Before the release of the Istanbul 6-core processor we wanted to preview the CAPEX comparisons we've been working on between today's Opteron (Shanghai) and today's Nehalem-EP. The results are pretty startling and mostly due to the Nahelem-EP's limited memory addressing capability. Here are the raw numbers for comparable performance systems (i.e. high-end):

Nehalem-EP Configuration	Street $		Shanghai HT3 Configuration	Street $		Savings $	Savings %
2P/8C, Nehalem-EP, W5580 3.2GHz, 6.4GT QPI with 24GB DDR3/1333	$7,017.69		2P/8C Shanghai, 2393 SE, 3.1GHz, 4.4GT HT3 with 32GB DDR2/800	$5,892.12		$1,125.57	16.04%
2P/8C, Nehalem-EP, W5580 3.2GHz, 6.4GT QPI with 48GB DDR3/1066	$7,755.99		2P/8C Shanghai, 2393 SE, 3.1GHz, 4.4GT HT3 with 48GB DDR2/800	$6,352.12		$1,403.87	18.10%
2P/8C, Nehalem-EP, W5580 3.2GHz, 6.4GT QPI with 96GB DDR3/1066	$21,969.99		2P/8C Shanghai, 2393 SE, 3.1GHz, 4.4GT HT3 with 96GB DDR2/667	$11,968.72		$10,001.27	45.52%
2P/8C, Nehalem-EP, W5580 3.2GHz, 6.4GT QPI with 144GB DDR3/800	$30,029.19		2P/8C Shanghai, 2393 SE, 3.1GHz, 4.4GT HT3 with 128GB DDR2/533	$14,300.92		$15,728.27	52.38%
2P/8C, Nehalem-EP, W5580 3.2GHz, 6.4GT QPI with 96GB DDR3/1066	$21,969.99		4P/16C Shanghai, 8393 SE, 3.1GHz, 4.4GT HT3 with 96GB DDR2/800	$17,512.87		$4,457.12	20.29%
2P/8C, Nehalem-EP, W5580 3.2GHz, 6.4GT QPI with 144GB DDR3/800	$30,029.19		4P/16C Shanghai, 8393 SE, 3.1GHz, 4.4GT HT3 with 192GB DDR2/667	$28,746.07		$1,283.12	4.27%
2 x 2P/8C, Nehalem-EP, W5580 3.2GHz, 6.4GT QPI with 144GB (288GB total) DDR3/800	$60,058.38		1 x 4P/16C Shanghai, 8393 SE, 3.1GHz, 4.4GT HT3 with 256GB DDR2/533	$33,410.47		$26,647.92	44.37%

Even the 4-socket Shanghai 8393SE averages 23% lower implementation cost over Nehalem-EP and produces 16 "real" cores versus 8 "real" cores in the process. Even at 50% theoretical efficiency using Nehalem's SMT, the 4P Shanghai represents a solid choice in the performance segment. An Istanbul drop-in upgrade spread's the gulf in capabilities even wider.

Based on today's economics and the history of seamless vMotion between Opteron processors, 4P/24C Istanbul is a solid will be a no-brainer investment. With 2P/24C and 4P/48C Magny-Cours on the way to handle the "really big" tasks, a Shanghai-Istanbul Eco-System looks like an economic stimulus all its own.

VMware ESXi Update: Build 158874

VMware has released a series of critical patches for ESXi and VMware tools discussed in knowledge base articles 1010135 and 1010136. These are the highlights:

Patch for ESXi:

• Fixes an issue in the VMkernel TCP/IP stack where adding a system to an HA (High Availability) cluster results in a timeout error.


• Fixes an issue where a virtual machine might fail if a reserved register is accessed within the guest operating system.


• Fixes an issue where a virtual machine might stop responding or the progress bar in the graphical user interface might appear to be stuck at 95% when you consolidate a snapshot of a powered on virtual machine.

Magny-Cours Spotted

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="175" caption="Magny-Cours, 12-core Processor"][/caption]

AMD's next generation "G34" socket Magny-Cours processor was spotted recently by XbitLabs running in AMD's 4-way test mule platform. We've talked about Magny-Cours and socket-G34 before, but had no picture until now. The multi-chip module (MCM) heritage is obvious given it's rectangular shape.

Critical for AMD will be HT3+DCA2 efficiency and memory bandwidth to counter the apparent success of Nehalem-EP's SMT technology. Although AMD does not consider hyperthreading to be a viable technology for them, it appears to be working for Intel in benchmark cases.

While seems logical that more "physical" cores should scale better than the "logical" cores provided by SMT, Intel is making some ground of legacy "physical core" systems, demonstrating what appears to be a linear scaling in VMmark. However, Intel has a fine reputation for chasing - and mastering - benchmark performance only to show marginal gains in real-world applications.

Meanwhile, the presure mounts on Instanbul's successful launch in June with white box vendors making ready for the next wave of "product release buzz" to stimulate sinking sales. Decision makers will have a lot of spreadsheet work to do to determine where the real price performance lies. Based on the high-cost of dense DDR3 and DDR2, the 16-DIMM/CPU advantage is weighing heavily on AMD's side from a CAPEX and OPEX perspective (DDR2 is already a well-entrenched component of all socket-F platforms).

