Red Hat and Intel: Driving a New Era for the Data Center

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1 Solution Brief Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series Intel Xeon Processor 5600 Series Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 5 Red Hat and Intel: Driving a New Era for the Data Center Red Hat has a long record of running in the world s largest businesses, including crucial trading markets around the globe, and more recently, it has helped drive cloud computing forward. Optimizing Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 5 for the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and 5600 series extends the tradition, for both virtualized and non-virtualized applications. Run your most demanding applications, while also cutting costs, on infrastructure built to handle it: servers based on the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and 5600 series running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. With outstanding physical and virtual machine performance, this stack responds quickly and intelligently to the changing needs of enterprise workloads. Flexible virtualization capabilities cut costs with very high consolidation ratios that protect existing investments. A broad spectrum of mission-critical reliability, availability, and scalability (RAS) features in the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 create a more compelling reason than ever before to migrate away from RISC/UNIX*and other proprietary architectures. Breakthrough energy-efficient performance in the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series delivers a new and compelling platform for mainstream two-socket servers. Red Hat has a very long track record of benchmark success on Intel platforms. Tuning for the Intel Xeon processor 7500 and 5600 series builds on that tradition for both virtualized and non-virtualized applications. - Paul Cormier, Executive Vice President and President, Products and Technologies, Red Hat

2 Intel Xeon processor 7500 series for scalable performance on servers with four sockets and above Exceptional scalable performance with advanced reliability delivers success for your most data-demanding applications, and intelligent performance automatically adapts to the diverse needs of a virtualized environment: Scalable Performance. World record performance with scalability up to 32 processors and 16 DIMMs per socket. Flexible Virtualization. Very high virtualization performance and consolidation ratios, as well as the ability for multiple generations of servers to participate in the same virtual server pool. Advanced Reliability. Machine Check Architecture Recovery allows the operating system to take corrective action and continue running when uncorrected errors are detected. Intel Xeon processor 5600 series for efficient performance on two-socket servers The next generation of intelligent server processors automatically regulates power consumption to combine industry-leading energy efficiency with intelligent performance that adapts to your workload: Intelligent Performance. Boosts server performance by increasing processor frequency when more headroom is needed. Automated Energy Efficiency. Automatically regulates power consumption by dynamically lowering the power state of processor and memory components when possible. Flexible Virtualization. Enables servers from multiple generations to be in the same virtualized server pool to extend failover, load balancing, and disaster recovery capability. Meet Enterprise Challenges Head-On with Intelligent Performance Intel and Red Hat have a long history of results-oriented collaboration that includes alignment of their respective technology roadmaps, collaborative contributions to the open source community, and developing Red Hat Enterprise Linux for optimal results on Intel architecturebased systems. Both companies share a commitment to extending the x86 platform to its full potential for both the physical and virtual world, and the stunning results of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 on the new Intel Xeon processors show just how powerful that combination is: The ability to increase workloads and add capabilities on demand Plenty of headroom in reserve for usage peaks Budget-friendly, low operating costs 2

