Multichip servers
Multichip servers<@VM>Pentium III servers add scalability to fast speeds<@VM>Pentium III servers add scalability to fast speeds (cont.)<@VM>Pentium III servers add scalability to fast speeds (cont.)
Intel arrives at the enterprise level with Xeon processors and eight-way architectureBy J.B. Miles
Special to GCN
If you're shopping for an enterprise-level multiprocessor server, you'll notice a new player with a familiar name: Intel Corp. The giant chipmaker, dominant in the PC and small server markets, is challenging RISC technology with multichip architectures built around Pentium III and Pentium III Xeon processors and Intel boards.
Symmetric multiprocessing servers with Intel chips, made by several dozen manufacturers, have a lock on the entry-level and midrange portions of the market. Single and dual Pentium II and III units loaded with Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 2000 account for almost 100 percent of the market for entry-level print, file and appliance servers.
Dual Pentium II, Pentium III and Pentium III Xeon servers have been edging out midrange systems based on IBM's Power PC, Hewlett-Packard's PA-RISC, Sun Microsystem's UltraSparc and Compaq's Alpha.
Quad, or four-way, Pentium III Xeon units with the capability to support NT and Win 2000, Linux, Solaris, UnixWare, NetWare and other proprietary Unix operating systems also are finding success as high-performance midrange servers.
And Intel has its sights set on the higher reaches of the enterprise market, with its new eight-way Profusion chip set and powerful 550-MHz Pentium III Xeon processors.
| Tips for buyers |
'Buy a unit that has as many processors as you can afford.
'Compare hard drive manufacturers' mean time between failure data as well as the rotational speeds and storage capacities of the drives.
'Use high-speed 40X or 48X CD-ROM drives.
'Buy a UPS.
'Choose redundancy options for maximum data security.
'Store backup tapes away from your servers in case of fire, flood or other catastrophe.
'Remember that Win 2000 and Linux are emerging as popular server operating systems and both offer multithreading for eight-way processing.
|
Before Intel released its Profusion chip set last year, even the best-designed four-way Pentium III Xeon systems couldn't compete with RISC systems in the high-end enterprise marketplace. But the new eight-way architecture is prompting server manufacturers such as Amdahl Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., Data General Corp., Dell Computer corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM Corp. to reshape their product lines. For users, it means that multichip servers will soon be the norm, said Warren Wilson, an analyst with market research company Summit Strategies Inc. of Boston.
'Single-processor servers will essentially evaporate this year, as two-way designs become the new entry-level standard. Four-way servers will quickly gain volume to vie with two-way boxes as the sweet spot of the market, while eight-way Profusion-based designs will become a popular high-end option in 2000,' Wilson said.
Other analysts say that four-way Pentium III Xeon platforms will continue to bridge the gap between midrange and small enterprise computing requirements, with the new Profusion systems being optimized for running very large database applications and decision support operations in large enterprises.
The accompanying chart reflects the fact that there aren't many Profusion servers out there yet, but Intel expects that to change by year's end.
The new Intel architecture incorporates an eight-way SMP CPU unit, a fast input/output subsystem and a large memory system. Three 100-MHz buses connect via a crossbar switch to the processor unit, I/O and memory. Two of the buses support a set of four CPUs each and the third connects to the I/O subsystem with cache coherency to reduce processor disruption.
Intergraph's Zx10 Server holds two processors and can use up to 8G of RAM. GSA pricing starts at $3,194. |
The modular I/O system will support both legacy 32-bit PCI and new 64-bit PCI cards. Intel has said the Profusion chip set will support all current Pentium III Xeon processors and will also support future Cascades processors.
The Profusion chip set memory interface is a dual-port synchronous design that uses commercially available PC/100 synchronous dynamic RAM on registered dual in-line memory modules for up to 32G maximum memory, with Expanded Subscriber Module-100A supported, in the platform. The memory bandwidth is 800 Mbps per port for a total bandwidth of 1.6 Gbps.
