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148 Posts tagged with the xeon tag
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See this video from IDF 2009, San Francisco. 

Sean Maloney demonstrates new features coming with the next generation Intel Xeon processor for 4S+ server configurations, Nehalem-EX.  Sean focuses on the unique scalability and RAS capabilities newly introduced into the platform. 

Paul Ottelini on Monday said it is the democratization of data.  With the capabilities, Intel Xeon processor based servers are ever more relevant to any type of workload a data center would support.  The economics of standards based Intel architecture platforms will in effect provides another choice for data center operators to run the most demanding and mission critical workloads where expensive and legacy proprietary architectures like RISC are no longer the sole choice.  This choice proposition is very powerful as the cost reduction is the foremost concern that needs to be tackled by data center operators and IT managers. 

Nehalem architecture brought the performance and efficiency.  Nehalem-EX will bring, on top of that, the RAS capabilities and increased variation of OEM system designs.  In addition, ISVs will be ready to have hardware features reflected into the software products.  It is a game changer, turn of the industry, where Intel is providing data centers with opportunities to standardize ALL the workload, including the most mission critical, to Intel Xeon processor based infrastructure. 

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Last month, Intel added another high-performing, low power to the Xeon 5500 SKU lineup with the Intel Xeon L5530 processor (2.40 GHz, 60W TDP).  As with the L5506 (2.13 GHz) and L5520 (2.26 GHz) SKUs that were launched in March, the L5530 deliver the same performance as its 80W counterpart (E5530), but at 25% lower CPU power.

With space being a valuable asset in power-constrained data centers (IDC estimates datacenter construction costs at an average of $1,000/sq ft and $40,000/rack), the Xeon L5530 delivers even more performance in the same 60W CPU power envelope to help get the most out of each rack. Here’s the tale of the tape:

  • 66% more performance than previous generation Xeon L5420 SKU
  • 45% more performance than the Xeon L5506 SKU

(performance numbers based on SPEC_int_rate2006*, see http://www.spec.org/cpu2006/results/ for more details)

Want to find out more about the Xeon L5530 and the rest of the 5500 lineup, check out:  http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/products/server/processor/xeon5000

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Since we started the Ask An Expert discussion thread in the Server Room a couple years ago, I found that the community often asked for guidance between selection of server system type and processor number as IT professionals sought to make the best purchase for them.

 

As I responded to these threads, I realized there were a lot of the same questions occurring over and over again.  I then thought that having a selection tool to allow the community to guide themselves through a few questions to help narrow the options might be a valuable.

 

Sometimes the world (ok Intel) moves too slowly for me.  My brainchild on this was something I wanted to have done about a year ago with the first 45nm quad-core processors (Xeon 5400).  However, our server and corporate marketing teams got a little distracted by the Xeon 5500 (Nehalem) processor launch.

 

However, after much delay I’m proud to introduce this simple, interactive Xeon Server processor selector tool that can help you choose which server system type and processor would be ideal for your application and business goals.  With Three Easy Steps, you can narrow your choices.          

 

  • Step 1: Identify the business environment, application type and primary purchase criteria
  • Step 2: Compare and Choose the processor family (7000, 5000, 3000)
  • Step 3: Compare and Choose the specific processor within that family

 

In this 3rd step you can look at price, performance, power and feature set across multiple CPUs to help you narrow.  Take a short cut and look at the most popular CPUs or expand your options and look at the whole range of offerings.

 

We also have a Workstation Selection Tool (this tool was what  triggered the idea to create a server one)

Other IT and business value assessment tools from Intel include:

 

 

Chris

Follow me on twitter

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Are you hearing this clamor? Nope, this is not London Calling! But your employees calling for more performance, your customers calling for faster response time, your boss for more savings.
Have you been waiting to upgrade until your existing servers clash, I mean, crash? This economy has led to a lot of indecision, but when it comes to upgrading your servers, the benefits are pretty big not matter the size of your company. 
Good news, the new Intel® Xeon® processor 5500 series-based servers will deliver just that and more.


