Sunfire V480 Instruction Manual

Sun FireTM V480 Server
Just the Facts
SunWIN token #333632
September 2002
Version 2.7
Notice: This document continues to be restricted to internal usage only because of
references to internal web pages. With the removal of these references, selected
sections of the document may be provided to customers and/or selling channels as
required. Competitive information and relative positioning should always remain as
internal documentation only.

Copyrights
©2000, 2001 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Table of Contents
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Sun FireTM V480 Server Positioning.................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................1
Product Family Placement .................................................................................................................................2
Key Features and Benefits..................................................................................................................................5
Key Messages......................................................................................................................................................6
Availability of Product .......................................................................................................................................7
Target Users.........................................................................................................................................................7
Target Industries..................................................................................................................................................7
Target Applications.............................................................................................................................................8
Selling Highlights ................................................................................................................................................. 9
Market Value Proposition...................................................................................................................................9
Enabling Technology ........................................................................................................................................... 10
UltraSPARCTM III Microprocessors.................................................................................................................10
SunTM Fireplane Interconnect (System Bus)....................................................................................................11
FC-AL Storage Controller ...............................................................................................................................11
Automatic System Recovery (ASR) ...............................................................................................................12
Remote System Control (RSC) and System Service Processor (SSP)..........................................................12
System Architecture...............................................................................................................................................13
Dual Processor/Memory Modules....................................................................................................................14
Memory Subsystem...........................................................................................................................................15
I/O Subsystem Architecture.............................................................................................................................16
Internal Disk Subsystem...................................................................................................................................17
Control Panel.....................................................................................................................................................19
Power Distribution System...............................................................................................................................20
Environmental Monitoring and Control (EM&C) System.............................................................................20
System Rackmounting Kit................................................................................................................................21
Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS)........................................................................................22
Installation Data......................................................................................................................................................24
Hardware Dimensions............................................................................................................................24
Environment.................................................................................................................................................24
Power Requirements...............................................................................................................................24
Temperature............................................................................................................................................25
Noise ......................................................................................................................................................25
BTU/Heat-load Data...............................................................................................................................25
Humidity (noncondensing).....................................................................................................................25
Regulatory...............................................................................................................................................25
Requirements and Configuration...........................................................................................................................26
System Requirements........................................................................................................................................26
Licensing/Usage................................................................................................................................................26
Operating System Environment..............................................................................................................26
Upgrades to Solaris 8 from Previous Versions.......................................................................................26
System Management...............................................................................................................................................27
System Administration......................................................................................................................................27
OpenBoot Diagnostics..................................................................................................................................28
OpenBoot Firmware.....................................................................................................................................28
Power On Self Test (POST).........................................................................................................................29
ShowMe How Software: State of the Art Installation and Maintenance Instruction...............................29
Solaris Bandwidth Manager Software........................................................................................................29
Solaris Management Console Software......................................................................................................30
Solaris Resource Manager Software...........................................................................................................30
Solaris WBEM Services..............................................................................................................................32
Solaris Web Start Software..........................................................................................................................32
Solaris Web Start Wizards Software...........................................................................................................32
Solstice CMIP Software..............................................................................................................................33
Solstice DiskSuite Software........................................................................................................................33
Sun Cluster Software....................................................................................................................................34
Sun Enterprise Authentication Mechanism (SEAM) Software.................................................................34
Sun Management Center Software..............................................................................................................36
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SunScreen Secure Net Software..................................................................................................................37
SunScreen SPF-200 Software......................................................................................................................37
VERITAS NetBackup Software.................................................................................................................38
Sun StorEdge Instant Image Software........................................................................................................38
Sun StorEdge LibMON Software...............................................................................................................39
