Posts tagged with VMworld
Simply Spectacular Virtualization with 4P Six-Core AMD Opteron™ Processor-based Systems
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 4:40 PM
Loading ...When I was attending VMworld in September, one of the most frequently asked question was “how do I decide whether to use 2P Intel Xeon 5500 processor-based servers or 4P Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processor-based servers for virtualization?” Over the past few weeks I have done a lot of research and put together a solid picture of where a 4P server can provide an amazing amount of value and efficiency.
Low and behold – I was not the only person working on this thought thread. We recently sent Johan De Gelas with AnandTech a 4P Six-Core AMD Opteron processor-based system. And in his review, “Expensive Quad Sockets vs. Ubiquitous Dual Sockets,” Johan focuses on some interesting points on the same topic (which my colleague John Fruehe discusses on the @Work blog as well). While he compares a number of workloads on 2P servers versus 4P servers- my interest was drawn to the section where Johan discusses one of my most favorite topics – virtualization (surprise, surprise).
In my research I have been taking a look at the pricing of 2P and 4P servers with larger memory configurations. Here is a snapshot of system costs using processors with similar specifications. Note how steeply the system price climbs for the 2P servers as the memory configurations grow.
| HP ProLiant DL385 G6 Server | HP ProLiant DL380 G6 Server | HP ProLiant DL585 G6 Server |
| 2 Six-Core AMD OpteronTM Processors Model 2431 (”Istanbul”), 2.4GHz, 75W ACP | 2 Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor Model E5530 (”Gainestown”), 2.40GHz, 80W TDP | 4 Six-Core AMD OpteronTM Processors Model 2431 (”Istanbul”), 2.4GHz, 75W ACP |
| 64GB REG PC2-6400 16×4GB Dual Rank Memory | 64GB PC3-10600R 16×4GB 2Rank Memory |
64GB REG PC2-6400 16×4GB Dual Rank Memory |
|
$5,560.00 |
$7,272.00 |
$16,120.00 |
| 96GB Reg PC2-5300 12×8GB Memory | 96GB PC3-8500R 12×8GB 2Rank Memory |
96GB REG PC2-6400 24×4GB Dual Rank Memory |
|
$14,282.00 |
$15,922.00 |
$17,156.00 |
| 128GB Reg PC2-5300 16×8GB Memory | 128GB PC3-10600R 16×8GB 2Rank Memory | 128GB REG PC2-6400 32×4GB Dual Rank Memory |
|
$17,880.00 |
$31,242.00 |
$18,192.00 |
Johan came to a similar conclusion ”A very large database or virtualization consolidation scenario requiring more than 72GB of RAM will probably push you towards the quad Istanbul – once you need more than 64-72GB, memory gets really expensive on the Intel dual socket platform. There are two reasons for this: 8GB DIMMs are five times more expensive than 4GB DIMMs, and DDR3 is still more costly than DDR2 (especially in large DIMMs).”
OK – this is a compelling cost message. But what about performance? Johan gives two examples of performance – current VMmark scores with systems that have memory configurations ranging from 64GB to 128GB, and vApus Mark I, their own in-house developed virtualization benchmark, designed to measure the performance of “heavy” performance-critical applications and done in cooperation with the Sizing Servers Lab.
For performance details, latest results, and system configurations see http://www.vmware.com/products/vmmark/results.html.
So compelling performance - and more importantly – very compelling price/performance.
I did one other exercise during my research. Instead of just comparing server to server – I took a look at comparing a 42U rack of 2P servers versus a 42U rack of 4P servers. Using the system costs from the example above here is another snap shot
|
HP ProLiant DL380 G6 Server Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor (”Gainestown”) |
HP ProLiant DL585 G6 Server Six-Core AMD Opteron processor (”Istanbul”) |
|
| Total Number of Servers |
21 |
10 |
| Total Number of Processors |
42 |
40 |
| Total Number of Cores |
168 |
240 |
| Cost of servers with 64GB RAM |
$152,712 |
$161,200 |
| Cost of servers with 96GB RAM |
$334,362 |
$171,560 |
| Cost of servers with 128GB RAM |
$656,082 |
$181,920 |
The price difference of servers to fill a 42U rack is less than $10,000 when comparing 2P and 4P servers with 64GB of RAM – and over $400,000 more for 2P with 128GB of RAM compared to similarly configured 4P servers.