Save money. By spending money now, you can save in the long run. The latest Intel Xeon processor-based servers deliver more performance than previous generations. Small businesses can consolidate three older servers to one new server and still have room to grow (1). And make sure to take advantage of government and manufacturer server incentives. All of that adds up to a return on your refresh investment in about a year. This tool can help your calculate your ROI: www.intel.com/go/xeonestimator


Be more competitive. You want to be ready when things rebound and rely on competitive IT equipment. The additional performance and improved reliability offered by updated servers means a more productive staff and faster response times for your customers.


Avoid hidden costs. The other thing to consider with older servers is the expenses that you don’t expect, like maintenance and downtime. You know - one day is fine, next day is black. To get your boss off your back and your business running smoothly, newer equipment now is a great idea.


So, if fast ROI, savings, increased performance, improved productivity, new warranty sound like music to your ears, talk to your IT solutions provider (http://premierlocator.intel.com) about going with an Intel Xeon processor-based server.

 

And for more info, check out this new brochure:
Almost as good as the lyrics from The Clash 

 

 

 

 

[1] Source: Intel Xeon Server Refresh Savings Estimator, Jul 09

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http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/pix/badges/xeon/xeon09_62_trans.gif I'm always looking for good ways to describe to end-users what Intel Intelligent Power Node Manager can relate to everyday activities.  Over the weekend, I was helping a buddy of mine move to a new home, and of course we rented a truck.  While we were driving, we noticed a cool gauge on the dash and a pretty simple sticker describing what it does:

keep-it-green.jpg

 

Keep it in the Green - what a simple concept!  Most everyone can relate to the gas pedal in your vehicle directly with gas mileage. If you have a lead-foot, you burn more gas.  But people who want to conserve, and keep it green - use cruise control.

 

Well, Intel servers can also be managed to optimize the energy consumed by the platform.  Power Optimzed servers using X5500 Series Processors (Nehalem) and the X5500 chipset in conjunction with Node Manager is like cruise-control - you set your "speed" and the servers keep that maximum speed.  It's all managed via P/T states using Intel Datacenter Manager.

 

Of course, at times the RED ZONE is needed - work needs to get DONE - so you throttle up, kick in the Turbo Boost and release that power cap!  But there are also times when all that energy isn't needed - so you lift your foot off the gas pedal, and set your speed for the work that needs to be done. Intel Xeon based servers can transition to higher/lower power states using technologies like EIST, DBS, and Node Manager.

 

Keep your eyes on the lookout for more data on Intel and server power management at the Intel Developer Forum 2009

 

Cloud Power Management with Intel® Microarchitecture (Nehalem) Processor-based Platforms

 

Check Twitter for more details @IDF and @IntelNews and search #IDF09

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* disclaimer: giving credit where credit is due U-Haul owns that sticker and tagline!

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A virtual workstation uses both virtualization hardware and software technologies that, when combined, provides end users with an uncompromised workstation experience.  It gives engineers and IT user’s concurrent access to key workstation hardware functions previously not available with traditional virtualization technologies. Through this approach, you get near native access to key workstation services, such as those delivered by graphics cards or NICS, needed to run multiple high-performance applications regardless of the operating system they run on. . Best of all, with Intel® Virtualization technology for directed I/O, delivered by Parallels Workstation Extreme, you will be able to leverage this new virtual workstation capability in ways that improve workflows across operating systems while reducing IT management requirements.  This is a win/win for both you and IT.

Ok we have segregated compute resources between IT and the user. 

What can you get with Intel’s VT/d technology? 

How many times have you been faced with a need to run an application that runs on a prehistoric OS, or that runs 32 bit OS when your entire environment is running on 64 bit? Or maybe you need run two different graphics-intensive workloads in a LINUX and Microsoft Windows® environment.  With Intel VT-d and Parallels™ Workstation Extreme software you may be able to do just that at near-native speeds.

What else can you do with a virtualized workstation?

Have you ever been in a situation where one application requires version X and another application you use daily requires version Y of the same OS.  With Intel VT/d and Parallels™ Extreme® software you may be able run both at near native performance at the same time.  No rebooting, no dual booting or emulation required.  Just fast, seamless answers to complex problems – across multiple segments like Oil & Gas, DCC, Manufacturing, and Research.

