hp server rp8400 a technical white paper from Hewlett-Packard Company august 2002 adaptable, available, always
table of contents executive summary ............................................................5 scalability for the data center .................................................... 5 flexibility for the IT infrastructure............................................... 5 lasting value for all business ..................................................... 5 adaptable, available, always: the hp server rp8400 ............5 key features .........................................................................
ac power subsystem .........................................................18 requirements for fault-tolerant power compliance .................... 18 fault-tolerant power compliance in the rp8400 ........................ 19 features of the ac power system.............................................. 19 20-amp circuits ...................................................... 19 dual ac modular bulk power supplies (BPS) ............... 20 ac power consumption..................................................
investment protection........................................................33 easy upgrading ...................................................................... 33 microprocessor roadmap to the future ..................................... 33 hardware roadmap ................................................................ 34 instant capacity on demand (iCOD) ......................................... 34 ease of management ........................................................
executive summary Ideal for enterprises, service providers, and global e-marketplace leaders with intensive computing needs, the HP Server rp8400 represents a quantum leap in midrange computing. The rp8400 delivers high-end server technology in a midrange form factor, resulting in a server that offers the scalability, flexibility, and lasting value demanded by new business fundamentals.
unmatched performance and scalability The rp8400 features performance and scalability unmatched in a midrange server offering: • high-performance RISC processor – 650-MHz, 750-MHz (PA-8700), and 875-MHz (PA-8700+); 4-way superscalar CPU – 56-way instruction reorder buffer – 10 functional units – 2.25-MB on-chip cache (1.5-MB data cache, 0.
hp server rp8400 system overview The illustrations below show major components of the HP Server rp8400, as well as the system’s mechanical and architectural features. rp8400 front view Figure 4 shows a front view of the rp8400 with its front plastic bezel and top and left side panels removed. The illustration shows the location of major assemblies, as well as the mechanical and architectural features of the rp8400.
hp server rp8400 features at a glance standard features and capacities high availability • 1–4 CPU/memory cell boards, hot-plug • 2N+1 redundant hot-swap power supplies • 2–16 PA-RISC 64-bit CPUs (upgradable to 32 CPUs with future processor generations): • redundant hot-swap fans, all with HP Smartfan technology – PA-8700+ @ 875 MHz – PA-8700 @ 650 and 750 MHz • up to 64 GB of memory (to 128 GB with future upgrades) • 16 PCI card slots (66 MHz x 64-bit) • 2 core I/O cards • built-in management proces
hp server rp8400 system architecture Based on the HP Superdome architecture, the HP Server rp8400 brings high-end functionality down into the midrange. Like Superdome, the rp8400 is designed around a cell-based crossbar architecture; in the rp8400 this architecture allows it to be configured as one large symmetrical multi-processing (SMP) server or as two hardware-independent partitions.
cell design details The cell controller (CC) is at the heart of each cell board. The CC provides the communications link between processors, memory, I/O, PDH (processor-dependent hardware), and the crossbar backplane. Adjacent to the CC are up to four processors and up to 16 GB of main memory, with future expansion up to 32 GB of memory. Each cell interfaces with the crossbar backplane at 8 GB/s of peak bandwidth, and CC-to-I/O-subsystem bandwidth is 2 GB/s peak.
future upgrades with cell boards The rp8400 provides outstanding customer investment protection and lasting value with a system infrastructure that is designed to accommodate several generations of processor upgrades. And future PA-RISC and Intel Itanium Processor Family cell boards will preserve the current form factor, thus making upgrades quick and easy. To upgrade an existing partition, the customer simplyremoves all the cells and the memory contained within the partition.
cooling built for reliability The Panaflo fans used in the rp8400 actually provide demonstrated reliability that is 10 times better than that of the devices they are cooling (a reliability level that, considering the excellent reliability history of PA-RISC processors, is extremely impressive).
crossbar chips Two crossbar chips are part of the rp8400 system chipset. (They are also a subset of the chipset used in the HP Superdome.) Each chip implements a high-performance 8-port non-blocking crossbar and the 500-MHz crossbar link protocol. Together the two crossbar chips provide 16 high-performance ports for cell-to-cell communication, with 16 GB/s of aggregate bandwidth. All ports are functionally and electrically identical.
