Here is the summary as promised. Thanks to all who answered.
Original Question:
> I am looking at upgrading my SAP setup over the next 6 months. I have been
looking around on Compaqs web site and have
> seen the hardware that I think would do the job. I was thinking of having an
HPC160 as database server and a HPC320 as a
> application server pool (and the same again as my hot-standby server).
>
> My salesman (who is generally a good guy, but I think is maybe clouded with
$$$ signs) advises me that the HPC range will not
> do what I want, but will be better advised to buy two wildfire when they come
out (and the same again as my hot-standby
> server). I know that we may be limited with the HPC160 as it will have to run
a 500Gb database (ESA10000 enterprise storage
> array+ TL981 tape library) and 16Gb memory may not be enough. But, as the
application servers run no peripherals at all
> (other than network cards and local disks) they should suffice.
>
> I have been given power ratings from Compaq of various hardware (rated in SAPs
per server on SAP V4.6)
> eg. 4x6/500 ES40 = 1113 SAPs, 14x6/700 GS140 = 3007 SAPs, HPC160 = 4452
SAPs (my rating based on 4xES40)
>
> The power rating I require is a database server with 4000 SAPs and an
application server pool with 8000 SAPs.
Answers Received:
N.M.Hill_at_rl.ac.uk
You could argue that the Wildfire would be an easier solution to manage. The
HPC160 or HPC320 are multiple machines i.e. 4 or 8 ES40s linked with memory
channel. With a Wildfire, there could be a single SMP machine for 16 or 32 CPUs.
The wildfire will also take more memory.
magill_at_isc.upenn.edu
The existing "TurboLasers" are history. They are now dead-end products, no
upgrade path.
The new boxes are all based on the "Wildfire" "quad" -- a 4cpu building block.
My understanding of things....
The initial introduction of Wildfire (end of the month) will max out at 4 quads
and be marketed as the replacement for the TurboLaser boxes.
The "next generation" of Wildfire -- this is really what most everyone called
wildfire up until recently -- is now called something like Sierra and is
designed to scale up to 128 quads.
The Wildfire is also EV 6/7 technology, which will run rings around the EV5 as
well as the EV6 boxes. The numbers are truly amazing. Look at the MM5 weather
benchmarks on the HPC pages.
At this time, you should find it pretty easy to get detailed info on Wildfire,
and probably a trip to Compaq to "stroke" one. The last I heard, the
announcement was being planned for the end of the Month (March). Your rep
should be able to say "I've got a potential Wildfire sale" and then be able to
roll out the red carpet for you.
The Wildfire product is VERY important to Compaq. So far initial orders appear
to be very strong. (Meaning delivery times might be seriously problematic.)
alan_at_nabeth.cxo.dec.com
I finally tracked some information on the HPC systems. They're a bunch of ES40s
tied together with Memory Channel II. Memory Channel is fast, but certainly not
as fast as the ES40's crossbar. For applications that distribute well, but have
pieces that stay very local, it probably does a good job in its target market.
The Wildfire systems will be faster though. The underlying CPU will probably be
the fastest available Alpha, when the systems are released. The building block
crossbar will be as fast or faster than the one used on the ES40s. The system
crossbar, will be a real crossbar, instead of Memory Channel.
As for the ESA10000 Storage, I believe the HPC system will have to treat like a
current generation cluster of ES40s. Each system could have its own logical unit
and see the other, but only through the memory channel. File system won't be
sharable except across NFS. A single Wildfire system would simply see all the
units as local storage. Running a supporting V4 release, multiple system
instances built on Wildfire will probably be much like the HPC system, that's
faster. I think the next version of TruCluster software is the one that
supports a true cluster file system, allowing any host with access to a unit to
mount as though it were local.
A lot of it depends on how well the application can take advantage of the
distribution offered by a particular system.
Received on Wed Mar 08 2000 - 10:16:32 NZDT