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Performance characterization of HP ProLiant BL685c G5

with Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors (2.3 GHz)

in a 64-bit HP Server Based Computing environment

Executive summary............................................................................................................................... 3

Audience ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 3

AMD Opteron processors ................................................................................................................. 4

AMD Dual Dynamic Power Management ........................................................................................ 5

Test methodology................................................................................................................................. 6

Test tools......................................................................................................................................... 7

More information ......................................................................................................................... 7

User profiles .................................................................................................................................... 7

Test scenarios .................................................................................................................................. 8

Performance and scalability metrics................................................................................................ 8

Test topology....................................................................................................................................... 9

Configurations ............................................................................................................................... 10

HP SBC server summary.................................................................................................................. 11

Performance test results....................................................................................................................... 12

Perfmon values .............................................................................................................................. 13

Canary times................................................................................................................................. 14

Test analysis summary ........................................................................................................................ 15

Appendix A – HP BladeSystem............................................................................................................ 16

HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosure .................................................................................................... 16

Management ............................................................................................................................. 17

Options..................................................................................................................................... 17

HP BladeSystem c3000 enclosure .................................................................................................... 17

Performance .............................................................................................................................. 18

Management ............................................................................................................................. 18

Options..................................................................................................................................... 18

Appendix B – Using Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions......................................................... 19

Historical scalability limitations ........................................................................................................ 19

More information ....................................................................................................................... 20

Summary of content (23 pages)