VERITAS Volume Manager (VxVM) Software .................................................................................... 39
SunVTS Software ........................................................................................................................................40
VERITAS File System Software................................................................................................................40
Performance Benchmarks—Reference.......................................................................................................40
Ordering Information.............................................................................................................................................41
Standard Configurations...................................................................................................................................42
Assemble to Order Configurations...................................................................................................................42
Memory Configurations....................................................................................................................................43
Expandability...............................................................................................................................................43
Storage Configuration Guidelines....................................................................................................................43
Host Bus Adapters.......................................................................................................................................43
Storage Configurations and Support..........................................................................................................44
FC-AL loops................................................................................................................................................44
Multipathing and Benefits...........................................................................................................................44
Multipathing to the Internal Storage Array (with dual controllers)..........................................................44
Multipathing to External Arrays (with dual controllers)...........................................................................44
Software Requirements to Implement Multipathing..................................................................................45
RAID Implementation.................................................................................................................................45
SCSI Storage................................................................................................................................................46
RAID Host Bus Adapters............................................................................................................................46
USB Ports and Devices................................................................................................................................46
Options...............................................................................................................................................................47
Upgrades..................................................................................................................................................................52
Sun Upgrade Allowance Program PLUS (UAP PLUS).................................................................................52
Key Messages....................................................................................................................................................52
How To Order...................................................................................................................................................53
Allowance Code Numbering Scheme........................................................................................................53
Upgrade Paths....................................................................................................................................................53
Memory Configurations:.............................................................................................................................54
Software Upgrade Ordering.............................................................................................................................54
Service and Support...............................................................................................................................................55
Warranty............................................................................................................................................................57
Education...........................................................................................................................................................57
Professional Services........................................................................................................................................57
Glossary..................................................................................................................................................................58
Materials Abstract..................................................................................................................................................60
Competitive Information........................................................................................................................................61
Point - Counterpoint..........................................................................................................................................65
Where the Sun Fire V480 is the Ideal Solution...............................................................................................67
Where the Sun Fire V480 is not the Ideal Solution........................................................................................67
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Sun FireTM V480 Server Positioning
Figure 1: Sun FireTM V480 Server, front view
Introduction
Exceptional Processing Power in a Compact Footprint
The Sun FireTM V480 server is the latest member of Sun’s powerful line of servers for enterprise network computing based
on the UltraSPARCTM processor technology. This next-generation workgroup server brings multiprocessing power, Fibre
Channel disk drives, and the industry-standard Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) I/O bus to a highly modular, rack
optimized 5RU (rack unit) design. A standard 72” height Sun StorEdge rack contains 36 usable rack units and may
support up to seven(depending upon configuration) Sun FireTM V480 servers.
The Sun FireTM V480 server gives customers the flexibility to scale their processing needs without wasting precious space,
making it an ideal server for service providers, financial institutions, compute-intensive environments, or anyone who
needs strong processing power in a small footprint. Furthermore, Sun’s commitment to high-performance computing
means the Sun FireTM V480 server delivers increasing levels of outstanding performance that users expect from Sun
servers, while at the same time preserving 100 percent binary compatibility with application software.
The Sun FireTM V480 Server may be configured with two or four processors running SolarisTM 8. Processors run at 900
MHz and must be added in pairs with 1 GB to 8 GB of local memory per processor. All memory is accessible by any
processor. The Sun FireTM V480 server supports up to 32 GB of main memory, two internal, 36-GB or 73-GB Fibre
Channel hard drives, and six PCI slots connected to two high-performance PCI I/O busses. The Sun FireTM V480 server is
designed to satisfy any application or enterprise where compute density at an affordable price is a high priority.
The SunFireplaneTM Interconnect is a 9.6 GB/s cross-bar switch which interconnects processors and local memory with the
I/O subsystem. This interconnect/bus was designed to minimize latency and provide maximum throughput, regardless
whether the workload is compute intensive, I/O intensive or a combination thereof.
The I/O subsystem throughput is based upon industry standard PCI buses and interface modules which provide up to 1.2
GB/s of I/O. On-board/integrated controllers include a Fibre Channel disk controller, two 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet
interfaces, an internal IDE bus for the DVD, a RJ-45 serial port and two USB ports.
The Remote System Control module provides remote power cycling, monitoring and administration capabilities
independent of the Solaris operating environment. With the emphasis on availability and reliability through its feature set,
the Sun FireTM V480 Server is a prudent choice for many mission critical applications.
Sun FireTM V480 Server Sept. 26, 2002
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The Sun Fire V480 server continues Sun’s drive to deliver industry-standard PCI I/O, enabling access to hundreds of
expansion and networking options. In addition, two of the Sun Fire V480 server PCI slots are 66MHz, ideal for high-
performance networking or connectivity to external storage. Some key applications are:
• E-mail services, web serving, Internet gateway, search engines, and encryption
• DNS, HTTP, and FTP services
• Financial services applications
• On-line transaction processing (OLTP) and electronic commerce (Netgravity, Broadvision,
and Lawson)
• Simulation and compute farms\(EDA)
Product Family Placement
The Sun FireTM V480 server is an advanced member of the current workgroup server product family, which scales from the
low-cost, high-performance two-way Sun FireTM 280R, Sun EnterpriseTM 220R, and 250 servers, and up to the four-way
Sun Enterprise 420R and Sun EnterpriseTM 450 servers and finally the eight-way Sun Fire V880.