Ever hear of a digital workbench?

It is a tool that designers and engineers use to perform what many call digital prototyping or simulation based engineering.  It is usually a set of tools that combine needs for LINUX and Microsoft Window® based applications to create and test their ideas.  Think of a virtual wind tunnel where simulations are performed in a LINUX environment and the design and visualization is performed in a friendly Microsoft Windows® environment.  With Intel VT-d and Parallels Workstation Extreme you can do both at near native speed.  That means interactive product development and engineering, and that leads to potentially better deigns in less time.

Do you need a virtualized workstation?

If you have a need to run applications in different OSes, diverse OS levels or types, or you need to visualize in different OSes, then answer is probably yes.

To learn more about Intel Virtualization Technology please visit www.intel.com/go/workstation.

To see an online demo of Parallels™ Workstation Extreme software please visit http://www.parallels.com/products/extreme

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Intel has launched entry 1 socket servers based on Intel® Xeon® processor 3400 series and Intel® 3400 series chipset. So what? Why should a small business refresh a desktop based IT infrastructure with a server one or refresh an existing server(s) with Xeon 3400 based server? How do these new servers help educators? 

As a background, there are a large number of small businesses today with no or limited IT that are either using desktops or running server operating systems on desktops for running their day to day operations. These small businesses are frequently characterized as DTOS (Desktop-On-Side) users. While DTOS may be perceived as a low cost way of meeting IT needs by small businesses, there are several limitations to this approach that can cost much more in the longer term. Desktop solutions can’t keep up with the business forever as they are not designed for continuous use or supporting multiple users, thereby putting a lid on employee productivity and business growth. Also, desktop used as a server and supporting multiple clients can cost a business dearly in the event of a downtime or silent corruption of a financial transaction due to transient memory errors.

 

Intel® Xeon® processor 3400 series based servers provides more dependability over desktop systems by protecting critical data through differentiated features such as ECC (Error Correcting Code memory) and RAID 0/1/5/10 for server operating systems. ECC helps detect and correct single bit memory errors which eliminate the need for rebooting a system to fix most errors.  This reduces business downtime and minimizes corruption of critical data. RAID 0/1/5/10 provides additional data protection by providing a data backup on multiples hard drives in the event a single drive should fail. The cost of downtime can quickly negate any perceived savings from using DTOS.

 

These servers based on new Nehalem micro architecture are designed to help small businesses grow by enabling up to 64 percent more sale transactions and up to 56 percent faster business response time. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology enable these servers to automatically adapt their performance to unique business needs. These improvements are significant enough for a small business to replace a 3 year old desktop to get greater that 200% better performance. Xeon® 3400 processor based servers also deliver new capabilities such as support for 6 RDIMMs (Registered Dual In-Line Memory Module), not available on desktop or prior generations. Option for 6 DIMM slots provide headroom to keep employees productive as the business needs grow by enabling 32GB of memory capacity (4x the prior generation), providing flexible memory configurations and future cost effective upgrades. Performance headroom enables a small business to support more simultaneous users.

 

Entry servers are also starting to find place in classrooms and schools. As the usage of computers in classrooms starts becoming rampant, there is need for sharing content such as email, files and web content and print services similar to small business needs. These new servers improve education by enabling dependable classroom collaboration and making school administrative services more productive.

 

So to summarize, Intel Xeon processor 3400 series are ideal for small businesses stepping up to a first server, companies or government agencies

requiring a dedicated server for a workgroup, or education departments that need a server to support multiple clients. These servers provide technologies designed to deliver 24/7 dependability to help improve productivity and performance that automatically adapts to changing workloads at an entry-level price point comparable to desktop systems. Any price premium is likely due to additional server features, many of which can lead to reduced operating costs in the long run.

