IBM Power System Powers IBM Power Systems

May 25, 2010 Alex Woodie

IBM last week unveiled the 9910 Model E34 Uninterruptible Power Systems, a new uninterruptible power supply (UPS) device designed to provide up to 2,700 watts of electrical power to the range of IBM Power Systems servers. The new 9910-E34 is an OEM version of the Eaton-Powerware model 5130, and also provides i/OS-specific communication capabilities.

The IBM 9910-E34 is a 3,000 VA (volt-amp) single-phase line interactive UPS device that’s been certified to provide electricity for new POWER 7-based Power Systems servers, older POWER 6-based i5, iSeries, p5, pSeries, and OpenPower servers running i/OS, AIX, Linux, as well as X64 servers running Linux and Windows operating systems.

Capable of running at up to 97 percent efficiency, the 9910-E34 is designed to keep electrical and cooling costs to a minimum. The 2U device, which hooks up to main wires through a 16 amp connector, installs in standard factory racks, and can be expanded with up to four additional battery modules to provide extended run time during a power outage.

System i shops can order the optional Relay Communications Card (feature number 2943) to provide the relay contact interface commonly used with IBM i/OS-based servers, (which IBM interestingly calls “i-OS” in its announcement letter). An optional OP Ethernet Card expands control and monitoring of the power system and network devices, while integration with IBM’s Systems Director Active Energy Manager software provides a console for managing power usage.

The 9910-E34 is designed to replace the 2.7 kW 9910-P33, and becomes available July 26. The device is backed by a five-year “gold plan” warranty from Eaton-Powerware, which manufactures the UPS device for IBM. For more information, see IBM hardware announcement 110-077.