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Performance characterization of HP ProLiant BL685c G5 with Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors (2.3 GHz) in a 64-bit HP Server Based Computing environment Executive summary............................................................................................................................... 3 Audience ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction....................................................
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Appendix C – SBC solution sizing ....................................................................................................... 21 Online sizer tool ............................................................................................................................ 21 For more information..........................................................................................................................
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Executive summary Important: This document describes a performance characterization performed utilizing the HP 64-bit test harness, which incorporates a Microsoft® Office 2003 workload. Test results cannot be compared directly with the results of tests performed using the 32-bit Office XP- or Office 2003-based harness. The HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade delivers uncompromising performance and expandability in a dense form factor.
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Figure 1. HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade AMD Opteron processors The HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade supports up to four Quad-Core AMD Opteron 8300 Series processors. This native quad-core processor delivers the following benefits: • Outstanding performance The Quad-Core Opteron processor is designed for optimal multi-threaded application performance.
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• Investment protection By leveraging AMD’s Common Core Strategy and Same Socket Technology, Quad-Core Opteron processors can minimize changes to the customer’s software and data center infrastructure, protecting IT investments and simplifying management.
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Test methodology HP continues to upgrade existing HP ProLiant servers and introduce new servers to meet particular business needs. To help customers select the appropriate server for their particular HP SBC environment, HP publishes this and other performance characterizations so that you can compare individual server performance and scalability. This section describes how HP determined the optimal number of users supported by an HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade with the Opteron Processor Model 8356 (2.
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Test tools To facilitate the placement and management of simulated loads on an HP SBC server, HP used Terminal Services Scalability Planning Tools (TSScaling), a suite of tools developed by Microsoft to help organizations with Microsoft Windows® Server 2003 Terminal Server capacity planning. Table 1 describes these tools. Table 1. Components of TSScaling Component Description Automation tools Test tools Help files Robosrv.exe Drives the server-side of the load simulation Robocli.
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Table 3 outlines the activities performed by each user class utilizing Office 2003 products. Table 3. Activities incorporated into the test scripts for each user class Activity description Heavy User Access Open a database, apply a filter, search through records, add records, and delete records. X Excel Open, print and save a large spreadsheet. X Excel_2 Create a new spreadsheet, enter data, and create a chart. Print and save the spreadsheet.
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Note: When running canary scripts, HP considers user response times to become unacceptable when they increase markedly over a baseline measurement. Test topology Figure 2 illustrates the HP SBC test environment. Figure 2. The tested environment Note: Test environments such as that shown in Figure 2 are available to customers at HP Solution Centers to help solve a wide variety of business problems.
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Configurations Table 4 summarizes the configurations of servers and clients used in the test environment. Table 4. System configurations Server Configuration HP SBC server 4P HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade with: • Opteron Processor Model 8356 (2.
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Table 4. System configurations (continued) Server Configuration Client Variety of Intel Pentium®-based Compaq Evo workstations (600 MHz – 2.533 GHz), each with: • At least 256 MB of memory • 1024 x 768/16-bit color depth • 100 Mbps NIC Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP HP SBC server summary Table 5 summarizes the configuration of the tested HP SBC server. Table 5.
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Table 5. System summary for the HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade (continued) Component Description Total physical memory 32,765.62 MB Available physical memory 30.78 GB Total virtual memory 79.06 GB Available virtual memory 78.78 GB Page file space 48.00 GB Page file C:\pagefile.sys Performance test results This section outlines the test results used by HP to characterize the performance and scalability of the HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade.
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Perfmon values HP ran a series of performance tests using scripts based on the Heavy, Medium, and Light User profiles. Figure 3 shows the test results for Heavy Users. Figure 3. % Processor Time values for Heavy Users – showing that 301 Heavy Users were supported when processor utilization reached 80% Figure 3 shows the optimal number of Heavy Users supported by the HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade to be 301.
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Canary times Figure 4 shows sample results for the HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade running a typical canary script. Individual user response times are shown in blue, with a yellow line depicting average response times. HP analyzed this figure to determine when response times began to increase markedly and consistently over a baseline level, indicating that user response times had become unacceptable. Figure 4.
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Test analysis summary Figure 5 summarizes the optimal numbers of users supported by the HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade. Figure 5. Optimal numbers of users supported in the 64-bit test harness For Heavy and Medium Users, HP characterized the scalability of the HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade through the numbers of users supported when CPU utilization reached 80%. For Light Users, response times became unacceptable before CPU utilization reached 80%.
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Appendix A – HP BladeSystem Out of the box, HP BladeSystem removes constraints imposed by conventional IT infrastructures, unifying server, storage, networking, power, and management capabilities in a change-ready, energy-thrifty, and cost-effective system. HP BladeSystem helps customers of all sizes – from large enterprises to small and medium businesses (SMBs) – make an easy transition to an Adaptive Infrastructure by enabling tighter and more dynamic connections between IT and the business process.
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Management • HP Onboard Administrator provides complete control of the infrastructure • Interactive HP Insight Display allows easy setup and configuration from the front of the rack • HP Insight Control Environment for HP BladeSystem automates deployment, provisioning, server and performance management, and patch and vulnerability management, providing a single, easy-touse solution for heterogeneous environments Options • HP Active Cool fan technology provides superior airflow, power and acoustic performanc
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Performance • Up to eight c-Class server blades • Up to three I/O fabrics • Multi-terabit mid-plane to support current and future I/O connections • N+N and N+1 power redundancy for maximum configuration flexibility • Choice of AC (with support for low-line or high-line power) or DC power supplies Management • HP Onboard Administrator provides complete control of the infrastructure • Interactive HP Insight Display allows easy setup and configuration from the front of the rack • HP Insight Control Environment
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Appendix B – Using Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions Microsoft offers a new generation of high-performance platforms for 64-bit applications with continued support for 32-bit applications and existing deployment and management tools – all on the same platform. These new operating systems provide an evolutionary path to 64-bit technology, allowing 64-bit and 32-bit applications to run side-by-side during the gradual migration to 64-bit computing.
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More information For more information on the impact of 64-bit Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions in an HP SBC environment, refer to the HP white paper, “Scalability and performance of HP ProLiant servers on 64bit Microsoft Windows Server 2003 in an HP SBC environment.” To learn about 64-bit computing in an HP SBC environment, refer to the HP white paper, “Fundamentals of 64-bit computing in an HP SBC environment.
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Appendix C – SBC solution sizing As with any laboratory benchmark, the performance metrics quoted in this performance brief are idealized. In a production environment, these metrics may be impacted by a variety of factors, including the following: • Overhead Agents and services (virus scanning, backup and restore, provisioning, security, management and more) automatically consume overhead. Rogue applications can consume additional overhead.
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Figure C-1. The HP SBC sizer’s welcome screen Based on information provided by the customer, the sizer can provide a quick, consistent mechanism for identifying the “best-fit” server for a particular HP SBC environment and generate a Bill of Materials (BOM) for that server.
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For more information HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade http://www.hp.com/servers/bl685c HP BladeSystem c-Class server blades http://www.hp.com/servers/cclass HP ActiveAnswers for Server Based Computing http://www.hp.com/solutions/activeanswers/hpsbc HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP) http://www.hp.com/go/rdp Consolidated HP SBC online sizer tool http://h71019.www7.hp.com/activeanswers/Secure /70245-0-0-0-121.aspx HP Services http://www.hp.