Specifications

Partition reliability
The HP 9000 rp7440 and rp8440 Servers have a design that is significantly “hardened” over other
systems in their class. In fact, many of the features in these midrange systems can only be found in
mainframes (or in HP Superdome). The reliability features within each HP 9000 rp7440 and rp8440
Server partition have been field proven to provide high system reliability. And many users who have
used these features report significantly lower hardware failure rates than with competitive systems.
Processor protection
The processor is often a major cause of system downtime. For instance, processor cache errors are
demonstrated to be a large contributor (in many cases, the greatest contributor) to unplanned system
downtime. Furthermore, addition or modification of processor resources is among the highest ranking
causes of planned hardware downtime. But in the HP 9000 rp7440 and rp8440 Servers, HP has
designed specific features to combat processor caused downtime, including the following:
• Full error checking and correcting (ECC) on all caches
• Automatic deconfiguration of “faulty” processors (known as Dynamic Processor Resilience [DPR]) on
servers running HP-UX
• A highly effective and reliable processor cooling scheme
• Processor hot-spares using HP iCAP on servers running HP-UX
• Redundant processor power converters
ECC on caches
The processor caches in the HP 9000 rp7440 and rp8440 Servers are fully protected from single-bit
hard errors and random soft errors generated from cosmic rays or other intermittent error-generation
sources. Some competitive systems in the same class are not similarly protected, resulting in errors that
are hard to debug and that are, in many cases, blamed on the customer environment. Such cache
errors in these unprotected systems can result in failures that bring down multiple partitions.
Another advantage of the HP 9000 rp7440 and rp8440 Server processor cache is its layout, which
significantly reduces the chance of a multibit error due to a random cosmic ray strike. Such attention
to detail is not found in many designs available from other vendors.
Automatic processor deconfiguration
DPR refers to the ability of the system to detect, deallocate, and swap in spare processors online for
processors that are generating an excessive quantity of recoverable cache errors. This feature protects
you against the extremely unlikely event of a double-bit cache error. This is one example of the self-
healing features of the HP hardware. Implementation of this feature results in no downtime or
performance loss. This feature is not currently supported with Windows.
Processor cooling
Heat is the big enemy of electronic components. The two-level cooling scheme of the HP 9000
rp7440 and rp8440 Servers offers outstanding cooling capacity at a nominal cost. The turbocooler
fans of the servers draw air directly into the heatsinks of the processor and cell VLSI. At the extreme
operating ranges of the HP 9000 rp7440 and rp8440 Servers, the turbocooler fans keep
temperatures well below the maximum values allowed. Even though the turbocoolers might not be
required under normal operating conditions, running them ensures that the silicon chips operate at the
lowest temperature, helping to ensure maximum lifetime.
To further improve reliability of the HP 9000 rp7440 and rp8440 Servers, manageability software
monitors the speeds of all fans, including turbocooler fans. The smart fan controller of the HP 9000
rp7440 and rp8440 Servers can detect the first hint of slowdown associated with bearing wear,
ensuring you get plenty of warning before a fan fails.
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