create more modern interfaces for enterprise applications without changing the applications themselves. It also provides mobile workers access to application resources through a broader range of familiar looks-and-feels.
Similarly, Unisys has added automated failover to the ClearPath OS 2200 QProcessor, which provides transparent information exchange between systems through the widely used IBM WebSphere MQ Server messaging facility.
Some models in each of the two new ClearPath series offer traditional performance-based pricing, while others use metering. The ClearPath Dorado 800 Series and all software enhancements are available immediately. The ClearPath Libra 800 Series and the XPC-L3 are scheduled for availability in June and August 2011, respectively. More information is available from Unisys about its family of ClearPath enterprise servers.