Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 Server Architectures TM A Technical White Paper October 2006 SunWIN Token # 481905
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................4 Building A Smarter, More Powerful Infrastructure.................................................................................................4 Flexible, High Speed x64 Architecture...............................................................................................................
Sun Microsystems, Inc. IPMItool.....................................................................................................................................................34 SNMP ........................................................................................................................................................34 Sun N1 System Manager...................................................................................................................................
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Introduction Building A Smarter, More Powerful Infrastructure IT organizations are constantly under pressure to improve operations and get more work done while lowering costs. Often constrained by technology barriers, IT managers strive to gain efficiencies by standardizing platforms and procedures.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Customers seeking a business edge can look to Sun to provide smarter options for building a simple, secure, standardized IT infrastructure. The Sun Fire x64 family of servers are smart solution enablers for standardizing the datacenter -- a high-performance set of servers that offer the unity of vertical scaling with the economies of horizontal scaling, while running any major OS and 32-bit/64-bit application.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 1 Flexible, High Speed x64 Architecture Innovation and technology leadership combine within the Sun Fire x64 server family to deliver some of the most flexible, high performance systems ever created. With the ability to run 32-bit and 64-bit applications on a single high speed platform, Sun Fire x64 servers address the real challenges and bottlenecks found in many system architectures, and deliver world record benchmark results.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. • Provide digital content creation capabilities, such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and computer-aided engineering (CAE), digital music production and video editing, and real-time media streaming solutions. • Require maximum performance for rendering of realistic and cinematic scenes for use in computer generated cinema, next generation computer games, and various digital and real time video processing applications.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. one another. Memory transactions must propagate through the Northbridge chip fabric which also carries I/O traffic. This can present a bottleneck at the front-side bus that greatly reduces productivity and performance potential. In the AMD Direct Connect Architecture, each CPU has its own integrated memory controller, fostering more linear, symmetrical multiprocessing and optimized memory performance.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 2 Sun Fire X4100 M2 and Sun Fire X4200 M2 Architecture Overview Sun Fire X4100 M2 Server The Sun Fire X4100 M2 server measures 1 rack-unit (RU) high (or 1.72 inches/43.8 mm) 17.5 inches (445 mm) wide, and 25.2 inches (640 mm) deep. It is a rack-optimized, x64-based system with a symmetric multiprocessor. Cooling is accomplished with internal fans that direct airflow from the front to the back of the chassis.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Figure 1-1: Sun Fire X4100 M2 Server Architecture Block Diagram. Sun Fire X4200 M2 Server The Sun Fire X4200 M2 measures 2 rack-unit (RU) high (or 3.449 inches/87.6 mm), 17.5 inches (445 mm) wide, and 25.2 inches (640 mm) deep. It is a rack-optimized, x64-based system with a symmetric multiprocessor. Cooling is accomplished with internal fans which direct airflow from the front to the back of the chassis.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. • Four PCI-E and one PCI-X slots deliver high-performance I/O expansion capabilities. • Embedded quad Gigabit Ethernet and a SAS disk controller to leave the five PCI slots available for expansion needs • Embedded management and legacy I/O to offer maximum operational flexibility without compromising PCI slots for optional features Figure 1-2: Sun Fire X4200 M2 Server Architecture Block Diagram.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 3 CPU Architecture The Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers support one boot and one optional Dual-Core AMD Opteron Series 2200 processor. The base processor is inserted in physical position CPU0 (the right side socket on the motherboard when viewed from the front of the system). In a dual processor configuration, the CPUs must be of the same model/speed and stepping version.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Figure 2-1: Single-Core AMD Opteron Processor Architecture (Stepping E and earlier generations) The Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers support AMD Opteron 2200 Series processors (aka stepping F). From the start, AMD64 processors were designed for multi-core architecture the core being connected to IO via a crossbar/SRI. Dual-core AMD Opteron processors have unique instances of L1 cache (I-cache and D-cache) and L2 cache for each CPU core.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Figure 2-2: Dual-Core AMD Opteron Processor Architecture Note: Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers support both Standard Edition (95W) and Special Edition (120W) of the Next Generation AMD Opteron processor. Processor VRM Each processor receives core voltage input from an individual voltage regulator module (VRM). The VRMs regulate the system current and voltage according to the VID code output by the CPU package.