Up to now, Intel's big benchmark winners have been the W5580 and X5570 with $1,700 and $1,500 unit prices, respectively. Compounded with high-cost DDR3 dual-rank memory, or reduction in memory bandwidth (which eliminates a significant advantage), the high-end Nehalem-EP is temporarily caught in an economic bind, severely limiting its price-performance suitability.

Clarification: Nehalem-EP and DDR3

I have seen a lot of contrasting comments about Nehalem-EP and memory speed on the community groups - especially in the area of supported speed ratings: often in the context of comparison to Opteron's need to reduce supported DIMM speed ratings based on slot population. While it is true Nehalem's 3-channel design allows for a mixture of performance (800/1066/1333) and capacity, it does not allow for both.

Here are the rules (from Intel's "Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series Datasheet, Volume 2") based on DIMM per Channel (DPC):

• 1-DPC = Support DDR3-1333 (if DIMM supports DDR3-1333)
  
  
  
  • KVR1333D3D4R9S/4G - $169/ea
  
  
  • 12GB/CPU max. @ $507/CPU (24GB/system max.)
  
  
  
  


• 2-DPC = Support DDR3-1066 (if all DIMMs are rated DDR3-1066 or higher)
  
  
  
  • KVR1066D3D4R7S/4G - $138/ea
  
  
  • 24GB/CPU max. @ $828/CPU (48GB/system max.)
  
  
  • KVR1066D3Q4R7S/8G - $1,168/ea
  
  
  • 48GB/CPU max. @ $7,008/CPU (96GB/system max.)
  
  
  • "96GB Memory (12x8GB), 1066MHz Dual Ranked RDIMMs for 2 Processors,Optimized [add $15,400]" - Dell
  
  
  
  


• 3-DPC = Support DDR3-800 only (if all DIMMs are rated DDR3-800 or higher)
  
  
  
  • KVR1066D3D4R7S/4G - $138/ea
  
  
  • 36GB/CPU max. @ $1,242/CPU (72GB/system max.)
  
  
  • "144GB Memory (18x8GB), 800MHz Dual Ranked RDIMMs for 2 Processors,Optimized [add $22,900]" - Dell
  
  
  
  

When the IMC detects the presence of 1, 2 or 3 DIMMs, these speed limits are imposed, regardless of the capabilities of the DIMM. A couple of other notable exceptions exist:

• When one 4-rank DIMM is used, it must be populated in DIMM slot0 of a given channel (farthest from CPU);


• Mixing of 4-rank DIMMs in one channel and 3-DIMMs in other channel (3-DPC) on the same CPU socket is not allowed - forcing BIOS to disable on the 4-rank channel;


• RDIMM
  
  
  
  • Single-rank DIMM: 1-DPC, 2-DPC or 3-DPC
  
  
  • Dual-rank DIMM: 1-DPC, 2-DPC or 3-DPC
  
  
  • Quad-rank DIMM: 1-DPC or 2-DPC
  
  
  
  


• UDIMM
  
  
  
  • Single-rank DIMM: 1-DPC or 2-DPC
  
  
  • Dual-rank DIMM: 1-DPC or 2-DPC
  
  
  • Quad-rank DIMM: n/a
  
  
  
  

Speed freaks be warned!

Discover IOV and VMware NetQueue on a Budget

While researching advancements in I/O virtualization (VMware) we uncovered a "low cost" way to explore the advantages of IOV without investing in 10GbE equipment: the Intel 82576 Gigabit Network Controller which supports 8-receive queues per port. This little gem comes in a 2-port by 1Gbps PCI-express package (E1G142ET) for around $170/ea on-line. It also comes in a 4-port by 1Gbps package (full or half-height, E1G144ET) for around $450/ea on-line.

Enabling VMDq/NetQueue is straightforward:

1. Enable NetQueue in VMkernel using VMware Infrastructure 3 Client:
   
   
   
   1. Choose Configuration > Advanced Settings > VMkernel.
   
   
   2. 
      
      Select VMkernel.Boot.netNetqueueEnabled.
   
   
   
   


2. Enable the igb module in the service console of the ESX Server host:# esxcfg-module -e igb


3. Set the required load option for igb to turn on VMDq:
   The option IntMode=3 must exist to indicate loading in VMDq mode. A value of 3 for the IntMode parameter specifies using MSI-X and automatically sets the number of receive queues to the maximum supported (devices based on the 82575 Controller enable 4 receive queues per port; devices based on the 82576 Controller enable 8 receive queues per port). The number of receive queues used by the igb driver in VMDq mode cannot be changed.

Very Cool "Hologram"

[caption id="attachment_480" align="alignright" width="178" caption="Demo: Augmented Reality"][/caption]

If you have not seen this, it is a very cool demonstration of "augmented reality." It takes a web camera, microphone, Internet access and black-and-white printer:

1. Print the special target;


2. Turn-on webcam, sound and microphone;


3. Select the desired "reality"


4. Point the target at the camera


5. Play...

The "augmented reality" demonstration has a video (if you don't want to print & interact) that walks through the experience. This is fun stuff, kids! Try it on your big screen today.

