Paper

The Intel Xeon processor E7 v2 family also
provides up to 37.5 megabytes (MB) of
third-level cache per processor and up to
50 percent more cores and threads than
previous-generation processors. A four-
socket server provides up to 60 cores
and 120 threads for rapid execution of
simultaneous transactions and large,
complex queries.
Although most data is held in main memory,
I/O bandwidth remains important to speed
communications with persistent storage
and to quickly ingest streaming data from
high-volume sources, such as networked
sensors. The Intel Xeon processor E7 v2
family increases system bandwidth by up
to 400 percent versus previous-generation
processors to meet these demands.
14
High-Performance Storage
Despite the greater reliance on system
memory, the demands on persistent
storage also increase. In order to maintain
SQL compliance, database transactions
must be atomic, consistent, isolated, and
durable (ACID). The need for durability,
in particular, means that transaction logs
must be written to persistent storage
before transactions can be completed
in memory.
Intel® Solid State Drives (Intel® SSDs) and
Intel® 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology
complement the in-memory capabilities
of the server platform by supporting
low-latency, high-bandwidth persistent
storage that is standards-based and cost-
effective. Intel SSDs provide up to four
times faster reads and writes than tradi-
tional HDDs, to help in-memory databases
deliver ACID-compliance while processing
enterprise-scale workloads with real-time
performance. Intel 10 Gigabit Ethernet
provides the speed and bandwidth to avoid
network bottlenecks in this exceptionally
data-intensive environment, while also help
to reduce network cost and complexity.
Mission-Critical Reliability
Performance is not the only critical issue.
In-memory computing systems handle more
and heavier workloads per server than
traditional solutions and are typically used
to support mission-critical, revenue-gener-
ating processes. Data integrity and system
uptime become more important than ever.
Servers based on the Intel Xeon processor
E7 family are already providing levels of
high availability that rival those of high-end
UNIX*/RISC architectures, but with greater
flexibility and superior cost models. The
Intel Xeon processor E7 v2 family includes
Intel® Run Sure Technology,
16
which delivers
additional and even more robust reliability,
availability, and serviceability (RAS)
features. Advanced error detection,
correction, containment, and recovery
capabilities are integrated throughout
the platform, with robust memory protec-
tion to help keep mission-critical systems
operating at peak efficiency and without
interruption or data errors.
IN-MEMORY DATABASE
SOFTWARE
INTEL® XEON®
PROCESSOR E7 v2 FAMILY
• Up to 15 cores/30 threads
• Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA)
BREAKTHROUGH DATABASE PERFORMANCE
FOR REAL-TIME BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
• Data partitioning/software parallelization
MASSIVELY
PARALLEL PROCESSING
• Large memory – Up to 12 TB per
8-socket server
• Large, efficient cache
• All data in main memory, high compression ratios
• Optimized memory-to-cache data transfers
• Columnar and row-based optimizations
BLAZING-FAST
DATA ACCESS
• Intel instruction set extensions
• Advanced Intel® processor features
• Optimized for Intel® architecture
HIGHLY OPTIMIZED
SOLUTION STACK
• Advanced RAS features with
Intel® Run Sure Technology
• Intel® Solid State Drives
• Fast persistent storage for logs and spillover
• Traditional HA/DR support
MISSION-CRITICAL
RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY,
AND SERVICEABILITY (RAS)
Figure 3. Breakthrough database performance for real-time business intelligence.
“Taken together, these two trends—
declining memory costs and the
ascendency of massively multi-core
processor architectures—are as
transformative to enterprise soft-
ware as the move to a client-server
model was a generation ago.”
15
— The Global Information Technology
Re po r t 2012
6
Changing the Way Businesses Compute…and Compete