Specifications

hp server rp8400
system architecture
cell boards
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. Like Superdome, the
rp8400 architecture can be thought of as a set of modular “building blocks” that, when put
together, form a high-performance, scalable, highly available and flexible computing platform.
There are three such building blocks in the rp8400 system architecture: the cell, the crossbar
backplane, and the PCI-based I/O subsystem. Figure 6 shows the rp8400 building blocks and the
buses that connect them.
figure 6. Architecture of the rp8400, showing the basic modular “building blocks” of the system.
The cell, or cell board, is one of the three basic building blocks of the HP Server rp8400. A cell
board is a hot-plug module that primarily houses processors and memory. Figure 7 shows the
layout of the rp8400 PA-8700/PA-8700+ cell board.
figure 7. Layout of an rp8400 PA-8700/PA-8700+ cell board.
CPU 1
memory
CPU
slot 3
CPU 0
CPU
slot 2
cell controller
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