Remember our "reveal" of the Tyan S2935-SI back in January as a potential HT3-capable replacement for the GT28 dual-node systems? Well, it's still not ready, but Tyan has announced 18 motherboard and system updates that "support the enhanced Opteron with HT-3 technology" that are shipping now.

"TYAN has launched 9 new motherboards that support the AMD HyperTransport 3.0 technology that targets various appliances. For scalable and flexible 2-way motherboard solutions, TYAN’s S2912-E, S2915-E, S2927-E, S2932-SI, S2937 and S3992-E are perfect platforms to meet current and future IT server and workstation requirements. TYAN’s S4985-SI, S4989-SI and S4992 motherboards are 4-way solutions that are exceptionally proficient in high density and high performance IT infrastructures."

We've included the table of motherboard and barebones systems affected by the update. Those in blue italics are also part of Tyan's VMware Ready Certified platform. While these platforms have been user HCL for some time, the elevation to "Certified" status is recognition of the reliability and performance these systems have rendered over the years. It is good news indeed to see their value extended with motherboard and barebones refreshes.

Motherboard 4 sockets S4985-SI, S4989-SI, S4992 2 sockets S2912-E, S2915-E, S2927-E, S2937, S3992-E. Barebone 8 sockets VX50-B4985-SI-8P 4 sockets FT48-B4985-SI, TN68-B4989-SI, TN68-B4989-SI-LE 2 sockets TA26-B3992-E, TA26-B2932-SI, GT24-B3992-E, GT24-B2932-SI, GT24-B2912-E

These systems, which SOLORI has been recommending for low-cost VMware Eco-systems for some time, are part of Tyan's aggressive VMware strategy:

"As a member of the VMware Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program, TYAN is aggressively utilizing VMware virtualization software technology in TYAN hardware platforms. The nine servers that have recently passed VMware Ready certification for VMware ESX 3.5 and VMware ESX 3.5i include TA26-B2932-E, TA26-B3992-E, TA26-B5397, TX46-B4985-E, VX50-B4985-8P-E, S4985-E, S3992-E, S5397 and S2932-E. VMware System Builder program members can claim equivalency for these systems via the VMware System Builder site at http://www.vmware.com/partners/vip/system-builders/ "

Most of these systems offer 16-socket+ DIMM configurations (8-DIMM/CPU) enabling up to 64GB/CPU with DDR3/533 support. In order to run DDR2/800 memory, only half of the available slots can be filled (4-DIMM/CPU) allowing for 16GB/CPU of DDR2/800 (4x4GB REG ECC DDR2/800, about 2GB/second increase in bandwidth over DDR2/533 according to benchmarks).

Quick Take: VMware - Shanghai vs. Nehalem-EP

Johan De Gelas at AnandTech has an interesting article comparing a 2P Shanghai (2384, 2.7GHz) vs. 2P Nehalem-EP (X5570, 2.93GHz) and the comparison in VMark is stunning... until you do you do your homework and reference the results. Johan is comparing the VMmark of a 64GB configured 2P Opteron running ESX3.5-Update 3 against a 72GB configured 2P Nehalem-EP running vSphere (ESX v4.0).

When I see benchmarks like these quoted by AnandTech I start to wonder why they consider the results "analytical..." In any case, there are significant ramifications to larger memory pools and higher clock speeds in VMmark, and these results show that fact. Additionally, the results also seem to indicate:

• VMware vSphere (ESX v4.0) takes serious advantage of the new hyperthreading in Nehalem-EP


• Nehalem-EP's TurboBoost Appears to render the value proposition in favor of the X5570 over the W5580, all things considered

Judging from the Supermicro VMmark score, the Nehalem-EP (adjusted for differences in processor speed) turns-in about a 6% performance advantage over the Shanghai with comparable memory footprints. Had the Opteron been given additional memory, perhaps the tile and benchmark scores would have better illustrated this conclusion. It is unclear whether or not vSphere is significantly more efficient at resource scheduling, but the results seem to indicate that - at least with Nehalem's new hyperthreading - it is more efficient.

Platform	Memory	VMware Version	VMmark Score	Rating (Raw/ Clock Adj.)	Per Tile
HP ProLiant 385G5p (2xOpteron 2384, 2.7GHz)	64GB DDR2/533	ESX v3.5.0 Update 3	11.28 @8 tiles	100%/ 100%	100%
Supermicro 6026-NTR+ (2xX5570, 2.93GHz w/3.2GHz TurboBoost)	72GB DDR3/1066	ESX v3.5.0 Update 4 BETA	14.22 @10 tiles	126%/ 106%	101%
Dell PowerEdge M610 (2xX5570, 2.93GHz w/3.3GHz TurboBoost)	96GB DDR3/1066	ESX v4.0	23.90 @17tiles	212%/ 174%	100%
HP ProLiant DL370 G6 (2xW5580, 3.2GHz w/3.3GHz TurboBoost)	96GB DDR3/1066	ESX v4.0	23.96 @16tiles	213%/ 172%	106%
HP ProLiant DL585 G5 (4x8386SE, 2.8GHz)	128GB DDR2/667	ESX v3.5.0 Update 3	20.43 @14 tiles	181%/ 174%	104%
HP ProLiant DL585 G5 (4x8393SE, 3.1GHz)	128GB DDR2/667	ESX v4.0	22.11 @15 tiles	196%/ 171%	105%