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Other features of the Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers memory architecture include: • Dedicated on-die 128-bit wide DDR2 memory controller • Memory bandwidth up to 10.7 GB/sec. @ DDR2-667 • Under 80 ns latency • Registered ECC DDR2-667 (PC2-5300) supported • 1 GB to 4 GB low profile (1.2 inch/3.05 cm) DIMM support • Up t0 16 GB per CPU in with 4 GB DIMMs in 4 DIMM slots per CPU • Single supply (2.50 VDC) • Standard SPD (VCC-SPD=3.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. computing, including many high-performance computing (HPC) cluster applications • Provide digital content creation capabilities such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and computer-aided engineering (CAE), digital music production and video editing, and real-time media streaming solutions • Require maximum performance for realistic and cinematic consumer experiences, including computer games, digital video, and real-time collaboration.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Memory Interface In traditional x86 Northbridge/Southbridge architectures, processors share a memory controller and are not directly connected to one another. Memory transactions must propogate through the Northbridge chip fabric. This presents a bottleneck at the front-side bus that greatly reduces productivity and performance potential.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Intel Architecture Sun Fire X4100 M2 / X4200 M2 DDR2 10.7 GB/s CPU CPU FSB FSB DDR2 10.7 GB/s HT 8 GB/s CPU CPU HT 8 GB/s FBDIMM HT 8 GB/s MCH (Northbridge) I/O HT 8 GB/s I/O ESB-2 (Southbridge) Figure 2-3: Intel vs. Opteron Architectures I/O Expansion Capability to High-Speed Industry Buses The traditional Northbridge/Southbridge architecture is not intended to support more than two core-logic elements.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. HyperTransport Technology, an industry standard, provides system designers a high-speed, daisy-chained interconnect between system components. Specific components can be connected in a building-block fashion to achieve a platform with specific feature-set and performance objectives. Figure 2-4 shows a sample HyperTransport technology architecture block diagram.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 4 I/O Subsystem Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 I/O Subsystem Overview The Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 I/O subsystem is connected to the CPU complex through two HyperTransport links, one to each processor.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. NVIDIA nForce Professional 2200 MCP (CK8-04) The NVIDIA nForce Professional 2200 MCP, also known as CK8-04, features an 1 GHz HyperTransport link, flexible PCI Express interface, an enterprise-class native Gigabit Ethernet MAC, Serial ATA and ATA-133 support, USB2.0, PCI, and other standard peripheral functions. The CK8-04 is connected to HT port 1 of CPU 0 via a 1 GHz 16x16 (8 GB/s) HyperTransport link.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. mum bandwidth of 12.0 Gbits/sec. SAS features of the LSI SAS1064 include: • Four fully independent phys • Support for 3.0 Gbits/sec.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Figure 3-2: Intel 82546EB Dual Port Gigabit Ethernet Controller Architecture Block Diagram ATI Rage XL Video TM TM The Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers use the ATI Rage XL graphics controller to deliver 2D and 3D graphics acceleration. The DVI port is connected to the service processor for remote graphics redirection.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. PCI Expansion Slots Sun Fire X4100 M2 Server PCI Expansion Slots The Sun Fire X4100 M2 server features 2 PCI-E expansion slots. When viewing the server from the rear, PCI 0 is the lefthand slot and PCI 1 is the righthand slot. Both slots are Low Profile 8-lane PCI-Express expansion slots supporting up to 8-lane PCI-E expansion cards. Sun Fire X4200 M2 Server PCI Expansion Slots The Sun Fire X4200 M2 server offers 4 PCI-Express and 1 PCI-X expansion slots.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 6 Cooling and Power Typical heat dissipation and power consumption metrics for a Sun Fire X4100 M2 or X4200 M2 server equipped with 2 AMD Opteron Series 2200 processors, 4 GB RAM (4 x 1 GB), on 73 GB SAS HDD and 2 Power Supplies are as follows: • Max Power Consumption: 351 W • Heat Dissipation: 1198 BTU/hr • Tons of Air Conditioning: 0.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Fans Cooling fans in the Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers are positioned in two rows for redundancy just behind the front bezel. They are hot swappable and each fan module has an LED fault indicator. The fans are accessible from the top hinged hatch door in the front left side of the server, when facing the server from the front. This enables the fans to be accessed without interrupting system operation.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Figure 5-3: Sun Fire X4200 M2 Server Cooling Fan Layout Power Supplies Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers are powered by dual redundant hot-swappable power supplies.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 7 ILOM: Integrated Lights Out Management Integrated Lights Out Management (ILOM) is the Service Processor. ILOM enables multiple in-band and out-of-band management solutions. In-band management through the host operating system, or platform, is enabled by IPMI and SNMP OS-resident agents. Out-of-band management is enabled through the serial port or dedicated Ethernet. There is a command line interface (CLI) provided when out-of-band serial port conenctivity is used.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. the ILOM CLI and system console using serial port redirection (S-o-L Serial-over-LAN).
