Microsoft to Restrict Itanium Workloads in Longhorn

by Alex Woodie

Windows Longhorn-era servers running 64-bit Itanium processors will only be permitted to run certain types of high-end workloads and will be prevented from being used for everyday file- and print-serving tasks, Microsoft revealed on its Web site last week. Citing the need to simplify administration tasks, Microsoft says Itanium-based servers will be optimized for three workloads under Longhorn, including database application, transaction-intensive business applications, and custom-developed apps.

While Itanium was never intended to be used as a gaming platform, or to power PCs used to browse the Web and check e-mail, it is doubtful Intel had in mind the type of restrictions imposed on Itanium servers by Microsoft last week when it started developing Itanium with partner Hewlett Packard in the mid-1990s. At that time, Itanium was slated to be the successor to the X86 processor in the high-volume market, but now Itanium has been relegated to the low-volume, high-end of the market.

Microsoft didn't marginalize Itanium. Itanium has been marginalized by years of delays, setbacks, and changes to the roadmap. The biggest blow to Itanium (besides being years late to market) may have been AMD's introduction of the extended 64-bit Opterons in 2003, which forced Intel to do the same with its Xeon line, thereby ushering in the X64 era. Most Wintel servers are shipping with 64-bit processors, but they're not Itanium--they're Xeons and Opterons that can run 32-bit and 64-bit applications simultaneously.

In any case, there is now a long list of applications that will not be running on a Windows Longhorn server equipped with Itanium processors. You will not be able to run a fax server, Windows Media Services, Windows SharePoint (portal) Services, or file and print servers on an Itanium machine.

According to Lisa Graff, general manager of Intel's high end server product line, Itanium-powered Longhorn servers will cater to users of RISC/UNIX servers. "Intel believes Microsoft's development of specific features for the Longhorn server OS for Itanium in reliability, scalability, and performance strengthen the Windows Itanium solutions in data center migration, database, ERP, BI and line-of-business applications," she said in a statement that accompanied Microsoft's note on its Web site.

HP also backed the decision by touting Itanium's performance, reliability, and scalability. "Software support for HP Integrity servers now includes more than 5,000 applications spanning mission-critical infrastructure, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, and business intelligence," said Rich Marcell, senior vice president and general manager of HP's business critical servers unit.

Microsoft says customers asked it to limit the types of programs they will be able to run under Itanium. "This workload focus is consistent with the majority of current users of Windows Server on Itanium, and is in line with feedback from participants in the Windows Server 'Longhorn' beta 1," the company says.

Windows Server Longhorn is expected to ship in 2007 following the delivery of Windows Vista in late 2006.