These systems have several things in common, including:
• The UltraSPARC processor family
• 100 percent binary compatibility from the low end to the high end
• Scalable from the low-end uniprocessor systems to the 106-way Sun Fire 15K server
• Modular, easy-to-swap components
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Server Target Users and Markets
Sun Enterprise 220R
(2 processor UltraSPARC II)
The Sun Enterprise 220R (up to two 450 MHz UltraSPARC II microprocessors) is
designed for customers who require a rackmountable solution at an affordable price. The
target customers for this server are internet, application, and network service providers,
along with financial services, compute farms, or any customer running demanding
applications in space-constrained environments.
Sun Enterprise 250
(2 processor UltraSPARC II)
Designed for customers who are looking for the RAS features of a high end system, but in
an affordable tower package that is also rackmountable. The Sun Enterprise Server 250
server is built to handle the most demanding business critical applications. With its
Remote System Control, users can monitor the system 24x7 from anywhere they have
access via a serial interface, network connection or a dial-up modem.
Sun Enterprise 420R
(4 processor UltraSPARC II)
The Sun Enterprise 420R server is designed for customers who require a rack solution but
also require growth up to four microprocessors. With up to four 450 MHz UltraSPARC II
processors each with 4 MB of external cache, the Sun Enterprise 420R server offers
exceptional processing power in a compact, flexible server package. The target customers
for this server are internet, application, and network service providers, along with
financial services, compute farms, or customers running demanding applications in space-
constrained environments.
Sun Enterprise 450
(4 processor UltraSPARC II)
The Sun Enterprise 450 system's blend of computing power, storage capacity, disk I/O
throughput, and network I/O performance make it perfect for front ending databases from
Oracle, running email applications supporting hundreds and thousands of concurrent
users, and many mission critical client server applications.
Sun FireTM 280R Server
(2 processor UltraSPARC III)
The Sun FireTM 280R (up to two 750MHz, 900 MHz UltraSPARC III microprocessors)
extends the capabilities and performance of the UltraSPARC II based, Sun Enterprise
220R. The target customers for this server remain the same, i.e. internet, application,
network service providers, and financial services.
Sun FireTM V480 Server
(4 processor UltraSPARC III)
Designed to provide the ultimate compute density at an affordable price. With the 900
MHz UltraSPARC III processor with 8 MB of ECC-protected external (L2) cache and the
Sun FireplaneTM Interconnect, the Sun FireTM V480 server offers exceptional processing
power in a compact (5RU) rack optimized server package. The target customers are
internet, application, service providers, along with financial services, compute farms, or
any customers running CPU demanding applications.
Sun FireTM V880 Server
(8 processor UltraSPARC III)
The Sun Fire V880 is a rackmountable tower that is the high-end workgroup server. This
versatile, high performance and reliable server provides a growth path for today's E450
and E3500 customers who require more application scalability, higher performance, and
built in availability and reliability components.
Sun FireTM V480 Server Sept. 26, 2002
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The following chart provides a comparison of the family of Sun Fire Servers.
Sun FireTM 280R Sun FireTM V480 Sun FireTM V880
Product Positioning Low-end Workgroup Server Mid-size Workgroup Server High-end Workgroup Server
Packaging 4 RU rack optimized, 27.25" Depth 5 RU rack optimized, 24" depth Tower or rack mountable
17 R, 32.9" Depth
Typical Environment Data Center Data Center Branch Office, Department or Data
Center
CPUs 1 - 2 2 - 4 2 - 8
Memory (Max.) 8 GB 32 GB 32 GB
System Bus 4.8 GB/sec. 9.6 GB/sec. 9.6 GB/sec.
I/O bandwidth 1.2 GB/sec. 1.2 GB/sec. 1.2 GB/sec.