So the take away from my research – 4P servers running Six Core AMD Opteron processors provide the cores, memory and price to achieve simply spectacular virtualization! And, as I noted, to get some additional insights on the same topic, check out my colleague John Fruehe’s recent blog “AMD Opteron Processor – Delivering True Value, Not Just Benchmarks.”
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD.
Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
AMD Opteron™ Processor + Our Partners = Masters of VMworld
Posted by tmueting in 6:08 PM
Well, once again we survived another whirlwind week at VMworld in San Francisco. I want to thank all of you that stopped by our booth to see our demonstrations or to attend one or more of our theater presentations. And, to those of you who attended my session on Thursday morning (after Wednesday night’s party no less!) – a special thank you. It was good to be able to meet many of you personally and I enjoyed hearing about your environment and your use of AMD OpteronTM processor-based platforms.
We ran a full slate of theater presentations in the AMD Booth and, from what I saw, every session was standing room only. This year we were treated to two customer presentations – Scott Ramnitz from First Data Corporation and Michael Foltz of Kroger Co. – two long time AMD customers and early adopters of virtualization shared their experiences.
In addition to Scott and Michael, on Tuesday Steve Pope, CTO of Solarflare Communications discussed the performance challenges that virtualization presents for I/O Devices. Solarflare is a leading silicon vendor delivering products that enable the rapid adoption of 10 Gigabit Ethernet for data center and enterprise networks. Along with Solarflare and VMware, we demonstrated near native performance of AMD’s I/O virtualization technology on an AMD engineering development system featuring 4 twelve-core AMD Opteron 6100 series processors (codenamed “Magny-Cours”) and four AMD SR5690 chipsets running VMware ESX 4.0 and Solarflare’s 10GeB NIC. Please note that the AMD OpteronTM 6100 series processors, code-named “Magny-Cours,” referenced below are scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 2010.
On Wednesday, Ron Graham, Technical Marketing Manager from Sun lead a discussion on virtualization performance on AMD OpteronTM processor based Sun servers like the 8-socket Sun Fire X4600 M2 server and then again on Thursday Ron returned to discuss Sun’s AMD OpteronTM processor-based Sun Storage 7000 Unified Storage Systems that deliver mission-critical entry storage. One of the most popular sessions of the week was given by Simon Crosby, CTO of Virtualization for Citrix Corporation. Simon didn’t mince words while giving us his unique perspective on the state of virtualization today and what he believes we can expect in the future in his talk entitled ”Cloud Computing and Desktop Virtualization.” AMD continues our close work with Citrix on XenServer and XenApp and supported the Introduction of Xen Cloud Platform to help accelerate customer adoption of open enterprise-class cloud infrastructures.
Also on Thursday Armando Acosta, Product Manager from Dell presented “Dell Solutions to Power the Efficient Enterprise.” Armando discussed Dell’s AMD OpteronTM processor-based blade and rack server solutions designed specifically for virtualization and the enterprise, including the Dell PowerEdge 905 server which took home a 2009 InfoWorld Technology of the Year Award
For those of you who didn’t have a chance to attend one of these sessions or would like to revisit the slides you can see them here (along with a host of other information) at the AMD Booth on VMworld.com. Also check out the latest AMD Virtualization Update by AMD’s Director of Commercial Solutions, Margaret Lewis.