Sun Microsystems, Inc. ILOM Software ILOM is an IPMI 2.0-compliant Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) which implements Lights Out Management (LOM) including “Remote Keyboard, Video, Mouse, and Storage” (KVMS), a Web management interface, a command line interface (CLI) and SNMP. ILOM software includes the following: • Embedded, hardened Linux OS • IPMI 2.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. • Command verbs—There are a small number of command verbs that operate on those objects. Command verbs are simple and include create, delete, set, show, start, and stop, for example. • Object properties—An object may have one or more properties, or parameters. For example, a user ID object has a password and roles properties. • Options—A command may have options that modify or clarify its operation. The DMTF CLP lists several options that must be supported by all commands.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. storage components of the RKVMS functionality. The remote devices are presented to the Sun Fire server by JavaRConsole and ILOM as virtualized local devices. JavaRConsole captures keyboard and mouse input on the management console and directs it to ILOM. ILOM then transmits these keyboard and mouse inputs over the USB ports to the AMD-8111 aI/O Hub and to the Sun Fire server. The Sun Fire server interprets these inputs as originating from local USB devices.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Figure 6-2: Illustration of RKVMS Functionality Lights Out Management (LOM) Lights Out Management is performed on the Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers through IPMItool, a command-line utility for controlling IPMI-enabled devices. Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Platform management refers to the autonomous monitoring, logging, recovery, and inventory control features implemented in hardware and firmware.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. used to communicate with the BMC over serial and LAN interfaces, so software designed for in-band (local) management can be reused for out-of-band (remote) management simply by changing the low-level communications layer. IPMItool IPMItool is a simple command-line interface to systems that support the IPMI v2.0 specification.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. lifecycle becomes increasingly apparent. A server could see many re-provisions applied to it in its lifetime. Once provisioned, organizations must continuously monitor and manage the infrastructure to ensure that systems are running at desired levels. Managing each step of the infrastructure lifecycle is challenging for even the most sophisticated IT organizations.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 8 Software Operating Environment The Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers support multiple 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, including Solaris, Linux, and Windows. The Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers are also VMware ESX Server compatibility certified. Table 7-1 lists the different operating systems supported on the Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers. Table 7-1: Supported Operating Systems Operating System Solaris 10 on x64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. identify and resolve hardware problems, and streamline and automate patch management. Solaris Containers can also consolidate multiple applications onto a single system to increase utilization rates and cut system and licensing costs. Existing applications that adhere to the Solaris x64 OS application binary interface (ABI) and that are compiled with the same APIs, will run unmodified on x64 platforms.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. TM NetBeans -based Integrated Development Environment. Sun Studio 10 software also provides an integrated development environment (IDE), performance analysis tools and intuitive debugger for Linux operating systems. These components are compatible with GCC 3.2 software. Note that Sun is not supplying or providing support for the gcc compiler.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. calendar, mail, memo, and address book. CDE now features streaming video using MPEG1, MPEG2, QuickTime, and AVI formats, as well as MIDI audio using Java Media Framework technology. GNOME 2.0 Desktop Environment GNOME 2.0, the modern desktop for the Solaris 10 Operating System (OS), provides applications and tools that are designed to enhance business productivity in a networked world. GNOME 2.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Chapter 9 Additional Software Included Sun Installation Assistant The Sun Installation Assistant software on CD-ROM is included in the ship-kit with every Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 server. Sun Installation Assistant is a Linux installation utility that reduces the complexity of installing supported Linux distributions on new hardware. A newly released platform seldom has a certified set of drivers already in a current Linux distribution.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Appendix A Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 Rack Mounting Specifications Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers should fit in nearly all 3rd-party racks which meet these criteria: • Rack has a horizontal opening with unit vertical pitch conforming to ANSI/EIA 310-D-1992 and/or IEC 60927 • Four-post structure (i.e.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Appendix B Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 Server Dimensions The Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers have the following size and weight dimensions. Table B-1: Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 Server Dimensions Sun Fire X4100 M2 Sun Fire X4200 M2 Weight 41.1 lbs / 18.6 Kg maximum w/rack kit 56.2 lbs / 25.5 Kg maximum w/rack kit Height 1.72 in / 43.8 mm 3.44 in / 87.6 mm Width 17.5 in / 445 mm 17.5 in / 445 mm Depth 24.8 in / 632 mm 24.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Appendix C Environmental and Regulatory Compliance The Sun Fire X4100 M2 and X4200 M2 servers meet or exceed the following environmental and regulatory specifications.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. Copyright © 2006 Sun Microsystems, Inc., 4150 Network Circle, Santa Clara, California 95054, U.S.A. All rights reserved. This product or document is protected by copyright and distributed under licenses restricting its use, copying, distribution, and decompilation. No part of this product or document may be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written authorization of Sun and its licensors, if any.