3 INTELLIGENT PERFORMANCE FROM INTEL AND RED HAT Hardware Performance Features: Intel Xeon Processors Software Performance Features: Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 5 Intel QuickPath Interconnect. CPU-to-chipset bandwidth supports up to 6.4 gigatransfers per second, as much as 2.2x higher than predecessors Integrated memory controllers. Shared DDR-3 memory connects locally to each processor, improving latency Intel Turbo Boost Technology. Increases operating frequency on demand according to software needs Increased core count. Up to eight execution cores on the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and six on the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series Advanced parallelism. Efficient use of software threads and support for Intel Hyper-Threading Technology builds performance Expanded physical server limits. NUMA-aware support for up to 255 CPUs and 1 TB main memory enhances system scalability Monitoring and tuning tools. ktune script assists kernel tuning, OProfile profiles all running code, and the SystemTap utility dynamically monitors production applications Generic Receive Offload. Support for hardware assist on network interfaces with receive checksum offload support greatly enhances TCP performance The Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and 5600 series deliver intelligent performance, a set of capabilities that enables the platform to adapt dynamically to the workload with measures such as increasing the processor speed and engaging Intel Hyper-Threading Technology to increase throughput when needed. The Intel Intelligent Power Node Manager is also enabled, preserving power when system demands are reduced. Red Hat Enterprise Linux includes features designed specifically to take advantage of the architecture. As a result, infrastructures based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Intel Xeon processors deliver excellent performance and support very large workloads per server. Low overhead, NUMA-aware memory allocation, and advanced thread scheduling help drive up performance. In addition to capabilities that directly support high performance, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 supports forward-looking technologies such as FibreChannel over Ethernet that help take full advantage of performance advances by enabling innovative deployment models in the enterprise. The choice between the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series applies this combination of intelligent performance capabilities according to the needs of specific implementations. Scalable Performance: The Intel Xeon Processor 7500 Series Red Hat Enterprise Linux and servers based on the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series are an excellent combination to scale up infrastructure to support data-intensive data center workloads. The hardware platform architecture is designed to support as many as 32 sockets per system and 16 DIMMs per socket, for massive headroom. The Intel Xeon processor 7500 series delivers the greatest generation-to-generation performance leap in the history of the Intel Xeon processor. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is tuned to take advantage of these hardware advances and offers software-based scalability and performance features of its own, as described in the preceding table. Performance results of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 running on servers based on the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series provide compelling incentives for companies to adopt the new platform. This latest chapter in the collaboration between Red Hat and Intel gives IT departments excellent platform choices for solutions of all sizes. Combining Red Hat Enterprise Linux* with systems based on the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and 5600 series delivers an extraordinary foundation for success. - Doug Fisher, Vice President and General Manager, Systems Software Division, Intel 3

4 Efficient Performance: The Intel Xeon Processor 5600 Series The Intel Xeon processor 5600 series provides up to six cores, for 12 processing threads per socket. Built on Intel s new 32nm process technology, this workhorse is the genius behind industry-leading twosocket servers that fulfill mainstream needs for organizations of all sizes. Any type of business will benefit from the energy-efficient performance afforded by the combination of the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. The ability of the platform to dynamically adjust processor frequency in response to changing workloads enables it to scale performance on an as-needed basis, handling usage peaks smoothly while maintaining low average power usage. The co-engineering between Intel and Red Hat ensures that running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 on servers based on the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series will help businesses drive down total cost of ownership (TCO), for rapid return on investment (ROI). Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) New Instructions, an outstanding performance feature of the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series, dramatically increases the robustness and speed of encryption. By enabling encrypt and decrypt routines to run faster, this feature allows customers to increase their use of encryption, even in cases where processing overhead precluded its use previously. As a result, IT organizations are now able to implement better data protection, for improved alignment with the needs of the business as a whole. The combination of Red Hat Enterprise Linux* and the new Intel Xeon processors delivers very powerful scalability, performance, virtualization enablement, and affordability to our common customers. Red Hat Enterprise Linux extracts the full performance value out of the new Intel Xeon processors. - Paul Cormier, Executive Vice President and President, Products and Technologies, Red Hat 4