Flexible flyerProfusion is colorblind when it comes to compatibility with operating systems and applications. Most new operating systems, such as Windows 2000 and SCO Unix from the Santa Cruz Operation Inc. of Santa Cruz, Calif., are already optimized for eight-way SMP design, and many new applications have multithreading capabilities that will allow them to easily utilize the benefits of the new architecture.
The Profusion design also provides hardware support for RAID, disk hot-swap and failure detection, dual failover and hot-plug PCI, temperature sensing for system components, redundant power and fans, and error-correcting code.
Along with speed and fault-tolerance, scalability is a major requirement for server buyers. The upgrade path for Intel's Pentium processors is noteworthy, especially in the Pentium III series.
Pentium III comes in two flavors: basic and Xeon. Both the Pentium III and Pentium III Xeon designs incorporate Intel's Streaming Single-Instruction, Multiple-Data Extensions that boost overall performance by maximizing CPU utilization for streaming audio and video, voice recognition and other processor-intensive applications.
IBM's Netfinity 5500, with dual 500-MHz Pentium III processors and 10 hot-swap drive bays, starts at $4,865. |
The Pentium III processors with 512K of Level 2 cache memory are well-suited for fast desktop and entry-level server processing requirements. Most of the dual-processor servers listed here can run at speeds between 600 MHz and 733 MHz and are fast and powerful enough for duty as appliance servers and for some midrange applications work.
The Pentium III Xeon processor is an enhanced version of the basic Pentium III, with more features and cache memory. It is designed mainly for use in midrange and high-end servers. Most current Pentium III Xeon processors operate at 500-MHz or 550-MHz speeds, with even faster versions on the horizon, including a prototype 1-GHz version.
These units come with 1M or 2M of Level 2 cache RAM, meaning they can store up to four times the data on-chip than can Pentium III processors with 512K of Level 2 cache. With greater Level 2 cache storage capacity comes greater speed, as cache memory gets data to the processor much more rapidly than data stored on a disk or in RAM.
Pentium III Xeon processors also feature the Extended Server Memory Architecture, which allows applications to store up to 32G of main memory'soon to be 64G'greatly surpassing the 4G memory limit of NT.
Users worried about upgrading their 32-bit Profusion Pentium III Xeon system to Intel's forthcoming 64-bit platforms such as Merced, which is due later this year, or later designs such as McKinley, Madison and Deerfield, might not have much cause for concern.
A white paper from the Aberdeen Group in Boston suggests that the release of the Profusion eight-way architecture is part of a larger, long-range road map for the Intel architecture; users wanting eight-way capability will not be hurt in the long run if they buy now rather than wait.
J.B. Miles of Pahoa, Hawaii, writes about communications and computers.| Vendor | Product | Pentium III processors | Board design | Memory (standard/ maximum) | Hot-swap drive bays | Expansion slots | Price |
Acer America Corp.
San Jose, Calif.
408-432-6200
www.acer.com | Altos 9100B | 500-MHz | Dual | 256M/1G | Eight | Five PCI, two ISA | $3,280 up |
| Altos 12000 Model 9550 | 550-MHz Xeon | Dual | 512M/2G | Eight | Five PCI, one PCI/ISA | $5,959 up |
| Altos 21000 Model 9550 | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 512M/4G | Eight | Six PCI, One PCI/ISA | $8,200 up |
Amdahl Corp.
Sunnyvale, Calif.
703-648-0301
www.amdahl.com | Teamserver M890ie | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 256M/8G | Eight | 10 PCI, one PCI/ISA | $38,288 |
| Teamserver L890ie | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 256M/4G | Eight | Six PCI, One PCI/ISA | $31,471 |
| Teamserver G870ie | 550-MHz | Dual | 512M/2G | Eight | Six PCI | $9,061 |
| Teamserver C870ix | 600-MHz | Dual | 128M/1G | Three | Three PCI, two ISA | $3,089 |
| Teamserver HS900 | 550-MHz Xeon | Eight-way | 256M/32G | Eight | Four PCI, six PCI/ISA (hot-plug) | $49,868 |
AST Research Inc.
Irvine, Calif.
310-407-2600
www.ast.com | Premium 2000 | 500-MHz | Dual | 128M/1G | Six | Three PCI, two ISA | $3,525 up |
Boldata Technologies Inc.
