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IBM Releases PowerPC Linux/AIX Workstation

  Submitted by Wes Felter IBM 24 Comments

IBM released a new PowerPC 970 workstation: the System p5 185. A 2-way 2.5GHz system with 2GB of RAM and two SCSI drives will set you back $4000 [EUR 3360] without any OS licenses. “The new System p5 185 Express server is our lowest priced system based on the IBM Power Architecture with features designed for excellent and secure performance whether running AIX 5L or Linux applications.

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24 Comments

  1. 2006-02-14 10:36 pm
    tomcat

    not

  2. 2006-02-14 11:11 pm
    DevL

    Unless you need to run AIX, a 4-way PowerMac looks like a better deal. Heck, last time I checked Linus himself runs Linux on a PowerMac so it should do for just about anyone.

  3. 2006-02-14 11:23 pm
    AndrewZ

    No YellowHat Linux for PPC offered here.

    • 2006-02-15 8:18 am
      rm6990

      Probably because there is no such thing as YellowHat

      😉 I assume you are thinking of YellowDog Linux.

  4. 2006-02-14 11:34 pm
    fffffh

    Anyone can afford it.

  5. 2006-02-14 11:57 pm
    eric boutilier

    AIX? Why would anyone want to run a propietary UNIX these days anyways?

    😉

    Eric

    http://opensolaris.org/os/blogs

    Edited 2006-02-15 00:11

    • 2006-02-15 1:04 am
      foobar

      AIX? Why would anyone want to run a propietary UNIX these days anyways?

      I do embedded PowerPC development, and we are using xlc…

      • 2006-02-15 2:17 am
        Wes Felter

        XLC is available on Linux now. It might come in handy for your next project.

  6. 2006-02-15 3:07 am
    chekr

    There used to be something cool about running a *real* Unix on your desk…

    However Solaris on x86, linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD et al has made this available to everyone. This says something for IBM when the cheapest AIX/Power system that can be used for app development for their servers costs US$4000

    For US$3000 I can get a Mac/Power system with these specs:

    Two dual-core 2.5GHz PowerPC G5 processors

    1.25GHz frontside bus per processor

    1MB L2 cache per core

    512MB memory (533MHz DDR2 SDRAM)

    250GB Serial ATA hard drive

    16x SuperDrive (double-layer)

    NVIDIA GeForce 6600 with 256MB of GDDR SDRAM

    • 2006-02-15 3:57 am
      Jake

      Dual 10k RPM SCSI drives are a little more expensive than a single 250Gb SATA drive, about $265 by my figures. And of course you get 2Gb ECC RAM rather than 512Mb non-ECC, so another $175 for the IBM. You’re only getting a DVD-ROM instead of a dual layer burner, but that’s only a value difference of about $20 these days. By my figures the IBM is ahead by $420. I’m not sure about the graphics, but the nVidia card is only about $130.

      Don’t get me wrong, I agree in principle, but I don’t think the Mac is such a great deal either. My idea of a budget UNIX workstation is a dual core socket 939 Opteron, redundant SATA drives (10k SCSI is overkill, IMO), and RAM and graphics as needed. As you mentioned, I’d have my choice of Solaris amd64, Linux, and the BSDs. Oh, and I’d still have x86 binary compatibility.

      • 2006-02-15 4:18 am
        chekr

        You will find that a lot of the features you have listed are options price goes > if you want those features

    • 2006-02-15 2:39 pm
      CaptainPinko

      There used to be something cool about running a *real* Unix on your desk…

      Now there i, IMHO, something cool about running any non-x86/x64. A bit less for more common ones like PPC or ARM. But things like POWER, MIPS, ALPHA, HPPA, and of course UltraSPARC, still hold great allure to me.

      Now I won’t speak for anyone else, but for me running on a machine thats was top of it’s class at open point is bit of a thrill just like to others classic cars. Also, as someone who is really into Pirsig’s “Ethic of Quality”, I find it a joy to run on an architecture that was designed cleanly to be the best it could and not hobbled by being backward compatible to something like the 4004.

  7. 2006-02-15 3:29 am
    postmodern

    “The new System p5 185 Express server is our lowest priced system based on the IBM Power Architectureâ„¢ with features designed for excellent and secure performance whether running AIX 5Lâ„¢ or Linux applications.”

    Note the usage of server, not workstation.

  8. 2006-02-15 5:12 am
    Mr. Dee

    Wouldn’t Windows be a better solution here? 64-bit Windows is killer stuff!

    • 2006-02-15 5:32 am
      chekr

      I don’t know whether to laugh at you or flame you ;)

  9. 2006-02-15 7:52 am
    fithisux

    of a forthcoming cheaper PPC workstation? Genesi has one. It only needs an update.

