Mainframe computer manufacturer Platform Solutions has just introduced a new and bigger mainframe machine powered by Intel's Itanium processors. The statement comes right after its competitor, IBM, announced the System Z10 series of mainframe computers.

Platform Solutions (PSI) is a hardware vendor specialized in open server boxes that can simultaneously run miscellaneous versions of operating systems, such as z/OS, VSE, Windows Server or Linux. This feature has recently attracted IBM's wrath and materialized into a series of lawsuits claiming that PSI had abused Intel's intellectual property, while IBM got accused of antitrust behavior on the market.

The mainframe upstart Platform Solutions' new System64 MS mainframe system is an interesting mix of some of its older offerings, namely the DS and ES systems. The System64 mainframe can hold 8 dual-core Intel Itanium 2 processors (that are now rebranded as Itanium), as well as 2400GB of disk storage on eight disk bays.

The machine can simultaneously run 14 z/OS instances at most or even up to 128 Windows Server or Linux images. The mainframe system can deliver between 26-460 MIPS in a 8U rack mounted design and supports 44 ESCON, 14 FICON, and 8 OSA channels.

"In only six months after our introduction of the System64 DS, we can now deliver double the CPU and I/O capacity with the System64 MS product adding only 1U to the server," said PSI marketing chief, Christian Reill.

Platform Solutions' mainframe behemoth comes with the company's proprietary virtual input/output capabilities that allow the z/OS operating system to read and write to industry-standard fixed block architecture storage-area networks. The System64 mainframe system is already available for sale, but pricing is not publicly disclosed.