Fremont, Calif.
800-923-2653
www.boldata.com | CSS 5000 | 550-MHz Xeon | Dual | 128M/1G | Six | Three PCI, two ISA | $2,989 to $4,089 |
| CSS 9000 | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 128M/2G | Six | Three PCI, two ISA | $6,099 to $9,559 |
Compaq Computer Corp.
Houston
281-370-0670
www.compaq.com | ProLiant DL380R | 733-MHz | Dual | 128M/4G | Six | Four PCI | $4,865 GSA |
| ProLiant 5500R | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 256M/4G | Four | Five PCI, one PCI/ISA (hot-plug) | $6,720 GSA |
| ProLiant 6400R | 500-MHz Xeon | Quad | 128M/4G | Four | Five PCI, one PCI/ISA (hot-plug) | $7,636 GSA |
| ProLiant 8500 | 550-MHz Xeon | Eight-way | 256M/8G | Four | 11 PCI | $13,887 GSA |
CSS Laboratories Inc.
Irvine, Calif.
949-852-8161
www.csslabs.com | MaxPro 1100 Xeon | 550-MHz Xeon | Dual | 128M/2G | Eight | Five PCI, two ISA, one AGP | $8,554 GSA |
| MaxPro 1500 Xeon | 550-MHz Xeon | Dual | 128M/2G | 11 | Five PCI, two ISA, one AGP | $8,911 GSA |
| PowerPro HS Xeon | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 128M/4G | Six | Six PCI, one PCI/ISA | $11,710 GSA |
Cubix Corp.
Carson City, Nev.
775-888-1000
www.cubix.com | Z Model Option 1 | 550-MHz | Dual | 64M/2G | Three | Four PCI | $6,582 up |
| Z Model Option 2 | 550-MHz | Quad | 128M/2G | Three | Four PCI | $8,574 up |
| RR Model Option 1 | 550-MHz | Dual | 64M/2G | Three | Four PCI | $8,484 up |
| RR Model Option 2 | 550-MHz | Quad | 128M/2G | Three | Four PCI | $10,934 up |
Data General Corp.
Westboro, Mass.
508-898-5000
www.dg.com | AV 1400 | 700-MHz | Dual | 256M/2G | Four | Four PCI | $5,117 |
| AV 2700R | 600-MHz | Dual | 64M/1G | Six | Seven PCI | $4,477 GSA |
| AV 3700R | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 128M/4G | Six | Seven PCI | $7,165 GSA |
| AV 3704R | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 128M/4G | Six | Seven PCI | $8,957 GSA |
| AV 8900 | 550-MHz Xeon | Eight-way | 256M/16G | Two | 10 PCI | $21,117 GSA |
Dell Computer Corp.
Round Rock, Texas
512-338-4400
www.dell.com | PowerEdge 4300 | 500-MHz | Dual | 512M/2G | Eight | Four PCI, two PCI/ISA | $13,080 |
| PowerEdge 4400 | 600-MHz | Dual | 512M/2G | Eight | Four PCI, two PCI/ISA | $11,648 |
| PowerEdge 6300 | 550-MHz Xeon | Quad | 256M/4G | Eight | Four PCI, two PCI/ISA | $19,495 |
| PowerEdge 8450 | 550-MHz Xeon | Eight-way | 512M/16G | Eight | Four PCI, two PCI/ISA | $53,465 |
DTK Computer Inc.
Chantilly, Va.
703-222-9194
www.dtkcomputer.com | Cosmos NT Server | 600-MHz | Dual | 128M/2G | Five | Six PCI, one ISA | $1,281 up |
Gateway Inc.