All-in-all it was another successful event for AMD. As virtualization is hitting mainstream AMD has released a full line of Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processors that provides superior value for your most important virtualization workloads. Don’t just take my word for it, according to a recent blog post at Solori that analyzes price/performance for 2-socket servers – “Istanbul continues to offer a 20-30% CAPEX value proposition against Nehalem in the virtualization use case…”
Tim Mueting is a Product Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
AMD Showcases Virtualization Innovation at VMworld Conference
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 2:17 PM
The AMD booth has been a busy place during the VMworld Conference. One of the big draws in our booth has been three proof of concept demos that showcase up and coming technology – graphics virtualization, I/O virtualization, and secure boot of a hypervisor. We have just posted images of these demos for folks who could not attend the conference and to showcase AMD’s continued efforts to drive the maturation of virtualization technology. We’ll also be uploading the videos of these demos shortly – so stayed tuned!
Graphics Virtualization
With virtual desktops becoming more commonplace, the need is growing to support richer graphic environments that have not been easily served by traditional server hosted clients methodologies. This proof of concept demo shows how direct device assignment for a graphics card could help support demanding graphics applications like computer aided design (CAD) and digital content creation (DCC). Please note that the upcoming AMD OpteronTM 6100 Series processors, code-named “Magny-Cours” referenced below, are scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 2010.
The demo runs on an AMD engineering development system featuring two twelve-core AMD OpteronTM 6100 Series processors (code-named “Magny-Cours”), an upcoming AMD SR5690 chipset and an ATI FireProTM professional graphics card. This system is executing 3DMark®06 or “Toy Store”/”Code Zero” from within a virtual machine running on VMware ESX 4.0. The demo compares graphics performance with and without direct device mapping and utilizes AMD I/O virtualization technology for the graphics passthru. Support for AMD I/O virtualization technology is offered experimentally with VMware ESX 4.0.
I/O Virtualization
Certain applications requiring high network throughput have not been considered as candidates for virtualization due to the overhead associated with virtualization. I/O virtualization is designed to help reduce this overhead with a goal of achieving near native network performance. This proof of concept demo compares relative network performance with and without I/O virtualization.
The demo runs on an AMD engineering development system featuring 4 twelve-core AMD Opteron 6100 Series processors (codenamed “Magny-Cours”), four AMD SR5690 chipsets, and a Solarflare 10Ge network interface card (NIC). The system is executing a network benchmark, NetPerf, on a virtual machine running on VMware ES X 4.0. The demo uses VMware’s passthru support for the direct device assignment of a certified NIC. Support for AMD I/O virtualization technology is offered experimentally with VMware ESX 4.0.
Secure Boot
Security is important consideration for virtualization, particularly as more business critical applications move to virtualized servers. This proof of concept demo highlights the use of existing hardware capabilities of a production-level AMD technology-based server for secure configuration control of a hypervisor.
The demo runs on an HP ProLiant DL385 G6 server with 2 Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processors. The DL385 server includes a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security chip that is built into the motherboard of the system. The demo shows a secure boot of the system with VMware ESX 4.0 using a secure loader written by AMD software engineers. During the boot the configuration of the hypervisor is compared to configuration information stored in the TPM to ensure that there have been no malicious or unintentional modifications to the hypervisor. The status of the hypervisor is reported in the vSphere management console as either being secure or insecure. This allows an operator to avoid using a misconfigured or compromised hypervisor in the datacenter.
Make sure you also check out the AMD Virtual Booth on VMworld.com and the AMD Opteron Friendfeed for more VMworld-related information.
Let me know your views on the evolution of virtualization technology.
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD.
Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
Countdown to VMworld – More Cores, More VMs with Six-Core AMD Opteron™ Processors!
Posted by tmueting in 12:12 PM
Gearing up for VMware, I had a chance recently to spend some time in AMD’s performance lab and showcase one of the cooler demos I have ever been a part of. Operating a Six-Core AMD OpteronTM 8400 Series processor-based HP DL785 G6 server with VMware ESX 4.0 software we were able to successfully consolidate 180 virtual machines onto one physical server.1
That is 25% more virtual machines than the competition can claim running the same workload. As a side note, running the same workload on either a Six-Core AMD Opteron processor-based HP ProLiant DL585 G6 server or BL685c G6 blade -- we’re able to consolidate 120 virtual machines, which is 43% more VMs than the competition on a 4-socket, 24 core server.