One things is clear from these VMmark examples: Nehalem-EP is a huge step in the right direction for Intel, and it potentially blurs the line between 2P and 4P systems. AMD will not have much breathing room with Istanbul in the 2P space against Nehalem-EP for system refreshes unless it can show similar gains and scalability. Where Istanbul will shine is in its drop-in capability in existing 2P, 4P and 8P platforms.

SOLORI's take: These are exciting times for those just getting into virtualization. VMmark would seem to indicate that consolidation factors unlocked by Nehalem-EP come close to rivaling 4P platforms at about 75% of the cost. If I were buying a new system today, I would be hard-pressed to ignore Nehalem as a basis for my Eco-system. However, the socket-F Opteron systems still has about 8-12 months of competitive life in it, at which point it becomes just another workhorse. Nehalem-EP still does not provide enough incentive to shatter an established Eco-system.

SOLORI's 2nd take: AMD has a lot of ground to cover with Istanbul and Magny-Cours in the few short months that remain in 2009. The "hearts and minds" of system refresh and new entrants into virtualization are at stake and Nehalem-EP offers some conclusive value to those entering the market.

With entrenched customers, AMD needs to avoid making them feel "left behind" before the market shifts definitively. AMD could do worse than getting some SR5690-based Istanbul platforms out on the VMmark circuit - especially with its HP and Supermicro partners. We'd also like to see some Magny-Cours VMmarks prior to the general availability of the G34 systems.

AMD and Intel I/O Virtualization

Virtualization now reaches an I/O barrier where consolidated applications must vie for increasingly more limited I/O resources. Early virtualization techniques - both software and hardware assisted - concentrated on process isolation and gross context switching to accelerate the "bulk" of the virtualization process: running multiple virtual machines without significant processing degradation.

As consolidation potentials are greatly enhanced by new processors with many more execution contexts (threads and cores) the limitations imposed on I/O - software translation and emulation of device communication - begin to degrade performance. This degradation further limits consolidation, especially where significant network traffic (over 3Gbps of non-storage VM traffic per virtual server) or specialized device access comes into play.

I/O Virtualization - The Next Step-Up

Intrinsic to AMD-V in revision "F" Opterons and newer AM2 processors is I/O virtualization enabling hardware assisted memory management in the form of a Graphics Aperture Remapping Table (GART) and the Device Exclusion Vector (DEV). These two facilities provide address translation of I/O device access to a limited range of the system physical address space and provide limited I/O device classification and memory protection.

Combined with specialized software GART and DEV provided primitive I/O virtualization but were limited to the confines of the memory map. Direct interaction with devices and virtualization of device contexts in hardware are efficiently possible in this approach as VMs need to rely on hypervisor control of device access. AMD defined its I/O virtualization strategy as AMD IOMMU in 2006 (now AMD-Vi) and has continued to improve it through 2009.

With the release of new motherboard chipsets (AMD SR5690) in 2009, significant performance gains in I/O will be brought to the platform with end-to-end I/O virtualization. Motherboard refreshes based on the SR5690 should enable Shanghai and Istanbul processors to take advantage of the full AMD IOMMU specification (now AMD-Vi).

Similarly, Intel's VT-d approach combines chipset and CPU features to solve the problem in much the same way. Due to the architectural separation of memory controller from CPU, this meant earlier processors not only carry the additional instruction enhancements but they must also be coupled to northbridge chipsets that contained support. This feature was initially available in the Intel Q35 desktop chipset in Q3/2007.

Your Own, Personal Cloud

RightScale, the Computer Science Department at the University of California, Santa Barbar and Ubuntu are launching a tag-team assault on the cloud paradigm. Based on Xen infrastructures and Amazon EC2 control syntax (Amazon Web Services, AWS), the Eucalyptus platform is designed to be a work-alike, elastic cloud building block to promote private cloud confederations.

Starting with Ubuntu 9.04, RightScale will support private cloud management from their web management platform to your Eucalyptus cloud with registration built-into the Eucalyptus install. Why Ubuntu 9.04? Because it is the first distribution to ship with the Eucalyptus technology preview.

Billed as the "Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud" platform, the Ubuntu+Eucalyptus+RightScale triumvirate will allow emulate the EC2 environment and control the hardware build-out as well. Future updates will allow ServerTemplates and automation from RightScale, but this is a "preview" after all.