San Diego
800-846-4208
www.gateway.com | ALR 7200 | 500-MHz | Dual | 64M/1G | Three | Six PCI, one PCI/ISA | $2,439 up |
| ALR 7300 | 500-MHz Xeon | Dual | 64M/1G | Three | Six PCI, one PCI/ISA | $2,799 up |
| ALR 8200r | 500-MHz | Dual | 64M/1G | Six | Six PCI, one ISA, one PCI/ISA | $2,699 to $3,744 |
| ALR 9200r | 500-MHz Xeon | Quad | 128M/4G | Six | Six PCI, one PCI/ISA | $6,099 to $7,144 |
Vendor |
Product |
Pentium III processors |
Board design |
Memory (standard/ maximum) |
Hot-swap drive bays |
Expansion slots |
Price |
Hewlett-Packard Co.
Palo Alto, Calif.
650-857-1501
www.hp.com |
NetServer LC 2000/2000r |
733-MHz |
Dual |
128M/4G |
Six |
Six PCI |
$3,789 up |
NetServer LH 3000/3000r |
733-MHz |
Dual |
128M/4G |
12 |
Eight PCI |
$4,619 up |
NetServer LH 3 & 3r |
600-MHz |
Dual |
128M/1G |
12 |
Eight PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$4,379 up |
NetServer LH 4 & 4r |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/4G |
12 |
Eight PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$8,559 up |
NetServer LXr 8000 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/8G |
12 |
Nine PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$15,070 up |
NetServer LXr 8500 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Eight-way |
256M/8G |
12 |
Nine PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$20,660 UP |
IBM Corp.
Armonk, N.Y.
914-765-1900
www.ibm.com |
Netfinity 3500 M10 Part No. |
600-MHz |
Dual |
128M/1G |
Eight |
Six PCI/ISA |
$2,379 up |
Netfinity 4000R Part No. 865222Y |
500-MHz |
Dual |
1G/2G |
Four |
Two PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$7,345 up |
Netfinity 5000 Part No. 86598RY |
700-MHz |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Five |
Five PCI |
$3,589 up |
Netfinity 5500 Part No. 86607SU |
550-MHz |
Dual |
256M /1G |
10 |
Seven PCI |
$4,865 up |
Netfinity 5500M10 Part No. 86615RY |
550-MHz |
Quad |
256M/2G |
10 |
Seven PCI |
$7,095 up |
Netfinity 5500 M20 Part No. 86624RY |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256KM/4G |
10 |
Six PCI |
$9,889 up |
Netfinity 5600 Part No. 86643RY |
667-MHz |
Dual |
256M/4G |
10 |
Five PCI |
$5,045 up |
Netfinity 7000 M10 Part No. 86803SY |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/8G |
Six |
12 PCI (hot-plug) |
$14,745 up |
Netfinity 8500R Part No. 86816RY |
550-MHz Xeon |
Eight-way |
256M/16G |
Two |
12 PCI (hot-plug) |
$20,409 up |
Intergraph Federal Systems
Huntsville, Ala.
800-747-2232
www.intergraph.com |
Zx1 Server |
700-MHz |
Dual |
256M/1G |
Three |
Four PCI, one PCI/ISA, one ISA, one AGP |
$4,712 up GSA |
Zx10 Server |
750-MHz |
Dual |
256M/8G |
Three |
Six PCI, one AGP |
$3,194 up GSA |
Ion Computer Systems Inc.
Hauppauge, N.Y.
631-630-0600
www.ioncomputers.com |
CC440GX+ Server |
550-MHz Xeon |
Dual |
64M/1G |
Six |
Six PCI |
$3,475 up |
AC450NX Server |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
128M/8G |
Two |
10 PCI |
$12,910 |
Micron PC Inc.
Meridian, Idaho
888-208-1937
www.micronpc.com |
NetFrame 5200 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$5,199 up |
NetFrame 6200 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/4G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$9,449 up |
NetFrame 9200 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/8G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$13,999 up |
NEC Computers Inc.
Sacramento, Calif.
888-446-8632
www.nec-computers.com |
Express5800 LS 2400 |
550-MHz |
Dual |
128M/1G |
Four |
Three PCI, one ISA |
$1,700 up GSA |
Express5800 LS 120Ld |
533-MHz |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Four |
Three PCI, one ISA |
$2,629 up GSA |
Express5800 MC2400 |
600-MHz |
Dual |
256M/2G |
Four |
Three PCI, one ISA |
$4,464 up GSA |
Express5800 120Mc2 |
733-MHz |
Dual |
256M/4G |
Four |
Six PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$4,920 up GSA |
Express5800 HX 4600 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/4G |
Eight |
10 PCI (8 hot- plug), 1 PCI/ISA |
$11,396 up GSA |
Express5800 MH4500 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/4G |
Six |
Seven PCI, one ISA |
$6,828 up GSA |
PC Club
City of Industry, Calif.