    • 2006-02-15 8:16 am
      jonas.kirilla

      Yes, Genesi do seem to have a PPC970-based board in the works, but that one is not going to be based on the Pegasos II. Going 64-bit will take some deep changes, like replacing the Marvell Discovery II north bridge with something that works with the PPC970. (Something from IBM, IIRC.) At that point you probably replace all the other IO parts as well. (But I’m not a mobo designer.)

      Then there’s the RoHS directive, which I think means Genesi will have to replace certain non-compliant components of the Pegasos II, or stop making it.

  10. 2006-02-15 8:26 am
    NxStY

    I wonder how this system would perform against an equal dual 2,5 ghz Mac.

  11. 2006-02-15 2:48 pm
    Zedicus

    it may not be for everyone. it may not be the best price point. it DOES have its uses, AND any developement in the PPC field is good. maybe now that apples outed it, other companys will pick up and make usable, fairly priced, PPC workstations.

  12. 2006-02-15 10:22 pm
    segedunum

    AIX? Why would anyone want to run a propietary UNIX these days anyways?

    😉

    Eric

  • 2006-02-16 1:02 am
    kaiwai

    Errr, they’re all proprietary Eric, including Solaris. Remember that thing I brought up about OpenSolaris being a little ploy just so that Sun could say they weren’t proprietary?

    How is it proprietary – the source is out there, it is conformed to the UNIX 2003 specification, which is an openstandard specification.

    Couple that with the gradual replacement of the closed source components with opensource equivilants, you’ll see Solaris 11 based purely on opensource code when it ships.

    Couple that with SPARC, which is an open processor specification – SUN has based their WHOLE business on the ideas of using openstandards, and still making a decent load of money whilst they’re at it – who else in the UNIX market can boast 42% gross profit margins and a consistantly growing shipment rate?

    Edited 2006-02-16 01:04

    • 2006-02-16 7:12 am
      fluffybunny

      How is it proprietary – the source is out there, it is conformed to the UNIX 2003 specification, which is an openstandard specification.

      Couple that with the gradual replacement of the closed source components with opensource equivilants, you’ll see Solaris 11 based purely on opensource code when it ships.

      Couple that with SPARC, which is an open processor specification – SUN has based their WHOLE business on the ideas of using openstandards, and still making a decent load of money whilst they’re at it – who else in the UNIX market can boast 42% gross profit margins and a consistantly growing shipment rate?

      You mention that it conforms to the UNIX 2003 specification, which may be true but we will never know that at all since OpenSolaris will not be tested against this specification to make sure that it complies to the UNIX 2003 standards. As long as it is not certified by the OpenGroup, Sun has no right to say that OpenSolaris is UNIX or even UNIX-like. In fact, they cannot even use the work UNIX.

      Seeing that OpenSolaris is a whole breed of its own, it can be considered to be proprietary seeing as only Sun is providing it. So, in other words, OpenSolaris is proprietary.

      • 2006-02-16 7:59 pm
        kaiwai

        Seeing that OpenSolaris is a whole breed of its own, it can be considered to be proprietary seeing as only Sun is providing it. So, in other words, OpenSolaris is proprietary.

        Which is a lie. Its akin to saying that OpenOffice.org is proprietary because the only commercial version you know of is StarOffice, when there are other versions out there.

        Like I say, wait till Solaris 11 is out there, there whole suite from top to bottom (baring a few drivers) will be opensource, and thus, anyone who wishes to develop their own version is quite welcome to, if they so wish.

        With the move to get Solaris compiling with GCC compilers, don’t be surprised to see a Gentoo version of Solaris emerging soon.

        But hey, you keep spreading your Solaris lies and missinformation, because it seems to me that you have alot to lose if Solaris (and OpenSolaris) were to win some more ground in the operating system turf warfare – for me, I’ve got Macs, UNIX boxes and Windows PC’s, to me, it makes little difference who takes the crown, because the end result is I end up receiving better products because vendors are at each others throats trying to improve their products over their competitors.

  • 2006-02-16 12:54 am
    kaiwai

    Please, maybe when they come out with an equivilant to a Blade 150 workstation, but instead loaded with AIX for around a grand, I *MIGHT* take an interest, but until then, the POWER processor will be relegated to a niche – until IBM realises that they’ll NEVER realise their vision of “POWER everywhere” until they realise that people aren’t made of money.

    Oh, and more humourous – sales of consoles are DOWN and handheld consoles are UP, meaning, all those happy MIPS share holders are going to reap the rewards, and SGI must feel like a right nitwitt selling off a the crown jewel that is MIPS.