Some strong points about the Eucalyptus cloud:

• 2-4 times better TCP throughput than EC2


• AppScale (Google AppEngine) can deploy to it


• Runs on Xen and open source

Currently, there is no planned support for non-Linux operating systems, so Windows users will need to look to other technologies. However, if this project delivers, the air between public and private clouds could be getting a lot thinner.

AMD's New Opteron

AMD's announcement yesterday came with some interesting technical tidbits about its new server platform strategy that will affect its competitiveness in the virtualization marketplace. I want to take a look at the two new server platforms and contrast them with what is available today and see what that means for our AMD-based eco-systems in the months to come.

Initially, the introduction of more cores to the mix is good for virtualization allowing us to scale more gracefully and confidently as compared to hyper-threading. While hyper-threading is reported to increase scheduling efficiency in vSphere, it is not effectively a core. Until Nehalem-EX is widely available and we can evaluate 4P performance of hyper-threading in loaded virtual environments I'm comfortable awarding hyper-threading a 5% performance bonus - all things being equal.

[caption id="attachment_435" align="alignright" width="300" caption="AMD's Value Shift"][/caption]

What's Coming?

That said, where is AMD going with Opteron in the near future and how will that affect Opteron-based eco-systems? At least one thing is clear: compatibility is assured and performance - at the same thermal footprint - will go up. So let's look at the ramifications of the new models/sockets and compare them to our well-known 2000/8000 series to glimpse the future.

A fundamental shift away from DDR2 and towards DDR3 for the new sockets is a major difference. Like the Phenom II, Core i7 and Nehalem processors, the new Opteron will be a DDR3 specimen. Assuming DDR3 pricing continues to trend down and the promise of increased memory bandwidth is realized in the HT3/DCA2 and Opteron, DDR3 will deliver solid performance in 4000 and 6000 configurations.

Opteron 6000: Socket G34

From the announcement, G34 is analogous to the familiar 8000-series line with one glaring exception: no 8P on the road-map. In the 2010-2011 time frame, we'll see 8-core, 12-core and 16-core variants with a new platform being introduced in 2012. Meanwhile, the 6000-series will support 4-channels of "unbuffered" or "registered" DDR3 across up to 12DIMMs per socket (3 banks by 4 channels). Assuming 6000 will support DDR3-1600, the theoretical bandwidth of a 4 channel design would yield memory bandwidths in the 40-50GB/sec range per link (about twice Istanbul's).

[caption id="attachment_433" align="alignright" width="300" caption="AMD 2010-2013 Road-map"][/caption]

With a maximum module density of 16GB, a 12-DIMM by 4-socket system could theoretically contain 768GB of DDR3 memory. In 2011, that equates to 12GB/core in a 4-way, 64-core server. At 4:1 consolidation ratios for typical workloads, that's 256 VM/host at 3GB/VM (4GB/VM with page sharing) and an average of 780MB/sec of memory bandwidth per VM. I think the math holds-up pretty well against today's computing norms and trends.

Opteron Turns 6: Plus Istanbul and a New Road-map

AMD released an updated technology road-map for it's Opteron processor family, beginning with the early availability of Istanbul - its Socket-F compatible 6-core processor - shipping for revenue in May and available from OEM's in June. This information was delivered in a webcast today.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="214" caption="AMD Istanbul 6-core Processor"][/caption]

"...up to 30 percent more performance within the same power envelope and on the same platform as current Quad-Core AMD Opteron..."

Additionally, AMD updated the availability of its Direct Connect Architecture 2.0 to be available only in the Opteron 4000 and 6000 series (socket C32 and G34, respectively). Companies waiting for the 12-core "Magny-Cours" processor will have to switch to the G34 platform in 2010. AMD announced that it is already shipping this 45nm part to sampling partners, and some customers will receive parts in 2H/2009. Magny-Cours is expected to be available from OEM's and system vendors in 1H/2010.

"Opteron 4000 series is also planned for introduction in 2010 for 1P and 2P servers and designed to address virtualized Web and cloud computing environments. The 4000 series will launch with 4- and 6-core processors..."

AMD believes, with core counts on the rise, dense computing (HPC and data center virtualization or cloud) will rely on the 4000 series and its more "green friendly" low power parts called "EE" offering comparable performance at 40W average power. This will create a differential in the server space between 4000 and 6000 (much like 2000 and 8000 today) but with overlap in the 2P market (unlike 2000/8000). The 6000 series is envisioned as a "high performance computing" part where power sensitivity is not the major concern.

Sun Finds a Buyer in Oracle

Sun and Oracle have come to terms on a $7.4B cash deal. Oracle's Ellison rejected a similar deal in 2003 due to bad timing and a PeopleSoft acquisition. Says Sun's post:

"Sun and Oracle today announced a definitive agreement for Oracle to acquire Sun for $9.50 per share in cash. The Sun Board of Directors has unanimously approved the transaction. It is anticipated to close this summer."

"The acquisition of Sun transforms the IT industry, combining best-in-class enterprise software and mission-critical computing systems," said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. "Oracle will be the only company that can engineer an integrated system - applications to disk - where all the pieces fit and work together so customers do not have to do it themselves. Our customers benefit as their systems integration costs go down while system performance, reliability and security go up."