Internal Storage 146 GB 146 GB 436 GB with 36.4 GB drives
Removable Media 1 slot for a 5.25" rem. media
device DVD ROM only 3 slots for up to three 5.25" rem. media devices
PCI or cPCI slots:
@66 MHz
@33 MHz
4
(no cPCI)
1
3
6
(no cPCI)
2
4
9
(no cPCI)
2
7
Integrated Network 10/100 Ethernet Two 10/100/1000 Ethernet 10/100 and 1 Gbit Ethernet
Input Power (110/240 VAC) 2 Power cords (N+1) 2 Power cords (N+1) 3 Power cords (N+1)
RAS Features Hot swap disks, power supplies,
RSC Hot pluggable disks, hot swap power supplies, RSC, multipathing to
storage and networks, LED indicators
for power, fans, and disks
Hot pluggable disks, PCI slots, fans, hot
swap power supplies, RSC, multipathing
to storage and networks, LED indicators
for power, fans, and disks
Warranty 3 year, on-site, 2nd day service 3 year, on-site, 2nd day service 3 year, on-site, 2nd day service
Minimum O/S Solaris 8 1/01 Solaris 8 2/02 Solaris 8 7/01
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Sun FireTM V480 Server Key Features and Benefits
Features Benefits
 Up to four 900 MHz UltraSPARCTM III processors, each
with 8 MB of ECC-protected external (L2) cache and up
to 8 GB of ECC (error correcting code) memory
•UltraSPARCTM III technology offers better scalability and
enhanced performance as compared to previous
generations of processors
•Space-efficient, rack-optimized 5RU and 24 inch depth
enclosure
 This enclosure offers high compute density giving
customers maximum value per rack unit.
•N+1 power, with separate power cords •A fully configured system can operate on one power
supply; the second power supply is for redundancy only.
Enhances system availability by masking an individual
AC circuit failure.
•Dual 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet interfaces and up to
32GB of memory •Excellent I/O performance and memory capacity makes the Sun Fire V480 server an excellent web, e-commerce,
or EDA server.
•Multipathing to external storage and networks, optional •Higher availability to data and networks as well as
possibly higher bandwidth/throughput. Fewer disruptions
for users means more effective processing.
•Sun Fireplane Interconnect operating at 9.6 GB/sec. •High bandwidth interconnect ensures scalability with
minimal contention and latency between processing and
I/O subsystems
•6 PCI slots (2 at 66 MHz, 64 bit wide and 4 at 33 MHz,
64 bit wide) across two PCI buses •Allows users to configure systems according to their needs with additional network, storage, graphics adapters,
etc. Eliminates contention among peripheral controllers
thereby maximizing processing capabilities.
•Hot plug disks and hot swap power supplies •On-line maintenance and repair enhances system
availability
•Diagnostics and Security •Front and back LED’s for easy quick diagnosis of
system state. Physical security preventing access to
enclosed hardware and preventing initiation of
applications from unauthorized users.
•Automatic System Recovery (ASR) •Monitors key components and automatically configures
around failed components. Enhances availability by
restoring system to operation as quickly as possible.
Minimizes the need for manual intervention.
•Remote System Control (RSC) •Monitors and reports system and component status.
Allows remote management via network, serial or modem
connection. Reduces the overall cost of system
management.
•SunCluster •Enhances availability. Facilitates resource sharing.
•Solaris 8 •Provides full compatibility for binary applications across
the UltraSPARC product line.
Key Messages
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 Rack-optimized chassis design provides modularity for flexibility, maximum system growth, and expansion
potential.
– Offers the flexibility of starting with one dual CPU module and adding a second dual CPU module later as
compute needs grow.
– Provides memory capacity up to 32 GB maximum (16 slots per module using existing 1-GB DIMMs)
– Supports 36-GB or 73-GB drive options (supports 10,000-rpm Fibre Channel disk drives).
– Has expanded front-access capabilities: up to two hot-plug disk drives, power switch, 5.25-inch media bay
for DVD ROM, up to two hot-swap power supplies
– Allows for high I/O expansion with three long and three short, industry-standard PCI bus slots
 High-performance UltraSPARCTM III Processors
– 64 bit SPARCTM architecture running at 900 MHz. Extensible to take advantages of extensions to the
microprocessor family.
– 8 MB of ECC-protected external (L2) cache per processor
– Numerous on-chip caches for enhanced performance
– Binary compatibility with previous SPARCTM processors, thereby providing ease of migration for existing
applications
 Offers 2 or 4-way multiprocessing system based upon dual processor/memory modules
– 9.6 GB/sec., SunTM Fireplane Interconnect (system bus)
– Large and multiple concurrent data accesses from memory, i.e. 512 data bits per access, ECC protected.