 

Watch “First Server Video” on the benefits of using a server at www.youtube.com/watch?v=IebtI5cab0o

For more information on Intel® Xeon Processor 3400 series based platforms, please look at the attached product brief or go to http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/products/server/processor/xeon3000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Intel's RK Hiremane & Sun's David Caplan discuss Xeon 5500 blade servers virtualization ROI

Join experts from Intel, Sun Microsystems, and Ziff Davis Enterprise on August 20 for an informative eSeminar, where you will learn:

• How Sun’s Network Express Module technology works
• How easy it is to achieve high availability and near-instant failover
• How to reduce network cabling by a factor of 10:1
• How to simplify network and storage management.

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http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/pix/badges/xeon/xeon09_62_trans.gifIntel Intelligent Power Node Manager is a new technology that is available with the Xeon 5500 Series Platforms released earlier this year.  Many of you have asked me questions via Twitter (@Toadster) about "How can I use Node Manager?" - so I wanted to present some simple use cases to simplify the explanation of Node Manager and how you can best use the technology in your own enterprise.

 

First of all, let's explain the growth problem at hand.  As servers shrink in size, the density of each server 'footprint' is growing from a power perspective... a few years ago, a single 42U rack could hold about 21 servers (estimating 2U servers) - and usually hosting one or two apps/servers per physical server, depending on if you had single or dual-socket servers.  In modern datacenters, that same 42U rack can hold 42 servers (1U each) with 2P per server - so you have an immediate density increase of 2X the # of servers, and 2-4X the number of sockets - which can equate to 16X the number  processor threads per rack...  one good thing is that Intel has been developing newer technologies to keep the TDP of each CPU roughly the same over the same time period between processor updates... where you used to have 2 or 4 cores, you now have 8 to 16 cores at the same thermal envelope!

 

Knowing how much power your platform uses is a key factor in populating racks and rows in your datacenter.  Prior to Node Manager technology, most Datacenter Managers would base rack population on 'nameplate' power - or the (W) rating on your power supply.  That's the 'max' power utilized by the platform, and what the PSU is rated for (worst case).  See the image below...

 

NM Use Case - Using Actual Power Data to Increase Rack Density.jpg

As you can see - using Intel Intelligent Power Node Manager technology, you can view your system's power utilization in real-time using Intel Datacenter Manager and the administrator can implement the power caps to ensure your server rack stays within your required power limits.  By utilizing the 'actual' power limits instead of nameplate power, you can increase your rack density thereby increasing your ROI, and decrease your TCO!  Lets face it - everyone loves saving money!

 

Many of us are familiar with this next scenario... it's summertime, and the power company is announcing that the power grid is under strain.  Personal homes start having their A/C cut-off to save the power grid from brown-outs...  now your enterprise can help reduce those risks as well!

 

NM Use Case - On-Demand Power Reduction.jpg

 

Over the next few weeks, I hope to post more blogs/videos:

 

1. Single Node Power Monitoring & Management
2. Group/Rack Power Monitoring & Management
3. Thermal Monitoring & Management

 

Please provide some feedback, and post your questions and ideas for upcoming blogs!

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We created a server refresh ROI estimator tool to help IT managers make sense of the significant OpEx savings they can achieve by making targeted investments in new server hardware. In my previous blog when we introduced the ROI tool back in April 2009, I talked about the capabilities of the estimator and the benefits of server refresh.  In the first 3 months, we have had nearly 4,000 users of the ROI estimator and of those users almost 800 users have printed reports to share with others in their organizations. The feedback we have received from users has been very encouraging. 

 

  • CIO for major US hospital: “This would help my IT staff justify the financial value of the technology investment they are proposing. This has been a barrier to freeing up capital internally”
  • IT Manager for major US bank: “I used to have regular funding for technology refresh projects. It was a given for my budget.  However, with the increased constraints on capital, I now have to justify this type of spending”
  • Technology Sales Consultant: “This tool helped me work better with my customer to gain a deeper understanding of their server environment and allowed us to jointly identify high ROI investments to improve their infrastructure”

 

I have also heard many constructive suggestions for improvement.  As a result, we have continued to evolve the tool based on feedback from users.