Oracle's press release mirror's Sun's:

VMware: vSphere Pricing/Features Announced

VMware released more information to the public about its next-generation virtualization product today with the announcement of vSphere. The target is cloud computing and 100% virtualization will become the new mantra.

vSphere introduces much requested support for new operating systems as well. Starting with the release version of vSphere 4.0, the following OSes will be fully supported on VMware's platform:

Asianux, CentOS, Debian, FreeBSD, OS/2, Solaris, SCO OpenServer, SCO Unixware.

These come in addition to the already supported array of Windows, RedHat, Suse, DOS and Netware operating systems. This broadening of supported OSes extends the gulf between VMware and Xen/Hyper-V even further. As Cloud-OS is a tenant of VMware's future plans, the ability to support an extended array of operating systems is a requirement as customers export/import between private and public clouds.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="250" caption="vSphere Essentials Editions"][/caption]

For the long-neglected SMB space, VMware now offers a vSphere Essentials to spur the growth of enterprise virtualization in that space. The new package comes in two editions: Essentials and Essentials Plus retailing at $995 and $2,995 respectively. Both packages come with vCenter Server and associated management licenses. The real value here for SMB's is the included licensing of three physical servers with up-to two processors and 12-cores each.

vSphere Essentials

Why is the Essentials offering so important to the SMB market? With the exception of vMotion technology, the Essentials editions offer small businesses the ability to consolidate up to 85 virtual machines for as little as $35/VM including server hardware (based on 2P, quad-core Opteron systems with 32GB RAM and 4:1 VM:core consolidation ratios).

Feature Essentials Essentials Plus ESXi or ESX (64-bit hardware) X X vStorage VMFS X X vStorage Thin Provisioning X X Four-way vSMP X X vCenter Server Agent X X vStorage API X X VMware Consolidated Backup X X vCenter Update Manager X X VMware HA X VMware Data Recovery X vCenter Server Essentials X X Suggested Retail Price $995 $2,995

We believe most SMBs will prove to have more aggressive utilizations than large enterprise averages. As a result, we expect fairly conservative consolidation ratios of 2:1 to 3:1 (per core) in vSphere Essentials integrations with only 3 servers.

Even so, Essentials delivers its solution for under $70/VM (30-40 VMs), and Essentials Plus comes in at $115/VM in a fully HA environment (no single host with more than 66% of design capacity). Likewise, one must consider the value of Update Manager, vCenter, vSMP, Thin Provisioning and VMware Consolidated Backup to SMB's moving forward.

The additional "IT muscle" leveraged with these options could create may "virtualization as a service" propositions for small integrators wishing to covert CAPEX into recurring revenues. We expect to see many offerings of this ilk cropping-up in the SMB space as wallets tighten and virtualization in-sourcing becomes more popular. In any case, either option presents an attractive value proposition for SMB's and the integrators/solution providers that serve them and vSphere is the leading platform to make it all happen.

Nehalem-EP: Your Best Consolidation Option?

Intel's Nehalem is new and sexy, but currently limited to 2P platforms. This fact is forcing Intel to refer customers to their aging Xeon 7400 series (based on the older "Core" architecture, not Nehalem)  for 4P solutions and those seeking higher consolidation ratios. Still, leading equipment and solution vendors are scrambling to build offerings around the 2P-only Nehalem due to its significant value proposition over aging, dead-end Intel technology that can not keep-up in an increasingly virtualized world.

Intel asks you to "replace nine (single-core) servers" with one 2P Nehalem system and promises to "deliver ROI in 8-months" based on power savings alone. This "enhanced value proposition" is a compelling component of a solution providers' foot-in-the-door strategy to lay-out system, storage and virtualization refreshes. The goal: higher consolidation rates and better virtualized performance promised by Nehalem (better results can be achieved with AMD Shanghai - see below). But with no 4P or 8P offerings is Nehalem the only option? Better yet, is it even a cost effective "refresh" option?

To understand the value proposition of Nehalem in an increasingly virtualized world, we need to identify the key benefits of the technology and how a single 2P system can replace 9 2P/1C systems. Simply put, Nehalem represents the most current virtualization hardware offering from Intel, finally bringing it to parity with AMD's quad-core offering which has proved itself over the last 18-months. Its updated quad-cores, IPC, bus architecture and hardware assisted virtualization technologies deliver capabilities that older single-core systems can not match.

EPT and RVI - Hardware Virtualization Enhancements

AMD introduced its hardware assisted virtualization in 2006 with AMD-V (code named Pacifica) available in all processors supporting Socket-F and AM2 platforms (except the low-end Semperon). This technology enabled Xen-based hypervisors - lacking broad binary translation engines - to virtualize operating systems without modification. Intel later countered lead with Intel VT-x in its Itanium and Pentium D 662/672 desktop processors in 2005.  Intel added VT-x capability to Xeon processors in 2H/2006. Intel makes VT-x available in some Core and Core2 processors, Xeon 3000/5000/7000 and Core i7 processors. No Celeron, Pentium Dual-Core (prior to 662) or Pentium M processors have this feature.