I/O subsystem The I/O subsystem is the third basic building block of the rp8400. Components within the I/O subsystem are the I/O controllers, internal peripheral bay, and multifunction core I/O. Figure 10 shows the basic block diagram of the I/O subsystem. figure 10. Basic block diagram of the rp8400 I/O subsystem. I/O controller chips The rp8400 contains two master I/O controller chips located on the PCI backplane.
figure 11. The rp8400’s PCI backplane has dual high-performance links for 14 of the 16 I/O card slots. In practice, PCI I/O cards requiring the largest amount of bandwidth should be configured into the twin turbo slots. Because each core I/O and I/O slot has a dedicated bus, any slot can be hot-plugged or serviced without affecting other slots. The rp8400 I/O card slots are keyed for either 3.3-volt or 5-volt PCI cards. There are 14 slots keyed for 3.3 volts, and these support either 3.
core I/O The rp8400 chassis supports up to two core I/O cards, installed in core I/O slots located along the right-rear vertical edge of the chassis. A minimum of one core I/O card must be ordered with each system; the optional second core I/O card can be used to enable hardware partitioning or to utilize the full capacity of the built-in mass storage bays. figure 13. Block diagram showing the basic core I/O in the rp8400.
access to internal peripheral bay The first core I/O card enables half of the rp8400 peripheral bay, which includes one removable media and two low-profile disks. The second core I/O card enables the remaining internal peripherals, two disks, and one removable-media bay. Customers who require access to more than two internal disks or more than one removable-media slot will need the second core I/O card and a minimum of two cell boards.
ac power subsystem The HP Server rp8400 is one of only two midrange servers (the other is the 8-way HP Server rp7410) to be certified with no deviations by The Uptime Institute under its Fault Tolerant Power Compliance Specification. requirements for fault tolerant power compliance The rp8400 hardware is capable of receiving ac input from two different ac power sources.
fault-tolerant power compliance in the rp8400 The ac input to the rp8400 has been divided into four separate circuits. Each circuit can be fed by any 50- to 60-Hz high line source through four line cords. (”High line” refers to 220–240 volt operation.) A minimum of two power cords must be used to maintain normal operation of the rp8400. A second set of two cords can be added to improve system availability by protecting, for example, against power grid failures or accidentally tripped circuit breakers.
dual ac modular bulk power supplies (BPS) Each BPS shown in Figure 14 can be thought of as two sub-power supplies housed in a single BPS module. If only Grid A power cords are used, only one of the two sub-power supplies is in use. The other supply sits idle until a second set of Grid B cords is used. The benefit of this design is that when utilizing all four power cords, the rp8400 has 2N+1 redundant dc power protection.
60-ampere power distribution unit Customers who prefer fewer but higher-amperage connections from their ac line current source to the rp8400 can use the 60-ampere power distribution unit (PDU). This PDU is designed to fit horizontally in a standard 19-inch cabinet, and it occupies just three EIA units of racking space. This PDU is sold separately and can be ordered with any HP server solution. PDU product numbers are E7683A (North America) and E7684A (international). Figure 15 shows the 60 ampere PDU.
performance and scalability The HP Server rp8400 brings leading-edge performance and scalability to the midrange server market. At first release, the rp8400 already has an industry-leading OLTP performance benchmark. When density is added to the equation, the compact rp8400 offers performance density at least twice that of the competition. For example, two rp8400 servers fit into a single HP cabinet, with room to spare for 2.4 TB of storage.
racking The HP Server rp8400 provides industry-leading performance density and availability in a racked configuration. At 17 EIA units (29.75 inches) each, two rp8400 servers can be mounted into a single HP two-meter cabinet, with 7 EIA units of extra space for mounting external peripherals. The rp8400’s industrial design and packaging allow easy and quick access to all of the system’s components. The most frequently handled removable-media devices and disks are directly accessible at the system’s front.
how partitions work A hardware partition corresponds roughly to a single, standalone system. The rp8400 can be subdivided into two partitions, each containing one or (usually) more cells that communicate coherently over a high-bandwidth, low-latency crossbar fabric. Cells are grouped into physical structures called cabinets or nodes. Special programmable hardware in the cells defines the boundaries of a partition in such a way that isolation from the actions of other partitions is enforced.
uses for nPartitions One of the primary advantages of nPartitions is their support for flexible, user-defined partitioning of resources. They also isolate hardware and software errors. Here are some of the typical types of nPartitions: • OS partitions—A partition can run various operating environments such as HP-UX, Windows NT, and Linux. (Only HP-UX is available at first release.
multiple environments Business requirements and competitive pressures can dictate the need for a large set of applications—both old and new. Often applications require different versions or revisions of operating systems, different system parameter settings, and even different patch levels. And performance can suffer from the interactions of applications with incompatible behaviors. But nPartitions can solve the problem of different versions or revisions by running multiple environments.
high availability High availability (HA) is the hallmark of HP computer systems. But HP knows that delivering solutions that fully enable the “always-on,” 24 x 7 operations demanded of today’s businesses requires more than just delivering laundry lists of unusable HA features—or HA features with limited utility. The high availability features of the HP Server rp8400 actually address the real causes of customer downtime, as determined by actual field data from midrange computer users.