– Integrated FC-AL disk subsystem with capacity for two 36 GB or 73 GB disks with optional, secondary FC
loop for higher bandwidth and redundancy
 Integrated Controllers
– Integrated FC-AL disk controller, two 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet ports, RJ-45 serial and two USB ports
– Saves PCI slots for user selectable controllers
– Cost effective, familiar to those from the PC environment
 I/O Subsystem
– 1.2 GB/sec. throughput capability
– All I/O is distributed across four PCI busses. The PCI cards are distributed across two independent PCI
buses to minimize contention among controllers and maximize processing capabilities
– PCI based controllers provide industry standard, economical I/O adapters
 Solaris 8 Operating Environment
– Utilizing the multiprocessor capabilities of the Sun FireTM V480 server, a company can leverage the
performance capabilities of Solaris Operating Environment’s multithreaded application base.
– As a result of Solaris 8 all previous applications developed and running on Solaris 2.6 and Solaris 7 can be
run without recompiling.
– Implementing Sun’s UltraSPARC III processor, memory, and Fireplane Interconnect architecture, a
company will notice the significant improvement in application performance and user productivity.
– Solaris 8 supports superior Reliability/Availability/Serviceability (RAS) for secure, large-scale, e-commerce
applications.
– Binary compatibility with previous releases
Availability of Product
Volume shipments for the Sun FireTM V480 Server are scheduled for Q2CY2002.
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Target Users
The Sun Fire V480 server is a powerful four-way server that provides users the ability to horizontally scale their
environment in a cost-effective manner. The Sun Fire V480 server is designed for users who require raw compute power
and extensive RAS features.
The Sun FireTM V480 Server was designed as a general purpose workgroup server capable of meeting the needs of a wide
range of industry applications, users and environments. This two or four-way multiprocessor, combined with a 9.6
GB/sec. interconnect and 32GB of memory capability, insures scalability for compute-intensive applications. The
integrated, Fibre Channel disk subsystem, two integrated 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet ports and six available PCI slots
provide 1.2 GB/sec. of I/O throughput that can satisfy I/O demanding applications such as EDA and web serving.
Target Industries
Target Markets Applications
Financial Services
 Insurance
 Stock and commodity traders
 Banking
• Equity trading, OLTP, on-line banking
Service Providers
 Internet Service Providers
 Network Providers
 Portals
 Commerce Providers
 Application Service Providers
All aspects of internet capabilities including access, web
hosting, and supporting on-line merchants and service
providers, i.e. order processing, scheduling, call center
tracking, etc.
Manufacturing
 Discrete manufacturing
 Process manufacturing
IT, Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, ERP/MRP
solutions, Supply Chain management, Engineering, Sales &
Marketing, Customer Service, and Electronic Commerce
Telecommunications and Internet
Services Internet HTTP, email, FTP, directory servers, and electronic commerce and message switching
Retail In-store electronic retail systems, merchandising systems,
inventory management, distribution, and electronic
commerce, CRM
Government
 City/municipal
 State/provincial
 Federal/national
Branch office systems, departmental servers, repositories for
public works program documents and engineering plans,
financial records
Healthcare
 Hospitals and Clinics
 HMOs and Managed Care Providers
 Medical equipment OEMs
Satellite office servers, patient records, billing, claims
processing, medical imaging systems, picture archival, and
communications systems
Education Registration and student records, financial aid administration,
academic research
Scientific/Research/Analysis (Compute
Farms)
 EDA
 MCAD
High performance applications, MCAD, EDA, CFD
(computational fluid dynamics), simulation and modeling,
statistical analysis, scientific research, departmental
repositories
Target Applications
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Applications Key Features to Highlight
Database or Digital Media Management
 Outstanding storage connectivity with PCI card.
 Exceptional network connectivity and I/O bandwidth
Distributed Database Access
 Outstanding network connectivity, computing power,
network I/O performance, total system throughput
 Reliability and availability features
Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)
 Balanced computational and I/O capacity
 Storage I/O and Network I/O performance
 Robust development environment
 Scalable operating system
E-mail
Web Mail Services
Internet Gateway
 Connectivity with heterogeneous systems and networks
 Exceptional scalable multithread performance
 Exceptional total system throughput
Decision Support
 Online analytical processing
 Scalable computing power
 Storage connectivity and I/O performance
Groupware, Collaboration
 LotusTM Notes
 Enterprise networking and PC interoperability
 Supports hundreds of UNIX or PC clients
Internet
 Internet Providers
 Application Service Providers
 Secure, reliable and cost effective
 Sun is the leading internet provider, majority of the
servers on the Internet are Sun servers
Inter-operability
 PC Netlink
Compute Intensive
 ECAD
 CFD
 Simulations
 Compute density – 5RU, 24" depth rack based system
 Large memory with low access latency
 High system bandwidth
 Scalability
 Capable of 8GB of memory per processor
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Selling Highlights
Market Value Proposition
 The chassis design with its low profile(5 RU) and shallow depth (24") provides maximum compute density, a company
can better utilize its floor and rack space.
