—Breakthroughs in Virtual BIOS and Interconnect Technologies Acknowledged—
MARLBORO, Mass. — April 25, 2006 — Egenera Inc., a global leader in utility computing, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued it U.S. Patent No. 7,032,108 entitled "System and Method for Virtualizing Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) Including BIOS Run Time Services," U.S. Patent No. 6,927,974 entitled "Simplified Power and Data Connector for Use with Chassis System that Houses Multiple Processors," and U.S. Patent No. 6,953,232 entitled "Latching Mechanism for Securing a Computer Component into a Housing."
Egenera's unique BIOS technology virtualizes the operations provided by standard server BIOS, allowing those I/O operations to be performed to devices that are not physically attached to the server. Specifically, the virtual BIOS accesses virtual console and virtual storage resources necessary to transform diskless, stateless Egenera® Processing BladeTM modules into virtual servers. This technology is a key enabler for virtualizing server configuration while providing the standard BIOS interfaces required by enterprise server operating systems.
The newly patented interconnect technology, referred to as the BladeMateTM system, integrates high-speed fabric connections, blade management and power distribution in a hot-plug connection scheme. Multi-level alignment between mating connector components ensures highly reliable operation. This embedded connection technology allows Egenera to deliver blades based on virtually any processor architecture.
Working in concert with BladeMate is the newly patented BladeLatchTM system, a handle mechanism for easily installing, securing and removing blades from the Egenera BladeFrame® chassis. Together, these technologies enable Egenera customers to leverage advances in processor technology by upgrading blades without disrupting overall datacenter operations.
"This work is a testament to the creativity and innovation of Egenera's engineering team," noted Pete Manca, senior vice president, Engineering, at Egenera. "These three new patents contribute to Egenera's leadership position in the market for utility computing solutions. Likewise, our customers benefit from unique, value-added capabilities they can't get anywhere else. With several other patents pending, Egenera is committed to remaining on the leading edge of datacenter virtualization technology."
Press Contact
Gillian Farquhar
Egenera, Inc.
508-858-3262
gfarquhar@egenera.com
Egenera is a global leader in delivering computing solutions that simplify datacenter operations and infrastructure. The Egenera BladeFrame product family simplifies the datacenter with an innovative server architecture specifically designed to reduce complexity and enable IT to respond rapidly to business requirements. Market-leading enterprises around the world trust the Egenera BladeFrame system to run their most important business applications and achieve higher resource utilization, faster application time to market and lower total cost of ownership. Headquartered in Marlboro, Mass., Egenera has offices worldwide. More information is available at www.egenera.com.
Egenera, Egenera stylized logos, BladeFrame, BladeLatch, BladeMate and Processing Blade are trademarks or registered trademarks of Egenera, Inc., in the United States and other countries. All other product names, service marks and trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.
