After a two-week delay - likely resulting from the clamor related to the much-discussed, planned, and later canceled prospective IBM takeover - Sun Microsystems Tuesday launched its Nehalem-based server line-up, as well as a new networking product to compete with its emerging server market rival, Cisco Systems.

As part of the launch of the next-gen Galaxy servers, Sun unpacked two blades, four racks, and a tower workstation based on the quad-core Nehalem EP Xeon 5500 processors from Intel. Put together, the newly-launched x64 servers - using Sun-designed custom motherboards - are being categorized as "open network systems,"

According to Dimitrios Dovas, the Sun's Systems Group director of product management, the two blade servers - the X6270 and X6275 - and a new Ultra 27 workstation will be available today onwards. The four rack servers - the X2270, X4170, X4270, and X4275 - would likely hit the markets by April 30.

Talking about the functioning of Sun's new Virtual Network Express Module, or NEM, John Fowler, Sun's systems business Executive VP, said: "Instead of having a managed switch from a third-party vendor, we developed a piece of silicon that makes all the blades think they are talking to their own dedicated interconnect, so you're eliminating Gigabit-to-10 Gigabit Ethernet."

Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst with Insight64 has called Sun's newly-launched technology "very impressive!"