HP takes Opteron to four-way heights

AMD’s 64-bit Opteron microprocessor has been embraced by nearly all server manufacturers, many of which are targeting the “sweet spot” of a 1U, dual-processor pizza box. Hewlett-Packard, however, released the first four-processor Opteron-based server I’ve seen.

Free IT resource Virtualization Insights from Top Experts - Learn how virtualization gets real! Sponsored by Dell Free IT resource Try Sun servers, workstations and storage products free for 60-days. Sponsored by Sun Microsystems HP ProLiant DL585 Hewlett-Packard, hp.com Excellent  8.6 criteria score weight Availability 7 20% Performance 9 20% Management 10 20% Scalability 8 20% Serviceability 8 10% Value 10 10% Cost: $23,792 for four 2.2GHz Opteron 848 processors, 4GB RAM, RAID controller, four 36GB Ultra320 SCSI hard drives Platforms: 32-bit Linux and Windows servers Bottom Line: The ProLiant DL585 four-processor server makes virtually no compromises -- other than few high-availability features -- in exchange for the Opteron’s high-performance memory and I/O interconnects. Plus, the price is significantly lower than HP’s equivalent Xeon-based server. Too bad it doesn’t yet support 64-bit OSes. About our Reviews and Scoring Methodology

Essentially a clone of the company’s existing ProLiant DL580 G2 4U, quad-processor Xeon server, the new AMD-based ProLiant DL585 not only offers the advantages of 64-bit processing but is a lot cheaper, to boot. With this release, HP shows that AMD’s chip isn’t just suited to the low-end market for cheap servers -- it can also play in the enterprise datacenter.

HP provided a DL585 equipped with four 2.2GHz Opteron 848 processors, 4GB RAM, four 36GB Ultra320 SCSI drives connected to an internal RAID controller, and both Windows Server 2003 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Similar to the DL580 G2, the DL585 is a four-processor server with dual, redundant hot-swappable power supplies; seven hot-pluggable cooling fans; and extensive -- and impressive -- manageability. HP’s style  makes much of the hardware accessible for easy maintenance, so the power supplies and drive bays are all front-accessible.

The server also has six 64-bit 100MHz and two 64-bit 133MHz PCI-X slots -- none of which are hot-swappable. The DL585’s lack of hot-pluggable PCI slots is a noticeable shortcoming. Another is that, whereas the DL580 G2 offers high-availability memory, which can be configured via mirroring and hot spares, the DL585 does not.

The biggest difference is the processor architecture. Even though the AMD Opteron chip can run both 32-bit and 64-bit OSes, at present the DL585 officially supports running only conventional 32-bit versions of Linux or Windows. (According to HP, the company will support 64-bit Linux this summer.)

In 32-bit CPU-bound applications, the DL585’s relatively slower clock speeds -- compared with that of the four 3.0GHz Xeon MP chips in the DL580 -- might seem to be a performance disadvantage. But that’s not true for I/O-based apps. The DL585 uses a unique bus called HyperTransport to connect dedicated memory to each processor at 2.2GHz, and it uses an 800MHz bus to link the processors. By contrast, the Xeon-based DL580 uses a much slower 400MHz front-side bus to link the processors, memory, and peripherals. Kudos go to AMD for developing the highly efficient HyperTransport system.

For years, ProLiant servers have been known for their strong manageability features. The DL585 continues the tradition. At the core is HP’s Integrated Lights-Out management processor, which can be accessed via the network directly using a browser-based interface, or through external software such as HP’s easy-to-use Insight Manager.

The excellent implementation of the management processor provides a window into the server’s hardware, even when the system has crashed. If the server is running an appropriate OS -- Linux or Windows -- with the right drivers installed, it can also detail server health. The management processor has its own 10/100 Ethernet interface, which can be configured to work on a production network or on a dedicated out-of-band management network.

A neat feature, albeit not a new one, is the QuickFind Diagnostics Display, a set of dozens of LEDs on the top cover that pinpoint hardware faults. Both Insight Manager and the QuickFind display instantly showed when we failed power supplies and fans during testing.

HP’s DL585 offers almost no compromises compared with state-of-the-art Xeon server technology. The only features lacking are hot-swappable PCI slots and memory protection; ask yourself how often you’ve used either of those before crossing the DL585 off your list on that account.

Be sure to factor in cost, too: The Opteron DL585 test system costs $23,792, according to HP. I asked HP to price out the same specs in a DL580 G2; with four 3.0GHz Xeon MP chips, the cost is $29,612 -- 24 percent higher. Given its price and the higher performance of its bus and architecture, I know which four-way server I’d pick.