 Utilizing Solaris 8 previous applications developed and running on Solaris 2.6 and Solaris 7 can be run without
recompiling.
 Allows for significant I/O expansion with three long and three short, industry-standard PCI bus slots
 As a result of Sun’s I/O networking, a company will be able to have faster networking throughput that will increase
application performance and user productivity.
 UltraSPARC III extends the processing capabilities beyond previous generations on an individual processor basis. As a
result of the scalability and flexibility of the UltraSPARCTM architecture, a company can better protect its investment in
hardware and software.
 The Sun FireplaneTM Interconnect insures scalability and minimal latency for applications and workloads across the
range of 2 to 4-way multiprocessing systems.
 The integrated dual 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet ports provide the most commonly used interfaces at the lowest cost
without consuming valuable PCI slots.
 Hot pluggable/swappable components such as disks and power supplies help maximize system availability by allowing
maintenance and upgrades to occur during normal operations.
 Remote System Control (RSC) offers sophisticated GUI and command line based remote monitoring, diagnosis and
console access via network/Ethernet, serial port or modem connections.
 Automatic System Recovery (ASR) minimizes the impact of a hard failure by identifying and isolating failed
components and automatically restoring service to users. (e.g. CPU module)
 The Sun FireTM V480 Server is binary compatible with existing Sun servers.
 Supports SunTM Cluster 3.0.
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Enabling Technology
UltraSPARCTM III Microprocessors
The Sun FireTM V480 server is based upon Sun's third generation of 64-bit microprocessor and the SPARCTM V9
UltraSPARCTM architecture. This architecture will enable the performance of future microprocessors with operating
frequencies in excess of 1 GHz to scale proportionately.
Some of the more prominent features of the UltraSPARC III microprocessors which provide enhanced performance and
scalability include:
 High clock rate with minimal latencies
 A deep pipeline
Generally the deeper the pipeline, the higher the penalty incurred from an incorrect branch prediction. Instructions
being processed must be flushed, a new set of instructions must be accessed and started through the sequence of
processing. The UltraSPARC III has a 90+% branch prediction rate using a 16K entry prediction RAM and branch
correlation algorithm. In addition, there is a small amount of alternate path buffering. If a predicted branch is not
taken, the buffering makes a few instructions immediately available, thereby minimizing the penalty.
 On-chip memory controller
 Capable of handling numerous simultaneous accesses with out-of-order completion
 The main memory bus is 512 bits wide and has a peak throughput of 3.2 GB/sec.
 On-chip L2 cache controller with on-chip tag RAM
To reduce latency to the 8 Mbyte L2 (external) cache, both the L2 cache controller and tag RAM reside on the
processor. Since the L2 tag RAM is operating at processor speeds and not the slower L2 cache speed, cache misses are
detected earlier and memory fetch operations may be initiated sooner.
 32 Kbyte, 4-way associative instruction cache
 64 Kbyte, 4-way associative data cache
 Instruction prefetch into a 2 KB instruction prefetch buffer
 4 instructions fetched per cycle
 2 KB fully associative write cache
 This on-chip write cache eliminates up to 90% of the store activity to the L2 (external) cache. As a secondary benefit,
cache coherency operations are accelerated for both the individual processor and the multiprocessor environment.
Since the on-chip L2 cache tags and write cache are both on chip, all operations are managed at chip speed, no external
operations are required. External processors need make a single inquiry for cache coherency.
 Arithmetic and floating point optimizations
 Up to two floating point loads issued per cycle
 Three floating point units (one add/subtract, one multiply, one divide)
 Low latency floating point divider
 Two graphics units (one ALU, one multiply)
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 Address Translation Buffer
These table entries enhance the efficiency of virtual to physical memory address translation. In the UltraSPARC III
processor, the size of the address translation buffer has been geared for large databases such as OracleTM and SybaseTM,
thereby offering an optimized database engine.