VMware Partner 2009 Update: License Changes Coming

The old VMware licensing system was "difficult to understand" for many end-users. The policy of purchase-registration-activation and subsequent assignment to either license server or host license file/code will be changed to accommodate simple key codes. Those familiar with Microsoft's license key structure will feel right at home with the new licensing structure.

Once purchased, the new license key - with full enablement encoded into it - will be e-mailed to the purchaser and applied to the host/vCenter Server for feature activation. License keys can be split on-line (i.e. 20-CPU key turned into two, 10-CPU keys, etc.) and managed through the portal as usual. VMware also promises to enhance the end-user's ability to track license keys better.

Current license holders should be looking for more information from VMware in their in-boxes following the general availability announcement before the end of Q2'09.

Note: No changes to existing product licensing will be made as this new process applies to products released with (and in addition to) VMware's new hypervisor.

VMware Partner 2009 Update: vSphere is coming...

We're not the first to say it, but vSphere - VMware's 4.0 iteration of it's Virtual Infrastructure product - is coming and it will take the cloud by storm... Remember our "Christmas List" blog back in December? We essentially outlined the following "must haves" for our next generation vOS:

1. Agnostic live migration,


2. Infinite snapshot backup/restore,


3. Natively reads Xen, Virtualbox, KVM, VMWare and HyperV virtual disks and configs,


4. Can “clone on migrate” a running image to a “dmz” for analysis or a “remote cluster” for easy DR snapshots,


5. Supports I/O and processor limits per VM, and


6. Runs most workloads at least 95% bare metal.

Well, here's were we stand on that:

1. Not yet,


2. Close: new VCB solution will have API and lots of options,


3. Do I still want this feature?


4. Getting Fault Tolerance instead,


5. Got this one, and


6. Close: 90% bare metal.

On top of that, we're closer to private-public confederations that would allow vCustomer "A" to export/import to/from vCloud vender "B" if each are running vSphere.Also - and you've all seen this by now - we're getting a plugable vSwitch supervisor with many E-class switching capabilities...

Plus, we're getting application awareness in the networking back-end that will allow tweaking and performance tuning like never before... and much needed security tools to help with compliance and multi-tenant lockdown... And what about hot-add of vCPU, memory, devices, etc.? Wait and see what happens next...

Update: ESXi on GT28

Just an updated post to confirm that the GT28 (with KVMoIP SMDC module) has proven to be an excellent platform both in manageability and performance. At a $150/node premium over Supermicro's AS-1021 dual-node, the quad-gigabit interface appointed Tyan GT28 is great for clustered consolidation and the "roomy" memory allowance gives it scalability. The only thing keeping the GT28 from being "perfect" is its lack of a redundant power option.

Our test systems have been running continuously in the lab for over 3 months without a single failure. We'd like to see an updated BIOS for the SMDC module that gives us a bit more control, but the current platform beats Supermicro's BIOS stability with their current AGESA 3.3.0+ and KVMoIP offering (AS-1021, AS-2021, etc.).

However, Supermicro has taken it's 1U/2-node platform to the redundant power stage by offering a 2U/4-node platform with redundant supply built-in. Perfect? Nope - still only twin-gigabit, requiring the single slot be dedicated to additional Ethernet capacity. But then there's the issue with NO knock-out for its KVMoIP-SMDC module, requiring either ugly hack-it-in wiring or the loss of the expansion slot. A serious mistake? Time will tell...

Installing OpManage 8.0 on SLES 10 SP2

Network and device managers abound, but the OpManage platform from AdventNet keeps building features and capabilities. Unfortunately, their embrace of Windows and Linux installation choices leaves some in the lurch depending on the platform chosen.

Recently I took version 8.0 for a spin on a trimmed-down installation of SLES 10 SP2. As has been typical with this platform on Suse systems, there were some issues requiring resolution before OpManager was up an running. Fortunately, the issues were localized to the apache server that comes with OM8.

First up, in my trimmed-down install (minimal X-windows, no additional servers), no Apache was included as a SLES package (i.e. in an attempt to avoid package collision). This required the following changes to the SLES environment after OM8 installation:

create file: /etc/ld.so.cond.d/opmanage.conf
   edit, add:  /opt/AdventNet/ME/OpManager/apache/lib
run:  ldconfig

Next, trouble-shooting the remainder of the apache-related issues uncovered the following dependencies:

create link:  ln -s /usr/lib/libgdbm.so.3 /usr/lib/libgdbm.so.2
create link:  ln -s /usr/lib/libdb-4.3.so /usr/lib/libdb-3.2.so
create link:  ln -s /usr/lib/libexpat.so /usr/lib/libexpat.so.0

Once completed, test the service by issuing the following:

cd /opt/AdventNet/ME/OpManager/bin
run  ./StartOpManagerServer.sh

OpManager will point-out the service port you chose during installation. Remember SUSE's firewall services manager if you get stuck accessing OpManager from the "web client" - it is deny-all by default when enabled.

