Home > Intel Communities > Open Port IT Community > The Server Room > Blog > 2009 > May > 26
Up to Blog Posts in The Server Room
Previous Next

The Server Room Blog

Currently Being Moderated
Bryce Olson
3

Today Intel provided a server product update for the upcoming Nehalem-EX processor and the expandable platforms based on it.  Here’s a recap of some of the interesting messages communicated to the press:

 

  • Nehalem Architecture and Quick Path Architecture are coming to the EX (MP) segment, 4 Socket Servers and above. 
  • EX Servers are ideal for server consolidation / virtualized applications, data demanding enterprise applications and technical computing environments.  Both Itanium and Xeon processors based systems represent an attractive alternative to more expensive, proprietary RISC-processor based systems.
  • EX Servers are designed for the high-end.  They offer more capabilities (i.e. memory, RAS, cores/threads, sockets) than 2 Socket Servers that IT managers require for business drivers such as large scale server consolidation, high data demands, virtualization, and scalability.
  • Up to eight cores / 16 threads and a whopping 24MB of cache.
  • Up to 9x the memory bandwidth vs. today’s 4-Socket Xeon 7400.  The performance will be dramatic – the highest-ever jump from a previous generation processor. 
  • 2x the memory capacity with up to 16 memory slots per socket (that’s 64 DIMMs on a 4 Socket Server), and four high-bandwidth QuickPath Interconnect links.
  • New levels of scalability: from large memory 2 socket systems through 8 socket systems, and even more with OEM node controllers.  Matter of fact, there are over 15 8-Socket+ designs from 8 OEMs currently. 
  • IBM showed their 8S Nehalem-EX server design running 128 threads (8 Sockets x 8 cores x 2 threads due to Hyper Threading)…an industry first. 
  • New RAS features traditionally found on Itanium, such as Machine Check Architecture (MCA) Recovery which detects CPU, memory, and I/O errors, works with the OS to correct, and helps recover from otherwise fatal system errors. 
  • Nehalem-EX is scheduled for production in the second half of 2009, with OEM systems in early 2010.

 


Stay tuned over the next few days – we’ll post a video from the event.  Also look for some informative blogs over the next 1-2 weeks that will offer more of an in depth view of Nehalem-EX’s 4 Socket capabilities, performance, scalability, RAS, and Virtualization.

Tags: datacenter, virtualization, ras, 8_sockets, _7400, nehalem, xeon, nehalem_ex, innovation, servers, mca, scalability, nehalem-ex, server, intel, performance, mp


Add a comment Leave a comment on this blog post.
May 27, 2009 3:09 PM Guest Eoin McConnell  says:

I have was reading through all the press coverage of this server product update and it caught my attention that the press are understanding how Nehalem-EX will enable us to compete against RISC. Nehalem-Ex will offer new capabilities that will enable to compete at the higher end of the RISC market, but it is worth mentioning that Xeon 7400, Xeon 5500 and Itanium are being selected by Customers today to replace their RISC infrastructure.
Reply
May 27, 2009 9:07 PM jchang6 jchang6    says:

I would really like to see TPC-H number for Xeon 5500 & Nehalem EX versus Xeon 5400 and 7400.

I can run it myself for existing systems, but don't have a Nehalem yet. I am not expecting the same 2.5X in OLTP (which really means CPU per call around 1ms), but it is still important to know. It would also be nice to see performance with and without hyper-threading enabled.

Back in 90nm Pentium 4/Xeon days, HT only helped in the network round trip by ~15%, not in any SQL Server operation. I did see a huge gain with HT in a multi-threaded compression (Quest LiteSpeed). Also, a large cache only reduces the fixed cost to start a SQL operation, and has not effect in the cost for each incremental row processed. So I am not expecting a large gain in TPC-H, but still, I am expecting the greatly improved memory bandwidth to help, ie. 4 x X7460 & the 7300MCH is seriously memory bandwidth constraint at 24 cores to 4 memory channels. thanks
Reply
May 29, 2009 10:52 AM Ken Lloyd Ken Lloyd    says:

I just read some of the industry analysis on the Nehalem EX.  It is difficult to overstate the impacts of this architecture and this product.  Today IT manager are still trapped, and paying dearly for diminishing benefits, on proprietary RISC architectures.  I say trapped, but mired is probably a better word to describe the situation.  They have built up an investment in people and technology that circles their Power or Sparc based infrastructure and changing is difficult. The force driving them to change will need to be "overwhelming" - delivering benefits in dollars, and business performance. Nehalem EX can do this.  Personally I believe Nehalem EX will accelerate the end of the mini.
Reply

Actions

Popular Blog Posts