626-913-2582
www.pcclub.com |
Enpower EN992-PO5 |
500-MHz |
Dual |
128M/1G |
Five |
Five PCI, one ISA |
$2,199 up |
Enpower EN992-X06 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$4,299 up |
Enpower EN993-X04 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
128M/4G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$6,259 up |
Perifitech
Hinckley, Ohio
330-278-2070
www.perifitech.com |
Aerial Dual Xeon Superserver |
550-MHz Xeon |
Dual |
128M/2G |
12 |
Six PCI, one ISA, one AGP, one PCI/ISA |
$8,129 |
Aerial Quad Xeon Superserver |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
512M/4G |
23 |
Seven PCI, one ISA, one PCI/ISA |
$17,999 |
Polywell Computers Inc.
S. San Francisco, Calif.
650-583-7222
www.polywell.com |
PolyServer 450NX4 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
128M/4G |
Nine |
Seven PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$9,995 up |
PolyServer 450NX9 |
500-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
128M/4G |
Four |
Seven PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$9,995 up |
Vendor |
Product |
Pentium III processors |
Board design |
Memory (standard/ maximum) |
Hot-swap drive bays |
Expansion slots |
Price |
Quantex Microsystems Inc.
Somerset, N.J.
732-563-4166
www.quantex.com |
QX5000 |
750-MHz |
Dual |
128M/1G |
Five |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$2,599 |
QX6200 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$4,099 up |
QX6400 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
512M/8G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$6,999 up |
SGI
Mountain View, Calif.
650-960-1980
www.sgi.com |
1200 |
700-MHz |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Four |
Two PCI |
$3,881 up |
1400M |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
128M/4G |
Six |
Seven PCI |
$8,584 up |
Tangent Computer Inc.
Burlingame, Calif.
888-826-4368
www.tangent.com |
ProServ 1200 |
600-MHz |
Dual |
128M/1G |
Five |
Four PCI, two ISA |
$2,370 up |
ProServ 1400 |
600-MHz |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Five |
Four PCI, two ISA |
$2,841 up |
ProServ 1600 |
600-MHz |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Five |
Four PCI, two ISA |
$2,823 up |
ProServ 2000 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Dual |
128M/2G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$6,714 up |
ProServ 3000 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/4G |
Six |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$9,420 up |
ProServ 5000 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/8G |
Nine |
Six PCI |
$16,864 up |
Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.
Irvine, Calif.
949-583-3000
www.csd.toshiba.com |
Magnia 3010 |
600-MHz |
Dual |
128M/1G |
Four |
Three PCI, one PCI/ISA, one ISA |
$2,375 up |
Magnia 5010 |
550-MHz |
Dual |
128M/1G |
12 |
Three PCI, one PCI/ISA, one ISA |
$4,503 up |
Magnia 5100 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Dual |
256M/2G |
12 |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$6,441 up |
Magnia 7010 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/4G |
12 |
Six PCI, one ISA |
$12,690 up |
Unisys Corp.
McLean, Va.
703-556-5029
www.unisys.com |
Aquanta ES2043 |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/4G |
Six |
Six PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$4,800 up |
Aquanta ES2085R |
550-MHz Xeon |
Eight-way |
512M/32G |
Two |
10 PCI |
$19,000 up |
Aquanta ES5043/ ES5043R |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/4G |
Six |
Six PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$5,550 up |
Aquanta ES5045/ ES5045R |
550-MHz Xeon |
Quad |
256M/8G |
12 |
10 PCI, one PCI/ISA |
$8,200 to $9,700 |
Aquanta ES5085R |
550-MHz Xeon |
Eight-way |
1G/32G |
Two |
10 PCI |
$19,700 up |