 Visual Instruction Set (VIS)
The VIS is a set of extensions to the core instructions which accelerates multimedia, image processing, networking
applications and JavaTM performance. These instructions can also accelerate matrix operations typically found in
intensive engineering applications.
Sun FireplaneTM Interconnect (System Bus)
The Sun FireplaneTM Interconnect (system bus) is a crossbar switch with four ports, one for each of the two dual
processor/memory modules and two for the I/O subsystem, i.e. one for each PCI bridge chip. All ports may operate
simultaneously. The total aggregate bandwidth is 9.6 GB/sec. of sustained throughput.
The system bus is located on the centerplane and on the CPU/memory module.
FC-AL Storage Controller
The Sun Fire V480 Server provides an internal storage subsystem with an integrated Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-
AL) controller supporting a maximum of two 1.0", 10,000 RPM, 36 or 73 GB disks.
Fibre Channel is an industry standard, high-speed, serial data transfer interface. In addition to strong performance
characteristics, FC-AL provides powerful networking capabilities that allow switches and hubs to enhance availability and
bandwidth between systems and storage controllers.
FC-AL is also a high-reliability interconnect. The interface is robust enough to allow multiple devices to be removed from
the loop at once without interruption to on-going services.
FC-AL has the following characteristics:
 Industry standard: FC-AL development effort is part of the ANSI/ISO accredited SCSI-3 standard, helping to avoid the
creation of non-conforming, incompatible implementations.
 Broadly supported: All major system and storage vendors are implementing FC-AL, thereby insuring a wide variety of
choices and inter-operability.
 Facilitates failover: Upon failure of a controller or FC loop, devices are capable of quickly disassociating from the
failure and re-associating with an alternate controller available via a secondary FC loop. This features provides the
capability of masking the outage from applications and users. Clearly, an alternate hardware route/path and optional
software are generally required in order to provide complete transparency to users and applications.
On the Sun FireTM V480 Server, a FC-AL controller is integrated on the centerplane. Multipathing to either the internal
disks or external storage arrays may be provided by the inclusion of an optional PCI to FC-AL controller, cable, and
software which masks the failure of an individual controller to the application. When both paths are operational, improved
performance and throughput may also be possible.
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Automatic System Recovery (ASR)
Upon a system failure, Automatic System Recovery attempts to identify and remove the failed component(s) of a system
in order to restore service as quickly as possible and, to the extent possible.
The components that can be removed from a system via ASR include:
 A memory group (4 DIMMs)
When a given bank is disabled or fails POST, that bank is not considered when the memory interleaving is calculated.
In the highly unlikely event that both memory groups associated with an individual processor are disabled, the system
will still attempt to boot. The processor with failed memory groups will still be able to access all available system
memory.
 A dual-processor/memory module
The failure of an individual processor will result in the removal of an entire dual-processor/memory module and the
associated memory. Consequently, no recovery is possible with a two processor system. Further, this consideration
would encourage relatively equal amounts of memory on all dual-processor/memory modules. Otherwise, the failure
of a module with a disproportionate amount of memory would significantly diminish the total system memory
capacity.
Remote System Control (RSC) and System Service Processor (SSP)
The Sun FireTM V480 Server features a System Service Processor (SSP) and Remote System Control (RSC) software,
enabling complete console access, monitoring and control from remote locations via any client device on the network, a
serial line or modem.
The System Service Processor is a fully independent processor card that resides on the system I/O board. The SSP allows
administrators to remotely query the status of the system, diagnose faults and initiate a system power on/off or reboot.
Because it operates independently from the server, the SSP can constantly monitor a variety of conditions perform the
following:
 View the server's front panel including key switch position and LEDs
 Run diagnostic tests and configure the server remotely
 Monitor and report errors including output from power-on self-test (POST) and OpenBoot Diagnostics
 Reboot, reset, power-on and power-off on demand
 Notify of server problems and enter detailed log entries of RSC events
The RSC card plugs into a dedicated slot on the system I/O board and includes integrated modem, serial and Ethernet
interfaces; it does not occupy a PCI slot. The RSC firmware runs independently from the host. The RSC module uses
standby power drawn from the host system. The RSC module is powered by an independent battery which operates for up
to 30 minutes after a complete power failure.
The RSC hardware and software continue to run even when the server is off-line. It can send notification of hardware
failures or other events to administrators via pager or e-mail.