5 Keep Critical Services Online with Advanced Reliability and Robust Security Decrease the cost of running mission-critical applications by migrating to servers based on the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. With advanced reliability features and the software intelligence to take advantage of them, this combination of server platform and operating system provides a strong alternative to RISC/UNIX and other proprietary architectures. Thousands of customers run millions of servers based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, including systems that host their most missioncritical workloads. With the launch of the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series and the enablement of key hardware features by Red Hat, servers based on Intel Xeon processors now have unprecedented levels of reliability: Machine Check Architecture Recovery. Allows Red Hat Enterprise Linux to automatically detect hardware errors and take corrective action, continuing operation where an outage would have occurred in previous generations. PCI Hot Plug. Allows PCI components to be added or removed without shutting the server down, helping to preserve operational integrity. Predictive Failure Analysis. Identifies memory areas or DIMMs that show signs of failure in advance, enabling the system to take actions that will reduce or eliminate the impact of those failures. The ongoing collaboration between Intel and Red Hat has helped provide excellent support for these and other hardware RAS features, which complement the native high reliability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. One of the noteworthy new reliability-focused Red Hat features is Advanced Error Recovery for PCI Express*, which allows better reporting and recovery from both correctable and non-correctable errors, increasing system availability. In addition to reliability features, Red Hat Enterprise Linux helps to enhance system security through a continuing body of innovation that is highly regarded by the industry. Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers very high security by default with SELinux*, which is the result of a collaboration between Red Hat and the United States National Security Agency (NSA). SELinux defines access rights for each individual user, application, process, and file on the system, enabling multi-level security policies that provide extremely granular control over the system. Red Hat Enterprise Linux carries an extremely large number of certifications and has passed the Common Criteria process 12 times on four different hardware platforms. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 has even received Common Criteria certification at Enterprise Assurance Level 4 (EAL 4+) under the Controlled Access Protection Profile (CAPP), Label Security Protection Profile (LSPP), and Role-Based Access Control Protection Profile (RBACPP), providing a level of security and a feature set that was previously unheard of from a mainstream operating system. The optimization of Red Hat Enterprise Linux* for the Intel Xeon processor 7500 series is great news for enterprises as they migrate away from expensive, proprietary UNIX*/RISC platforms. Mission-critical computing is now more cost-effective and flexible than ever. - Doug Fisher, Vice President and General Manager, Systems Software Division, Intel 5

6 Take Advantage of Flexible Virtualization Drive down data center TCO using technologies nurtured by Red Hat and Intel. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and the new Intel Xeon processors bring the next level of virtualization capabilities to the data center, with performance and capacity headroom to spare and the flexibility to automate unpredictable shifts in workload demand. With every part of the stack well-optimized for the others, this hardware-software stack delivers excellent virtualized performance that drives up consolidation ratios and enables innovative virtualized usage models for high organizational agility and low operating costs. And thanks to Intel Virtualization Technology FlexMigration, you can combine servers from multiple generations into the same virtualized server pool to extend failover, load balancing, and disaster recovery capability. The Intel Xeon processor and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 also accelerate enterprise cloud deployments, since the combined technologies provide flexibility and automation to dynamic and heterogeneous workload and infrastructure environments in data centers. With excellent support for next-generation Intel Virtualization Technology integrated into the kernel, Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides excellent performance for both Linux and Windows* guests. Virtualization with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 not only delivers cutting-edge management, availability, and live migration features, but it does so at large scale with support for up to 500 guests, allocating up to 16 virtual processors with 64 GB of RAM each. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Servers is an end-to-end virtualization platform that builds on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and consists of the following components: Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager for Servers. A feature-rich server virtualization management system that provides advanced capabilities for hosts and guests, including high availability, live migration, storage management, system scheduler, and more. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor. A modern hypervisor using Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) technology, which can be deployed either as a standalone bare-metal hypervisor (included) or with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (purchased separately) installed as a hypervisor host and managed through Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager for Servers. These pieces can be complemented by a host of comprehensive offerings available from Red Hat Services. Designed to speed time to implementation while maximizing ROI and related skill sets, Red Hat Training and Red Hat Consulting provide the means for customers to optimize Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization and core competencies in any environment. For a full list of service offerings, including assessment and implementation services, training, and the new Red Hat Certified Virtualization Administrator (RHCVA), visit: Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization uses Huge Pages to increase the efficiency of memory-demanding applications, when this feature is configured for KVM guests. This capability prevents memory pages from being swapped out, reducing the kernel s memory-management overhead. Another significant contributor to virtualized performance is Red Hat s continuing leadership in support for the Single-Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) specification, which was created by the standards body PCI-SIG* with contributions from Intel and other industry leaders. In conjunction with SR-IOV, Red Hat Enterprise Linux allows a server adapter to define itself as several I/O devices of the same type to the hypervisor, each of which has its own independent memory space, interrupts, and direct memory access (DMA) streams. Those resources can be allocated to individual virtual machines, effectively bypassing the need to negotiate among them to decrease overhead and increase overall performance. By combining Red Hat Enterprise Linux*, Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, and the new Intel Xeon processors, customers are offered an easy way to manage and deploy solution stacks with use cases from bare-metal through the cloud. Customers cut costs with very high consolidation ratios, [gain] the ability to pool resources among different generations of servers, and [can support] up to 500 guests. - Paul Cormier, Executive Vice President and President, Products and Technologies, Red Hat 6

