In a hurry so here is something from Intel. I will pop back later with why I think blades are so important.
Paul
intel.com
server blades emerge
The Internet and Web-based commerce has given rise to a class of economical, front-end servers that serve up Web pages, power searches, and enable transactions. Unlike the powerful multi-processor machines that drive databases and back-end systems, these single- and dual-processor systems are typically clustered in large farms that make it easy to drop in additional servers to meet demand.
It didn't take long for fast-growing Internet enterprises to fill enormous data centers with servers in slim "pizza-box" form factors (known in the industry as 1U configurations). These compact chassis configurations enable firms to stack up to 42 servers in a single, seven-foot high rack. But as demand continues to grow, the challenge is shifting from simply scaling out operations to managing the growing electrical, thermal, and space challenges of such high-density facilities.
Enter server blades. These new servers place the processor, system memory, network connection, and associated electronics on a single motherboard, which slides into an enclosure that can contain dozens of other blades. Unlike traditional chassis-bound systems, server blades share the chassis, power supply, fans and cabling with other blades in the enclosure. The result: simplified physical environments that allow thousands of blades to be deployed at optimal cost.
Keep it Simple
Server blades have a lot of appeal for IT organizations looking for space-efficient solutions with higher levels of serviceability, scalability and manageability. According to research firm International Data Corp, server blades will account for about 27 percent of server unit sales by 2005. While early models are primarily single- and dual-processor configurations, IDC expects a steady migration to higher performance models. Quad-processor blades could account for 35 percent of the server blade market by 2005, according to the IDC report, while dual-processor products could represent 52 percent of units shipped.1
In fact, server blades only continue a trend toward more incremental deployments. Currently, 37 percent of servers shipped come in rack-mounted form factors, according to IDC. That compares to just over five percent at the end of 1999. What's more, slim 1U form factors are the fastest growing segment for rack-mounted servers, accounting for 40 percent of units shipped. Of course, multi-processor pedestal servers hold much higher portions of these sectors by revenue, due to their higher unit costs.
Manageability makes server blades an attractive option. Installing, servicing, and removing blades is much easier than working with chassis-mounted servers. Shared power supply, cabling, fans and storage reduce the number of redundant and "failable" components in the environment. Support for industry standard management tools allows IT managers to readily monitor, configure, and troubleshoot systems. Organizations can also scale out operations in much smaller, more precise increments.
Perhaps most important, blades offer the highest available densities. In a sector where companies often benchmark performance in terms of transactions per watt per unit of floor space consumed, the ability to squeeze more power in less space is critical, especially in today's environment of increased emphasis on reducing overall operational costs.
Server blades may be the future, but they won't replace existing server configurations. Rather, blades will likely gain prominence in specific, high-density computing environments, such as enterprise and service provider data centers that specialize in Web serving and other front-end operations.
Intel Introduces Low-Power Server Processors
Intel has recognized the importance of low-power server processors for some time. For nearly six months, the Intel® Pentium® III processor with 512KB L2 cache has provided a superior mix of high-performance, lower-power consumption, and reduced thermal output for front-end servers of all types. Add to this: an advanced 0.13-micron chip manufacturing process and efficient FC-PGA2 packaging enable efficient operation. The result: low voltages and thermal output even at clock speeds above 1GHz.
In November 2001, Intel introduced a new ultra low voltage version of the Pentium III processor with 512KB L2 cache on uFCBGA packaging. The new processor significantly improves on the power management and thermal output of the earlier processor, making it ideal for server blades and other ultra-dense server environments. Equally important is the low power Intel® 440GX chipset, which is ideal for these new low-power Pentium III processors. This chipset addresses up to 2GB of system memory and features the same error-correcting code (ECC) used to ensure data integrity in powerful, multi-processor servers.
For data centers that measure performance in terms of transactions per watt per unit of floor space, these introductions are a welcome development. The new processor and chipset offer significant reductions in power consumption, lowering the strain on electric and climate control systems even as they allow data centers to deploy more servers in a fixed space.
Server blades are emerging as an intriguing option for IT organizations that must deploy large numbers of front-end servers. Over the months to come, Intel will continue to introduce high-performance processors that offer lower power consumption and thermal output. These advances will play a critical role in enabling dual-processor server blades, for example, and will allow IT organizations to deploy the best possible hardware for each task.
1Source: IDC, ESV, 8-01 |