 

Tool Training – How to Use: We heard that the benefits of using the Savings Refresh Estimator spanned many functional roles, making us realize that the use models for this type of tool and what users were looking for would vary dramatically from person to person.  This has challenged us to look at ways to streamline the user interface (something we continue to work on) for different users and analyses.  In the interim, we are in the process of developing a video training guide to help users understand how to use the tool to get maximum benefit.  We have a pdf training guide today that can help you get started now.

 

PowerPoint Output: What would we do without powerpiont? J We received feedback on the desire to make the output of this tool more sharable inside IT organizations and with business partners in a powerpoint format as a way to communicate the opportunity and benefits for server refresh investment.  So, we now have a powerpoint output option in the reports section that breaks down the benefits of server refresh for a variety of audiences from executive staff to facilities to finance.  Everyone inside your business can benefit from server refresh and now you can show them how.

 

Secure Analysis: We received feedback that many users wanted access off-line either as a way to use in meetings when connectivity was challenged or to protect internal data from exposure online.  We now have the ability for you to run the tool on your laptop to support these use models.


More … More … More Functionality. We heard lots of requests and ideas to expand the level of functionality and analysis capabilities.  We have to balance scope, complexity Keep these requests coming.  The following changes are incorporated into today’s estimator.

 

  • Virtualization to Virtualization Refresh Scenario – now included
  • Virtualization Loading: Can edit and change VM/server new and old
  • Custom Performance Data – enter you own performance data to better model what you expect to see in your biz
  • Depreciation Cycle – no longer fixed at 4yrs .. can adjust
  • Memory Sizing: information added to allow user analysis
  • Processor Description: allows user to cross reference data to other more familiar terminology.

 

Accuracy / Approach: We have also heard some feedback challenging us on different ways to look at refresh scenarios, especially as we learn more about how people are looking at and using virtualization and sizing their environments after refresh.  Sizing is a very customer-centric and application specific task that is difficult to model in a one-sized fits all.  We won’t be able to model every sizing situation, but are planning some future enhancements intended to help you self-evaluate. 

 

I want to thank everyone in the community for their input on this tool and helping us to deliver a better product over time.  Keep the ideas coming.  Feel free to respond with comments here.

 

Chris

twitter: @chris_p_intel


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I wrote a while back about how the Xeon 7400(Dunnington) processor series compared to RISC. Since then I have shared information through other blog posts and sharing content about how Xeon 7400 and Xeon 5500 will compare to both SPARC and POWER.

 

Xeon 7400 and Xeon 5500 are the current products shipping into the marketplace today. I.M.H.O they offer a pretty compelling alternative from both a performance and TCO perspective Vs SPARC and POWER. But I will not try and repeat all the reasons here

 

What I wanted to share with you was some thoughts about what the next product to succeed Xeon 7400 will bring to the RISC party. Nehalem-EX is the code-name for our next generation of product designed to serve workloads currently serviced by Xeon 7400 today (i.e. Database, ERP,  BI etc). EX btw is what we all would traditionally call MP or multi processor servers

 

Don't stop reading now, here is why I'm EXCITED about what Nehalem-EX will bring to the RISC party.

My excitement is actually based on real customer discussions about what Nehalem-EX will do for them and why it delivers some new stuff (my code for features and benefits) which they see as a pre-requisite to make the move from RISC to Xeon. For some customers the TCO and performance of  products have been enough to convince them to move. For some other customers there are still some checkboxes remaining which I believe Nehalem-EX will address

Here is a snapshot of some of the cool new stuff which is actually convincing customers (from some real deals that I have worked)

    1. Improved bandwidth. Up to 9 times memory bandwidth of previous generations
    2. Introduction of Quickpath Interconnects to the EX systems
    3. Add new RAS features previously seen on Itanium products to Xeon products
    4. Significant improvement in performance vs previous generations e.g. Database 2.5xe
    5. More scalable platforms through 8 OEMs offering >8S. These platforms are key to manage large databases and for large scale consolidation
    6. Mainframe class availability in scalable platforms

 

For more information check out the press briefing from May. See more the details in the presentation

 

 

 

Nehalem-EX goes into production later this year and I am pretty excited about how it will change the game. What do you think?