The card provides three ports that are accessible through an opening in the rear panel of the system:
 10 Mbps Ethernet port via an RJ45 unshielded twisted pair Ethernet (UTP) connector
 56 Kbps modem port via an RJ11 connector
 EIA-232D serial port via an RJ45 connector
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System Architecture
Figure 2: Sun FireTM V480 Server, Block Diagram
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Figure 3: System Components
Dual Processor/Memory Modules
The Sun FireTM V480 server system is comprised of one or two dual-processor/memory modules which insert
perpendicular to the motherboard, The minimum configuration consists of a single dual processor/memory module; the
maximum configuration has two dual processor memory modules. Single processor configurations are not available,
consequently, a system will always contain an even number of UltraSPARC III processors. The result will be either a two
processor or a four processor system.
Each processor has an 8 MB external (L2) cache implemented with eight SRAM devices.
Memory Subsystem
Memory within the Sun FireTM V480 Server is distributed across the dual CPU/memory modules with each processor
controlling a portion of the total memory. In order to minimize latency, the memory controller is integrated on the
processor chip. Latency to non-local memory is substantially less than that incurred by more traditional approaches which
utilize a single, external memory controller for all accesses.
The main memory data bus provides 512 bits of data (64 bytes) and 64 bits of ECC in a single access. This size
corresponds exactly to a full external cache block.
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There are eight DIMM slots per processor; 16 slots per dual processor/memory module. The eight DIMM slots are
arranged as two memory groups of four slots per processor. Each processor may have a different amount of memory.
Configuration requirements state:
 DIMMs must be added in groups of four (no partially populated groups)
 All four DIMMs in any group must be of identical capacity
 The minimum memory configuration per dual processor/memory module is eight DIMMs, four in each memory
subsystem (four per processor)
Memory interleaving is a function of the number of DIMMs and their capacity relative to the other memory groups on the
dual processor/memory module. Interleaving is implemented on a 64 byte boundary to coincide with the width of the
memory data bus. The level of interleaving is implemented as:
 8 DIMMs 4-way if all DIMMs are identical;
otherwise 2-way
 12 DIMMs 4-way between any two groups configured identically
2-way on each group, otherwise
 16 DIMMs 8-way if all DIMMS are identical
4-way between any two groups configured identically
2-way on each group that does not match any other group.
If successive accesses alternate between two distinct logical groups, the sustainable bandwidth is 1.6 GB/sec. When the
access pattern involves four logical groups, the sustainable bandwidth is 2.4 GB/sec.
The currently supported memory options are:
 1 GB Memory Expansion (4 x 256 MB DIMMs)
 2 GB Memory Expansion (4 x 512 MB DIMMs)
 4 GB Memory Expansion (4 x 1 GB DIMMs),
The memory subsystem is capable of supporting up to 4 GB per memory group which would allow a total capacity of 32
GB with a 4-way system.
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AC Recpt. RSC card Serial(RJ45) 2-Ethernet(RJ45) 2-USB AC Recpt.
Figure 4: Chassis Rear View
I/O Subsystem Architecture
The I/O subsystem interfaces to the system bus via two PCI bridge chips, each of which controls one 66 MHz, 64 bit PCI
bus and one 33 MHz, 64 bit PCI bus. One 66 MHz, 64 bit PCI bus is reserved for the integrated FC-AL and a Gbit
Ethernet controller. PCI buses A and B are are connected to PCI Bridge #0; PCI buses C and D with PCI Bridge #1.
(Please refer to Figure 2, Sun FireTM V480 Server, Block Diagram.)
There are a total of six PCI slots available for user selected host bus adapters. Two slots operate at 66 MHz, 64 bits, 3.3 V;
four at 33 MHz, 64 bits, 5 V. The two 66 MHz slots and one 33 MHz slot accept adapters, either 64 or 32 bits wide, and
full length (12") cards. The other three 33 MHz slots accept short (7") cards.
However, if a 33 MHz adapter is inserted into either of the 66 MHz slots, it will cause that bus segment to operate at 33
MHz.
The DVD is connected via an integrated IDE controller from one of the 33 MHz PCI buses.
Sustainable throughput via the PCI bridge chip to the 66 MHz bus utilizing 64 bit wide adapters, dual masters and
streaming DMA writes of at least 512 bytes in length is approx. 390 Mbytes/sec. Throughput utilizing a 33 MHz bus, dual
masters and streaming DMA writes of at least 512 byes in length is approx. 252 Mbytes/sec. These figures assume no
other traffic on the bus.
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