Compaq BL10e - HP ProLiant - 512 MB RAM Technical manual

ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 6
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ISS Technolo
g
y Update
Volume 8, Number 6
Keeping you informed of the latest ISS technology
Recently published industry standard server technology papers ..............................................................1
Understanding and interpreting SPECpower_ssj2008 results ....................................................................2
Effective data rate of SAS Technology ......................................................................................................4
New feature in HP Integrated VMware ESXi 4.0 adds support for Smart Array and network devices ......5
Meet the Expert—Jeff Plank.....................................................................................................................6
Contact us ...............................................................................................................................................7
Recently published industry standard server technology papers
Title URL
Conveniently integrating HP ProLiant Lights-Out processors
with Microsoft® Active Directory
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c001905
41/c00190541.pdf
Integrated Lights-Out technology: Enhancing the
manageability of ProLiant Servers, 7th edition
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c002573
45/c00257345.pdf
Selecting power cords and jumper cables for use with HP
ProLiant and BladeSystem servers, 3rd edition
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c001307
29/c00130729.pdf
Technologies in HP ProLiant G6 c-Class server blades with
AMD Opteron™ processors
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c018745
75/c01874575.pdf
Technology and architecture of HP ProLiant AMD-based
300-series G6 (Generation 6) servers
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c018893
04/c01889304.pdf
Using the HP Plinth Kit for seismic anchoring of HP
10000 G1 series racks
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c002514
18/c00251418.pdf
HP ProLiant DL580 G5 server technology http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c018910
77/c01891077.pdf
Implementing Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 on HP
ProLiant servers
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c016395
94/c01639594.pdf

ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 6
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Understanding and interpreting SPECpower_ssj2008 results
Server benchmarks have traditionally focused almost entirely on server performance. As server power consumption and
efficiency have become increasingly important issues, the need for objective and reproducible measures of server performance
relative to power consumption has also become important. In late 2007, the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation
(SPEC) introduced the first SPECpower benchmark (SPECpower_ssj2008) to address this emerging need. SPEC is a non-profit
corporation formed to establish, maintain and endorse a standardized set of benchmarks for high-performance computers.
SPEC is supported by its member organizations which includes HP.
Structure of the SPECpower_ssj2008
The SPECpower_ssj2008 benchmark measures server performance in relation to its power consumption. The benchmark allows
the use of various accepted power analyzers to measure the server’s power draw. The benchmark harness is a program that
receives power data electronically without human intervention. The program launches the workload and collects power and
thermal sensor measurements. It then post-processes and reports performance, thermal, and power data.
SPECpower_ssj2008 workload
SPECpower_ssj2008 uses a server side Java (ssj) workload to generate work for the server and to measure the compute
performance. This workload met SPEC’s requirements:
It is scalable and multi-threaded.
It is portable across a wide range of operating environments.
It can be run quickly and efficiently at minimal cost.
Using a graduated workload to measure performance
SPECpower_ssj2008 uses a graduated workload to measure server performance and multiple target loads. With this
methodology, the server performance and power consumption are measured at eleven different levels of server utilization for a
fixed period of time (240 seconds). This provides a more complete picture of the server’s performance and power consumption
across a range of operating conditions.
For example, the benchmark results for the HP ProLiant DL385 G6 are shown in Table 1-1. The results include the server
performance and power consumption at eleven different levels from zero to one hundred percent load. Zero percent load
represents the active idle state of the server. The result is a performance-to-power ratio calculated for each ten percent increment
of server load.
Table 1-1. Published SPECpower_ssj2008 result - Power performance and power summary for the HP ProLiant DL385 G6
Target Load Actual Load Server side Java
Operations (ssj_ops)
Average active power
(watts)
Performance to Power Ratio
100% 99.4% 535,814 260 2,062
90% 89.7% 483,541 246 1,962
80% 80.0% 431,269 234 1,847
70% 70.1% 377,831 220 1,715
60% 60.2% 324,171 207 1,565
50% 50.0% 269,338 194 1,386
40% 39.7% 213,708 181 1,181
30% 29.7% 160,021 168 953

ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 6
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20% 20.1% 108,342 153 710
10% 10.0% 54,143 134 403
Active idle 0 124 0
Overall operations per watt 1,394
Calculating and interpreting SPECpower_ssj2008 results
The SPECpower_ssj2008 benchmark generates a final metric that is the overall operations-per-watt. This number is calculated
by adding together the number of Java operations performed at each target load and dividing this number by the sum of the
power consumptions at each target load. Thus, the overall operations-per-watt is an equally weighted average of the
performance to power ratio taken across the entire operating range of the server.
Overall operations-per-watt is useful for a general comparison of performance and power between servers; however, it may be
too broad a metric when considering specific application scenarios or utilization levels. If it is known that a server will be used
in a heavily loaded environment, it is more important to compare the performance-to-power ratios of the server at higher
utilizations and not focus as much on the overall performance–per-watt value.
SPEC Power futures
The SPECpower_ssj2008 is a relatively new, but increasingly important benchmark, and it continues to evolve. Version 1.10 of
the benchmark, announced in April 2009, has added support for server blade configurations. SPEC has also published
SPECweb2009, which is a power-oriented version of the SPECweb benchmark. Further developments in this area will be
happening relatively quickly since power efficiency in the data center remains an important topic.
To contact an HP spec representative, click here: [email protected].
Additional resources
For additional information on the topics discussed in this article, visit the following websites:
Source Email / Hyperlink
SPEC.org
SPECpower_ssj2008 main page
http://www.spec.org/power_ssj2008/
HP ProLiant Servers
Benchmarks page
http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/benchmark
s/index.html

ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 6
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Effective data rate of SAS Technology
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) uses differential signaling to transfer data over a physical link, or phy. This reduces the effects of
capacitance, inductance, and noise experienced by parallel SCSI at higher speeds. SAS communication is full duplex, which
means that each phy can send and receive information simultaneously over the two wire pairs.
SAS encodes (embeds) the clock signals into the data stream, which eliminates the skew problem with aligning data and clock
signals experienced by parallel SCSI buses. SAS communication requires a device called a serializer/deserializer (SerDes) to
convert parallel data into a serial bit stream and vice versa. The SerDes chip contains a parallel digital interface, First-In-First-
Out (FIFO) caches, an 8 bit/10 bit (8b/10b) encoder and decoder, a serializer, and a deserializer (see Figure 2-1).
Figure 2-1. The SerDes chip converts 8-bit parallel data to 10-bit serial data.
The 8b/10b encoder converts each 8-bit data byte to a 10-bit transmission character as it embeds the clocking information into
the data stream. This adds about 20 percent embedded overhead to the data stream, which is why the effective data rate of
SAS (and SATA) communications is calculated as follows:
Effective data rate = Physical link rate × 0.8
As such, the effective data transfer rates for SAS technologies (per direction) are listed in Table 2-1. The SAS interface allows
data transfer to be scaled by using a combination of multiple physical links to create two connections (2x, 3x, 4x, or 8x) per
port.
Table 2-1. Physical link rates and effective data transfer rates per direction
Physical link rate Generation Effective Data Rate* 4x links
1.5 Gbps SAS-1, SAS-1.1 150 MB/s 600 MB/s
3 Gbps SAS-1, SAS-1.1 300 MB/s 1200 MB/s
6 Gbps SAS-2, SAS-2.1 600 MB/s 2400 MB/s
*Effective Data Rate shown is converted to bytes.

ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 6
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New feature in HP Integrated VMware ESXi 4.0 adds support for Smart Array
and network devices
New HP CIM providers are now available for ESXi 4. The new providers contain all of the server inventory, alerting and status
support that was available for ESXi 3.5, and adds corresponding support for Smart Array and network devices. This new
management data is reported to HP Systems Insight Manager (SIM) along with the server data that was previously available.
These new providers give the user additional functionality:
View detailed storage health information from HP-SIM. This includes Smart Array controllers, internal drive cages, external
storage enclosures, data and spare drive information, and logical volume information.
Send CIM indications on status changes and prefailure notifications for Smart Array to HP SIM.
View information on the network subsystem including Ethernet ports, statistics, port link status, IP and Mac addresses.
View basic HP Smart Array health information in vCenter.
When the HP integrated ESXi 4.0 image is installed from the ISO, the providers are installed, as well. When installing the
VMware ESXi image, the HP Offline Bundle must be used to install the providers. In either case, the offline bundle can be used
to install HP providers for the first time or to upgrade existing HP providers.
The HP ESXi Offline Bundle and installation instructions are available from the HP website:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=15351&prodS
eriesId=1121516&prodNameId=3288134&swEnvOID=4040&swLang=8&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=MTX-
25f06077ad5541f5a962dd2a69.
For more information on the offline bundle, refer to the HP Offline Bundle section.
The integrated image is available from SW Depot at www.hp.com/go/esxidownload.
HP Offline Bundle
Figure 3-1. Contents of the offline bundle
The capability for new components to be added to a generic Integrated
VMware ESXi 4 installation utilizes vSphere Installation Bundles (VIBs).
These are packages that contain the files required to distribute modules on
ESX. The modules can be added to VMware ESXi 4 using the VMware
update technology. The provider VIB and other HP supporting VIBs are part
of the HP Offline Bundle.
An offline bundle (Figure 3-1) is a single .zip file that is used for software
distribution. It contains a metadata.zip file, containing bulletins, and all the
VIBs to which the bulletins refer. The bulletins allow grouping of VIBs into a
logical group; for example, one bulletin might contain all VIBs that solve
one particular problem or provide the same enhancement.
Product and pricing information
The HP ProLiant servers that are certified with VMware ESXi 4.0 are listed on the HP website
http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/us/en/servers/4x-servers.html.

ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 6
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Meet the Expert—Jeff Plank
Jeff Plank is a Master Technologist with the Chief Technology Office (CTO) for HP
Industry Standard Servers (ISS). The qualifications to become a Master
Technologist range from having a major technical impact on the strategic direction
of HP to addressing unmet customer needs.
Jeff’s manager, Greg Huff, says that Jeff combines traditional engineering
knowledge with rare skills such as IP creation, IP licensing, and contract
negotiation. Jeff unites those skills with his “near infinite patience and persistence
in dealing with roadblocks and impediments.”
Jeff’s hobbies—backpacking, hiking, fishing, spelunking, and Boy Scouts—help
him clear his mind and improve his focus at work. He especially likes helping
young people learn leadership skills to achieve their goals. He and his wife, Tina,
have two boys, Kyle (17), an Eagle Scout, and Ryan (14). The entire family is
heavily involved in band, Scouts, and preparation for college.
Always fascinated by how things work
Jeff has always enjoyed figuring out how things work. His fascination with
software started when he learned programming on his high school’s Apple II
computers. He particularly liked to find “the absolute minimum flexible code set to
accomplish the assigned task.” That experience inspired him to obtain his
computer science and software engineering degrees in college and graduate
school.
Having a major technical impact at HP
Master Technologists make multiple major contributions over time. One of Jeff’s
contributions (his favorite) occurred in 2000 with his first product launch, the development of HP Windows NAS business. HP
was the first to market with a Windows Storage Server product. At the time, it was state-of-the-art, with an initial offering of
~1.5 terabytes of capacity in 4 storage cabinets. In comparison, 2 TB will fit on a single disk drive today.
Name: Jeff Plank
Title: Master Technologist, CTO, ISS
Years at HP: 18
University: Austin College, BA in
Computer Science and Math
Texas A&M, MS in Software Engineering
US Patents: 2 Active Applications
Name: Jeff Plank
Title: Master Technologist, CTO, ISS
Years at HP: 18
University: Austin College, BA in
Computer Science and Math
Texas A&M, MS in Software Engineering
US Patents: 2 Active Applications
Addressing unmet customer needs
In the CTO, Jeff and others spend a great deal of time listening to customers’ concerns, business problems, and their future
directions. From this information, technologists design the hardware, software, and solutions that their customers will need. Jeff
says one forum that enables such collaboration is the Technology Advisory Council. TAC allows HP technologists to meet
globally with various system architects who help the technologists make design choices for future solutions.
What he thinks customers should know
Jeff believes that in the next 8 to 10 years, solid state memory will undergo tremendous changes in its underlying properties.
With future development, solid state memory devices, currently in solid state drives and PCIe cards, have the potential to
dramatically modify the power consumption, cost, performance, and physical space that traditional rotational media currently
occupies.

ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 6
Legal Notices
© Copyright 2009Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to
change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty
statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an
additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
Industry standard server technical papers can be found at www.hp.com/servers/technology.
Contact us
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