NonStop NS-Series Planning Guide (H06.05+)

Integrity NonStop NS16000 System Description
HP Integrity NonStop NS-Series Planning Guide—529567-008
4-4
NonStop Blade Complex
In the event of a processor fault in either a duplex or triplex processor, the failed
component within a NonStop Blade Element (processor element, power supply, and so
forth) or the entire Blade Element can be replaced while the system continues to run. A
single Integrity NonStop NS16000 system can have up to four NonStop Blade
Complexes for a total of 16 processors. Processors communicate with each other and
with the system I/O over dual ServerNet fabrics.
In the term ServerNet fabric, the word fabric is significant because it contrasts with the
concept of a bus. A bus provides a single, fixed communications path between start
and end points. A fabric is a complex web of links between electronic routers that
provide a large number of possible paths from one point to another. Two
communications fabrics, the X and Y ServerNet, provide redundant, fault-tolerant
communications pathways. If a hardware fault occurs on one of the ServerNet fabrics,
communication continues on the other with hardware fault recovery transparent to all
but the lowest level of the OS.
Input/output components usually tap into the ServerNet fabrics through ServerNet
adapters that are represented by the Modular I/O block in the preceding diagram of the
NSAA. These adapters provide the system I/O to Fibre Channel storage devices and
gigabit Ethernet communications networks. Connections to the ServerNet fabric via the
NonStop S-series I/O enclosure equipped with IOMF 2 CRUs provide additional
ServerNet interfacing for the NonStop S-series I/O peripherals.
Even though the hardware architecture differs from one series of NonStop servers to
another, the Integrity NonStop NS16000 system can be networked with other NonStop
systems using the same message system and the same network software.
In summary, these terms describe the NSAA processor:
Term Description
Processor
Element (PE)
A single Itanium microprocessor with its associated memory. A PE is
capable of executing an individual instruction stream and I/O
communication through fiber-optic links.
NonStop Blade
Element
Two or four PEs contained within a single NonStop Blade Element
enclosure.
Logical
processor
One or more PEs from each NonStop Blade Element executing a single
instruction stream. A duplex processor has two PEs forming a logical
processor. A triplex processor has three PEs.
NonStop Blade
Complex
Two NonStop Blade Elements (duplex processor) or three NonStop Blade
Elements (triplex processor). An Integrity NonStop NS16000 system
includes up to four NonStop Blade Complexes.
NonStop Blade
Element
enclosure
The power, processor, memory, and I/O hardware for a complete
NonStop Blade Element. It mounts in a 19-inch modular cabinet.