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I talk with a lot of customers.  Since the initial disclosure, there has been a groundswell of EXcitement(bad geek pun) for the upcoming Nehalem EX launch.  I think this is primarily driven by the realization of just how significant the Xeon 5500 ( aka Nehalem EP ) product has been.  Xeon 5500 delivered an unprecedented leap in Xeon performance, the biggest ever.  Things are pretty good if you can get 30-40% per generation.  Nehalem EP was 2-3 times the performance of the previous generation.

 

Nehalem EX looks well positioned to take this crown away, delivering the biggest leap ever.

 

Nehalem EX arrives in the box with:

  • Up to eight cores / 16 threads with hyper-threading and 24MB of cache
  • Up to 9x the memory bandwidth over  and up to 64 memory slots in a four socket platform
  • Over 15 eight-Socket+ designs from 8 OEMs coming
  • New RAS technology - Machine Check Architecture (MCA) – formerly reserved for high end Itanium systems

 

This is exciting from a performance perspective, but even more exciting as an opportunity for consolidation and migration.

 

Large enterprise applications – ERP, CRM, Decision support have been the domain of the scale up SMP architecture.  Clouds and grids are making progress, but these applications are often easiest to manage on a single image.  In order to meet service level requirements ( like completion of close in under 6 hours ) IT managers have resorted to 16, 32, even 64 processor RISC systems.  This scale up domain has been mostly outside the scope of Xeon systems.

 

Nehalem EX with 64 threads in a four way box changes the math.  Systems requirements that forced scale on expensive proprietary RISC architectures can now run on a Xeon platform.  With systems up to 128 threads there are very few enterprise applications that will not fit into this box

It is a one-two punch.  SMP scale and mainframe class reliability features.  The opportunity to migrate of legacy RISC to Xeon is upon us.

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Competition, Comparison, Self Improvement, Benchmarking.

 

We do them in business. We do them in our careers. We do them in our leisure. ... and if you are like me you like to watch them on TV or live as well. Who is watching Lance Armstrong? or Tiger Woods? or their favorite sports team compete regularly.


IT professionals are no different.  Today, one of the business emhpasis points for IT is energy efficiency.  Now there is a way for you to quickly compare your own IT organization against itself and others.  This IT self-assessment tool takes about 2-3 minutes to complete and will answer these three questions


  1. How efficient is your server infrastructure today?
  2. How do you compare to your peers?
  3. How much more efficient could you be?


The Community Window: Server Efficiency is a tool hosted on the Intel Premier IT Professionals website (http://ipip.intel.com) where registration is free and so is the information and best practices shared by other IT professionals throughout the industry.  Join and conduct your Server Efficiency self assessment today.   Chris

server efficiency tool.bmp

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Learn about Intel IT’s proof-of-concept testing and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis to assess the virtualization capabilities of Intel® Xeon® processor 5500 series. Our results show that, compared with the previous server generation, two-socket servers based on Intel Xeon processor 5500 series can support approximately 2x as many VMs for the same TCO.

 

http://communities.intel.com/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadBody/3425-102-1-5699/VirtualizationXeon5500.pdf

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     Your first server, that is. There’s nothing like a real server to help your business become more competitive. While some small businesses can get away with using a desktop as a server, there’s really no substitute for the real thing. With the ability to more efficiently handle more users, accommodate the latest applications, and deliver greater reliability, having a real server will make all the difference.

     Aren’t you ready for the real thing? A server built on an Intel® Xeon® processor has a lot to offer your business, so be prepared for dramatic performance and productivity improvement. If you want to be able to handle the demands of more customers, more data and more staff, an Intel Xeon processor based server is the way to go. 

Can you afford downtime? Of course not! Maximize business uptime with technology that’s ready to work all day, every day.  And protect your critical digital assets with error correcting memory and support for RAID storage.

    

     And just to build the IT excitement for your first server, check out this animation to see what a real server can do for your business:

 

 

 

     So, if you’re flirting with transitioning to a real server, I would just advise that you make sure that your first really is the best.  Talk to your IT solutions provider [ http://premierlocator.intel.com/] about implementing an Intel Xeon processor-based server. And remember, once you go Xeon, you’ll never go back!

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