But, don’t take my word for it, check out the video below (we also just broke our own record with HP releasing a a new top 48-core VMmark result on the same server with a score of 53.73 running 210 VMs!).
And, join us at VMworld August 31-September 3rd. We’ll be showcasing this demo at our booth (#1408) as well as many more.
Tim Mueting is a Product Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
1Based on 30 tiles x 6 VMs for 48-core HP ProLiant DL785 G6 server, as tested using the VMmark benchmark (http://www.vmware.com/products/vmmark/results.html).
How to Drive a Hybrid – Implementing Desktop Virtualization
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 4:35 PM
Recently, I blogged about the market opportunities for virtualization, both in desktop and server. I now want to give you a better glimpse into the reality of implementing desktop virtualization solutions.
While there is a lot of talk out there about the benefits of virtualization and cloud-models, a lot of business are asking where the heck you are supposed to start. Let’s slow down and understand something first: one size does not fit all.
Something I’ve become a big proponent of is what I’ll call a hybrid model. What I mean is that you can think about virtualization and cloud computing in different pieces, and integrate those solutions without overhauling your entire infrastructure. In the spirit of practicing what you preach, we saw this success within AMD’s own Sunnyvale campus. In our IT department in Sunnyvale, about 100 engineers deployed server-hosted virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) so that they could share resources and a common desktop management infrastructure. The desktop virtualization runs as part of AMD’s HP blade server farm and storage environment consisting of HP’s EVA 8100 SAN and HP BL685 and BL465 blade systems with AMD OpteronTM processors.
This method of desktop virtualization provides users with access to server-based applications and related data via sessions running from central servers in the data center. We are currently able to host about 50 virtual desktops on one server! This has been a simple measure to improve the efficiency of our IT department, who could then provision the desktops of employees to more effectively manage issues without actually having to be at the physical computer. This VDI virtualization implementation increased responsiveness to ongoing project demands while helping to save operations costs.
Utilizing VDI within AMD is just one example. You can find a myriad of benefit from adaptive server and desktop virtualization. For example, security and management. In the VDI example data and applications reside on the server, not the client, which contributes to a more secure environment and on that is more easily managed by IT. It also enables more efficient software provisioning and patching. And the good news – you don’t have to implement expensive client systems with a lot of proprietary technology like Intel’s vPRO to reap these benefits.
During VMworld Conference, we plan to feature presentations from Citrix, Microsoft, and Wyse in the AMD “Masters of Virtualization” Theater, providing insights into this emerging world of desktop virtualization. Our own Tim Mueting will also feature a customer case study on desktop virtualization during his VMworld session – check out his blog for detail.
So what can you take from all this? Technology is made to empower you, not confuse you. Virtualization and cloud computing are receiving a great deal of attention because of the potential they offer to improve efficiencies and maximize resources, but there is always room for a hybrid approach. In fact, AMD’s very own Neil Kelly was at BriForum last month talking up this exact topic with Wyse Technology. In particular, they discussed solutions that are aligned at simplifying access to mixed data center cloud environments with superior user experience quality.
In this economic climate, I always encourage playing it smart. But, don’t just take my word for it – leave your experiences in the comment section.
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD.
Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
Countdown to VMworld – Hear the latest trends in Virtualization Straight from the Masters
Posted by tmueting in 8:41 PM
VMworld 2009 is just around the corner and you can be sure that AMD will be front and center at what has become one of the premier technical conferences of the year. I’m honored once again to be speaking at one of the breakout sessions during the week. I invite you to come join me on Thursday at 10am for a discussion on Virtualization and Cloud Computing with AMD OpteronTM processor-based platforms. I’ll be covering the latest in AMD OpteronTM processors including exciting new features from our most recent introduction of the Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processor (formerly codenamed “Istanbul”). It is the industry’s only six-core process for 2, 4 and 8 socket servers and offers 34% higher performance-per-watt than Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor-based servers in the same power and thermal envelopes.