CPU cooling Heat is the big enemy of electronic components. But the rp8400’s two-level cooling scheme offers outstanding cooling capacity at a nominal cost. The server’s turbo-cooler fans draw air directly into the heat sinks of the CPU and cell VLSI. At the extreme operating ranges of the rp8400, the turbo-cooler fans keep temperatures well below the maximum values allowed.
In order to prevent downtime due to I/O errors, HP has designed the following features into the rp8400: • online replacement of PCI cards • hardware “firewall” of I/O errors to cell • high-MTBF (mean time between failures) I/O cards • separate PCI buses for each I/O card Taken together, these features will reduce hardware downtime by at least 20 percent over similar servers.
highly reliable ASICs The backplane ASIC is manufactured and tested with a process that results in 10X demonstrated reliability over comparable chips. This reliability results in virtually zero backplane ASIC failures in the field. redundant dc–dc converters The dc-dc converters that power the backplane chips are fully redundant, reducing downtime associated with power conversion. (Power conversion is normally a significant contributor to failure rate.
enhanced serviceability The following is a list of rp8400 enhanced serviceability features: • hot-plug functionality for internal disks, PCI cards, removable-media drives (also, hot-plug cell boards will be enabled with a future release of HP-UX) • hot-swap functionality for bulk power supplies and cooling fans • product length from mounting column to the connector-mating surface at rear of 26.
attractive, functional design HP’s engineers recognize that industrial design and ergonomics play an important role in serviceability, and you will find an entirely new level of design and refinement in the rp8400.
investment protection The HP Server rp8400 family provides outstanding customer investment protection and lasting value, with a system infrastructure designed to accommodate several generations of processor upgrades. No other competitor in this space can offer the investment protection provided by the rp8400. easy upgrading All major system components other than the cell board and power conversion board are slated to remain the same for future processors—you can even use the same memory DIMMs.
hardware roadmap In addition to the extensive processor roadmap, HP is planning many other hardware improvements throughout the rp8400’s life. These in-the-box upgrades are further examples of how HP preserves customer investment protection. Figure 18 shows HP’s plans for the next few years. (And remember, this illustration doesn’t show all features!) figure 18. The HP Server rp8400 is a scalable platform that ensures investment protection for years to come.
ease of management As the number of servers grows and “server farms” proliferate, IT professionals have come to realize that the cost of managing these servers can add up to many times the actual cost of hardware. In the HP Server rp8400, HP has provided features to make management easier and less taxing. Add HP’s management software that interfaces seamlessly with the rp8400, and you’re assured of a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and higher overall efficiency.
operating environment As an operating environment (OE), HP-UX 11i is a perfect complement to the rp8400 server. HP-UX 11i is HP’s complete 64-bit UNIX operating environment that delivers significant scalability and performance for demanding applications. When teamed with HP’s leading server systems, HP-UX 11i provides the power of supercomputing at a fraction of the cost. The HP Server rp8400 will also support Windows and Linux in the future.
hp services for the hp server rp8400 The success of your always-on computing environment depends on the right combination of technology products and services to ensure that you have the infrastructure and processes to meet your needs. HP services and support help customers derive real value from their IT investments through a broad services portfolio that includes consulting, outsourcing, support, financing, and education.
run and evolve—keeping help at hand World-class services and support help you maximize the return on your IT investment and reduce your total cost of ownership. HP provides multivendor services and support to ensure a single source of accountability for complex, multivendor environments—hardware, software, storage, networks, databases, and middleware.
key takeaways Packed with leadership features that provide real value for customers in a variety of markets, the HP Server rp8400 is adaptable, available, and always ready for the next computing challenge. No other system offered by the competition can match the combined feature set of the rp8400. No matter what your midrange server requirements, the rp8400 can step in and do the job— today and tomorrow. It’s difficult to distill all the features of the HP Server rp8400 into a few sentences.
Full information on HP Products is available at www.hp.com€ Intel and Itanium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries and are used under license. Java is a U.S. trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Windows and Windows NT are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice.
