The Model 270 became the world's fastest 4-way Web server by establishing a new SPECweb99 benchmark record of 1359 simultaneous connections. SPECweb99 is an industry-standard benchmark for measuring Internet and application serving performance. The Model 270 also offers excellent performance for commercial applications, handily beating the comparable Sun Microsystems' offering. An entry 4-way Model 270 is about the same price as the 400 MHz Sun Enterprise 450. The design of this entry server is optimized for high performance Web and application hosting, firewalls, Web caching, and messaging solutions like Lotus Domino.
Copper increases microprocessor performance substantially over chips that use aluminum wire.
The only other UNIX server to contain copper technology is IBM's high-end S80 enterprise server, which was announced in September 1999. The Model 270 and Model 170 are designed for seamless growth, allowing companies to meet the unpredictable demands of e-business. The servers are exceptionally reliable. Each contains a built-in service processor designed to continuously monitor operations and take preventative or corrective actions. Software developers are praising the new servers.