I promise this will be much more than just a product presentation. I will provide valuable insight into what we’re seeing in the world of virtualization and cloud computing. I’m very excited to announce that we also plan to have a special guest speaker during this session. Not to give too much away, but we expect to have a very special customer that will discuss their experiences as they move towards their goal of being 96% virtualized in their datacenter. This particular customer has been using virtualization for past several years for server consolidation and high availability and they have implemented over 1500 hosted virtualized desktops running on AMD OpteronTM processor-based servers and VMware software.
And speaking of sessions, we also have a complete line-up in our Masters of Virtualization Theater in the AMD booth in the Exhibition Hall. Please come by and say hello. You can check out several of our demonstrations featuring emerging virtualization technologies and attend a variety of presentations to learn the latest and greatest from many of our closest OEMs and industry partners including Citrix, Dell, HP, Microsoft, Sun and Virtual Computer, just to name a few. And as a bonus, we have two of our key customers lined up to present and discuss their experiences with virtualization and AMD OpteronTM processor-based servers.
The theater presentations will run every hour on the hour and last approx 20 to 30 minutes including Q&A. Please consult your VMworld schedule for Exhibition hall times and come by our booth – #1408 – for a complete schedule of the AMD booth presentations.
And if you just can’t wait for the conference you can visit the AMD booth at the VMworld Virtual Conference. I’ve just posted a new “Ask the Experts” piece highlighting the Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processor – check out some of the other new material on AMD while you are there.
We’re just a few weeks away. I hope to see you all there.
Tim Mueting is a Product Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
Countdown to VMworld – Six-Core AMD Opteron™ Processor Flexes Its Muscle
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 9:34 AM
The AMD virtualization team is doing final preparation for VMworld 2009, to be held at Moscone Center in just a few weeks. I was fortunate enough to have attended the first VMworld conference in San Diego in 2004 – and to have made every VMworld conference since then. In this timeframe the AMD OpteronTM processor has grown from its humble single core roots to an impressive six-core processor with hardware assisted virtualization called AMD VirtualizationTM (AMD-VTM) technology that is designed to deliver a perfect balance of price, performance, and power.
Since its introduction in June, Six-Core AMD Opteron processor-based servers have been achieving some solid virtualization proof points. In fact, a new top 48-core VMmark score was recently posted by HP with its AMD Opteron processor-based HP ProLiant DL785 G6 server. This is a new high score for VMmark of 47.77@30 tiles – more than 30% higher than the top 48-core score posted with an Intel Xeon 7460 processor (”Dunnington”).
Six-Core AMD Opteron processor-based servers also currently hold the three top 24-core VMmark scores – the HP ProLiant DL585 G6 has the top spot, and the highest 24-core score for blade servers is held by the HP ProLiant BL685c G6. The SolutionsOriented Blog “RIP Dunnington: HP’s 4P/24-core Istanbul Takes VMmark Summit” takes a look at the dollars per VM of some of the 24-core systems producing these VMmark scores and showcases AMD with a price performance advantage of almost 14% to 28% over the competition, depending on configuration.
Now I don’t think everyone understands how challenging it is to design a processor that achieves a “perfect balance.” AMD engineers are tasked to develop a product with as much performance as possible within a stingy power budget- and all at a cost that addresses today’s market requirements. This is not a processor designed specifically to win “raw” performance benchmarks – but rather to handle real workloads and drive new efficiencies in the data center.
We plan to do a couple of other blogs that outline some of our activities at VMworld – so keep an eye on this blog and our friends over at the @Work site!
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD.
Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
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