From the first 15-minutes with the new OpManager, it is clear that AdventNet has come a long way since the early days of the product. There are many new features and devices supported. Check it out for yourself if you're still shopping for a network/server monitoring system that runs nicely in a virtual machine...

Quick Take: New Car Syndrome

John De Gelas over at Anandtech poses the "million dollar question" of upgrading memory and CPU versus replacing the entire system. So far, there is a 2:1 margin in favor of "throwing out the baby with the bath water" and replacing the entire server even when new CPUs are available. This curious "new car syndrome" that seems to have affected IT decision makers in the past will have to change in the "new" economy. Is Intel's marketing strategy sound?

Some in the AMD fan-boy camp have accused Anand of "bending" to Intel by "always" presenting new Intel products in the glowing light of an post-coital cigarette. However, Intel has consistently "outed" more technology than AMD on many more fronts: hands-down, Intel gives Anand's group much more to talk about! However, this relentless cycle of "product renovation" from Intel is an interesting formula of update and obsolescence that - like the "latest model" vehicle update - drags the user to a buying decision much earlier than the life-cycle warrants.

SOLORI is big on stable image platforms - Intel has SIPP for desktops and AMD's cover desktop and server - and expanding an equipment line's useful lifetime from 18 to 36 months with simple memory and processor upgrades seems an obvious choice. Perhaps the Intel-focus at AnandTech creates a reader bias towards disposable platforms than it would with more AMD followers. AMD Opteron users are likely more familiar with processor swaps than Intel users, given that a single-core AMD platform purchased in 2006 can be upgraded to 6-core Istanbul later this year with only another BIOS update - adding another 12-months to its life: that's a 48-month product lifetime in tech!

ESX Server 3 Update 4 (roll-up) Released

ESX350-Update04 - UPDATE

This release requires a VMware Tools update and subsequent reboot of affected Windows systems. Resulting update changes ESX build number to 153875.

Expanded features:

• VMXNET driver enhancements for W2K3


• EVC for Xeon 5500 series


• LSI megaraid_sas and mptscsi updates - improves performance and enhances event handling capabilities


• Additional Guest OS Support
  
  
  
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (32/64-bit)
  
  
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (32/64-bit)
  
  
  • Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop/Server Editions (32/64-bit)
  
  
  • Windows PE 2.0 (32/64-bit)
  
  
  
  


• New SATA and SAS controller support
  
  
  
  • PCM 8011
  
  
  • Intel ICH9 & ICH10
  
  
  • CERC 6/I SATA/SAS RAID
  
  
  • HP SmartArray P700m
  
  
  • (storing VMFS on native SATA still not supported)
  
  
  
  


• Lots of new 10Gbps NICs supported


• Adds E1000 support for Netware 5 & 6

Important Fixes:

• VMotion freeze (momentary) on RVI-enabled AMD hosts


• Random failures with W2K guests and PAE


• Unnamed instabilities for 64-bit SMP guests


• E1000 now default NIC for Solaris 9 & 10 32-bit


• Firewall now supports FTP passive mode


• Guest OS and RDM communications


• Storage VMotion temporary snapshots

Notes of interest:

Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) Disk Arrays Cannot Be Added as Raw Device Mapping Disks Using the VI Client
When using the VI Client to create virtual machines on raw device mapping disks or add a hard disk to a virtual machine, the Raw Device Mapping option is disabled in the New Virtual Machine Wizard, and in the Add Hardware Wizard.

Workaround: To add SAS disk arrays as raw device mapping disks:

1. Run a command with the following syntax in the ESX Server service console:
   # vmkfstools -r <raw_device_path> -a <bus_type> <RDM_file_name>


2. Use the Add Hardware Wizard to add the newly created virtual disk as an existing disk, to the virtual machine.

For details on the update, see the VMware update release notes.

Quick Take: Live Migration with Istanbul

As a follow-up to the six-core demonstration referenced in an earlier post, AMD has issued a press release and a related video demonstrating a "three generation" migration in VMware VI3. The key issues for AMD are that a running workload on a "Barcelona" Opteron can migrate to/from a "Shanghai" or "Istanbul" series processor without shutdown (courtesy of VMware's VMotion).

Another excellent take-away is that - unlike the test mule system used in the previous demonstrations - the system used in the migration demonstration appears to be a Supermicro AS-2021M. Pictured below, this platform demonstration would seem to indicate that Istanbul is close to release.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Ron Myers of AMD migrating from one server to another using VMware ESX 3.5"][/caption]

SOLORI's take: Previous tests had either involved AMD test mules or HP modular systems. The use of SOLORI Eco-System products in such a demonstration underscores the value of AMD as an Eco-System partner and the longevity of these systems in production.

SOLORI's 2nd take: With the emergence of Intel's Nehalem-EP processor and its outstanding pre-release benchmark testing, AMD has a very short window of opportunity to release the Istanbul series to hold its ground. Given some early indications that probe filter boosts memory bandwidth - an issue Nehalem currently leads in - AMD should launch Istanbul with as many optimizing feature as they can, including probe filter.