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Efficiency, Flexibility, and VMworld 2009
Posted by Andy Parma in 10:19 pm
Loading ...Efficiency and flexibility are two of the themes for VMworld 2009, so it seems like an appropriate time to discuss the efficiency and flexibility of AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture. As Tim Mueting and I discussed on YouTube , this architecture and AMD VirtualizationTM (AMD-VTM) technology enable servers using AMD OpteronTM 8400 Series processors to consolidate more virtual machines than servers using a competing architecture1. Direct Connect Architecture also lets AMD deliver socket-compatible processor solutions ranging from our highest performance AMD OpteronTM 8400 SE Series processors to our new energy efficient AMD OpteronTM 2400 EE Series processors.
When Quad-Core AMD OpteronTM processor Model 2384 was introduced less than a year ago, servers using this processor achieved a number of performance records (here and here) and a key reviewer concluded that “Right now, it is clear that the latest AMD Opteron is in the lead.” If you look at the performance of Six-Core AMD OpteronTM 2419 EE processor-based servers, you see that servers using this new low-power processor are outperforming servers using the Quad-Core AMD OpteronTM processor Model 2384. That’s pretty impressive.
And the energy savings from using low-power Six-Core AMD OpteronTM EE processors (compared to 75W ACP Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processors) are significant. When we replaced the 75W ACP Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processors in a ZT Systems server with 40W ACP Six-Core AMD OpteronTM EE processors, server power consumption at 100% load dropped by 124W (40%).
Surpassing the performance of Quad-Core AMD OpteronTM processor Model 2384-based servers using extremely energy efficient processors is quite a feat. Achieving higher performance, while consuming less power, is even more impressive. To top it off, the Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processor Model 2419 EE is being offered at the same price that the Quad-Core AMD OpteronTM processor Model 2384 was sold for last year2.
Higher performance. Lower server power consumption. Same introductory processor price. Wow!
As excited as I am about our current products, I can’t resist the temptation to mention the Six-Core AMD OpteronTM EE processors (codenamed “Lisbon”) that we’re planning to introduce next year. These six-core processors are planned to have a rated power consumption of less than 40W – that’s lower than the rated power consumption of most of today’s quad-core mobile processors. A processor that combines the registered memory and RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability) features of a server processor with the power consumption of a mobile processor?
I think that I’ll be typing “Wow!” again next year.
Whether you think of “flexibility” as the ability to host more virtual machines using a Six-Core AMD OpteronTM 8400 Series processor-based server, or you view “efficiency” as the capability to achieve higher performance while consuming less server power using Six-Core AMD OpteronTM 2419 EE processors, it’s clear that servers using AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture are ideal for the next generation of computing.
To find out more about AMD VirtualizationTM (AMD-VTM) technology and AMD OpteronTM processors, visit us at booth 1408 at VMworld or visit www.amd.com/virtualization.
Andy Parma is a Product Marketing Manager for Server/Workstation products 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).
2Pricing for Quad-Core AMD OpteronTM processor Model 2384 reflects 1kU tray pricing on www.amd.com as of November 2008. Pricing for Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processor Model 2419 EE reflects 1kU tray pricing on www.amd.com as of August 2009.
Energy Efficient Four-Socket Servers – REALLY?
Posted by Andy Parma in 9:27 pm
As VMworld 2009 approaches, I’ve been thinking about virtualization and energy efficiency and how they apply to four-socket servers. I know what you’re thinking – isn’t an energy efficient four-socket server an oxymoron like a hybrid SUV?
First, let’s take a closer look at how IT managers are actually using four-socket servers. It’s very rare for four-socket servers to be used strictly as a way to increase compute density. Appro and SGI have twin servers and half-depth servers to serve this purpose. In most cases, four-socket servers are used for applications that require a single server to have access to large amounts of memory. These applications typically consist of database, virtualization/consolidation, and some high performance computing applications. With the ability to support 32 memory DIMMs per server, optimized virtualization features such as AMD VirtualizationTM (AMD-VTM) technology, and unique energy efficiency features (AMD-P), Six-Core AMD OpteronTM 8400 series processors are ideal for these applications.
When comparing the feature sets of Six-Core AMD OpteronTM 8400 series processors and Intel Xeon 7400 series (”Dunnington”) processors, the feature set consistency of the AMD OpteronTM 8400 series processors is in stark contrast to the Intel Xeon 7400 series offerings. Four items about the Xeon 7400 series stand out:
- The feature set differs dramatically between each of the seven models in the Xeon 7400 series
- No Xeon 7400 series processor includes RVI or Tagged TLB virtualization features
- The low-power Xeon L7445 and L7455 do NOT include the same energy efficiency features as the highest performance Xeon X7460
- All Xeon 7400 series processors use Fully Buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) memory
The feature set consistency of the AMD OpteronTM 8400 series processors gives customers a more predictable approach to data center planning and helps capacity planning, software image development, and validation efforts.
What about the performance and value of servers using these processors? If servers using Intel processors are clearly superior, then the differing feature sets won’t matter, right?
While the 46% VMmark performance advantage that a four-socket AMD OpteronTM 8400 series processor-based server has over the top-performing four-socket Intel Xeon 7400 series processor-based server is impressive, I think that the performance of energy efficient Six-Core AMD OpteronTM 8425 HE processor-based servers is even more impressive. This comparison shows that, depending on benchmark, a server using low-power Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processors can provide nearly double the server performance of a server using low-power Hex-Core Intel Xeon L7455 processors at nearly half the processor price. Servers using low-power Six-Core AMD OpteronTM 8425 HE processors even significantly outperform servers using the highest performance, highest power Hex Core Intel Xeon X7460 processors, again at nearly half the processor price.
When combined, all of these advantages (superior performance, energy efficiency, virtualization features, and pricing) make the Six-Core AMD Opteron 8400 series processors the ideal solution for four-socket servers.
Now, let’s go back to my original analogy about the hybrid SUV. In theory, the reason that people buy an SUV is because they need to move a lot of stuff, whether that’s people, groceries, or furniture. It’s the same way with four-socket servers – people buy a four-socket server because they need lots of memory to process lots of stuff, whether that’s database applications, virtualization/consolidation, or processing large datasets in high performance computing applications. Why shouldn’t you able to process lots of “stuff” and get energy efficiency too?
Andy Parma is a Product Marketing Manager for Server/Workstation products 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.
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