7 Control Utility Costs with Automated Energy Efficiency Environments that run Red Hat Enterprise Linux on the Intel Xeon processor 5600 series benefit from advanced capabilities for automated energy efficiency. Intel Intelligent Power Technology combined with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 power management capabilities allow these solutions to dynamically decrease power consumption during off-peak times, resulting in lower overall power usage. Organizations that implement these technologies benefit from decreased operating costs. Automated energy efficiency also provides higher effective capacity for existing power and cooling infrastructure. Consuming less input power means less heat to dissipate, which leads to lower cooling requirements for data centers. As a platform for virtualization, running Red Hat Enterprise Linux* on Intel Xeon processors allows customers to drive up performance and consolidation ratios, which means they can get more benefit out of virtualizing their server infrastructures. - Doug Fisher, Vice President and General Manager, Systems Software Division, Intel ENERGY EFFICIENCY FROM INTEL AND RED HAT Hardware-Efficient Performance Features: Intel Xeon Processors Software-Efficient Performance Features: Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 5 Automated low-power states. Changes automatically among up to 15 operating power states with less than 2 μs latency Integrated power gates. Allows processor cores to power down individually and consume nearly zero power when idle Integrated memory controllers. Efficiently places memory in a low power state when idle, saving energy Variable processor clock frequency. Lets the system change the clock speed of a running processor on the fly Enhanced power management. Saves on operating costs through lower power consumption and cooling requirements Low-level kernel power optimizations. Enables platform to operate efficiently in low power states, exploiting deep C states 7

8 Take the Next Step Solutions based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux running on Intel Xeon processor-based servers deliver an intelligent foundation for the future of business computing. Buy Intel products and services: Buy Red Hat Enterprise Linux*: Learn about Intel s work in Open Source: oss.intel.com Performance tests and ratings are measured using specific computer systems and/or components and reflect the approximate performance of Intel products as measured by those tests. Any difference in system hardware or software design or configuration may affect actual performance. Buyers should consult other sources of information to evaluate the performance of systems or components they are considering purchasing. For more information on performance tests and on the performance of Intel products, go to: INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH INTEL PRODUCTS. NO LICENSE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IS GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN INTEL S TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE FOR SUCH PRODUCTS, INTEL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER, AND INTEL DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WAR- RANTY RELATING TO SALE AND/OR USE OF INTEL PRODUCTS, INCLUDING LIABILITY OR WARRANTIES RELATING TO FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR INFRINGEMENT OF ANY PATENT, COPYRIGHT, OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT. Intel products are not intended for use in medical, life saving, life sustaining, critical control or safety systems, or in nuclear facility applications. Performance will vary depending on the specific hardware and software used. All plans, dates, features, pricing, and information are subject to change without notice. Intel internal testing and estimate. Power consumption will vary depending on the specific hardware and software used. Individual service times and prices may vary depending on the specific hardware and software used. Intel, the Intel logo, and Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Copyright 2010 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. 0310/JB/MESH/PDF US 8