Sun Fire X2270 Server Architecturerich/Nehalem/X2270_server_architecture.pdf · • An optional Sun...

Abstract

Offering a compact form factor, the powerful performance of Intel® Xeon® Processor 5500 Series, innovative

high-speed data storage options, and the versatility to execute most any x86 or x64 application, the Sun

Fire™ X2270 server is an excellent building block for Web infrastructure and high-performance computing

environments. This white paper describes the architecture of the Sun Fire X2270 server, including the processor

technology, I/O subsystem, and system management features.

The Sun Fire™ X2270Server ArchitectureSolve greater computational challenges faster

White PaperMarch 2009

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Table of Contents

executive Summary ........................................................................................1

escalating Business and Computational Challenges ...........................................2

Sun Fire X2270 server .......................................................................................... 3

Creating a superior platform ................................................................................ 5

Meeting industry demands .................................................................................. 6

The intel Advantage .......................................................................................8

New Intel Core Microarchitecture ........................................................................ 8

Intel Xeon Processor 5500 platform .................................................................... 12

Server Architecture ....................................................................................... 13

Motherboard .................................................................................................... 13

Memory architecture ........................................................................................ 15

PCI Express expansion ....................................................................................... 15

On-Board interfaces .......................................................................................... 16

Internal storage ................................................................................................ 17

Power and cooling ............................................................................................ 17

System management controller ......................................................................... 18

Flash Technology .......................................................................................... 19

Solid state drives .............................................................................................. 19

Sun Flash Modules ............................................................................................ 20

Solaris ZFS file system ....................................................................................... 22

Sun Flash Analyzer ............................................................................................ 22

System Management .................................................................................... 23

Sun ILOM service processor ............................................................................... 23

SNMP............................................................................................................... 30

Sun xVM Ops Center ......................................................................................... 30

Operating System Support ............................................................................ 32

The Solaris Operating System ............................................................................ 32

Linux environments .......................................................................................... 33

Microsoft Windows environments ...................................................................... 34

VMware virtualization technology...................................................................... 34

Summary ..................................................................................................... 35

For more information ........................................................................................ 35

Sun Microsystems, Inc.1 The Sun Fire X2270 Server Architecture

executive Summary

Researchers, engineers, e-commerce pioneers, and financial analysts constantly

face new challenges that drive demand for greater computational power and

throughput. To support more extensive exploration, geophysicists need tools to

analyze deeper oceanic seismic maps. Electronic design engineers must synthesize

and verify increasingly complex integrated circuits. In finance and e-commerce, IT

professionals must find ways to create highly-responsive Web applications and mine

growing datasets with increasing efficiency. An alliance forged between Sun and

Intel® brings together the necessary elements to create systems that support the

most demanding workloads at top performance and an affordable price. The Sun

Fire™ X2270 server provides a prime example of combining Intel products and Sun

engineering expertise to deliver outstanding quality, performance, and

price/performance.

A follow-on product to the successful Sun Fire X2250 server, the Sun Fire X2270 server

takes advantage of Sun’s Open Network Systems design approach, optimizing and

maximizing all the individual components of the system the architecture. The Sun

Fire X2270 server includes some of the fastest technology that Intel has to offer,

including Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series with integrated memory controller and

fast QuickPath Interconnects (QPI) to link processors to each other and to the I/O

subsystem. With specific optimizations for the New Intel Core Microarchitecture,

the Solaris™ Operating System (Solaris OS) takes full advantage of the Intel Xeon

Processor 5500 Series to achieve outstanding performance. To maximize I/O

responsiveness, the Sun Fire X2270 server delivers the high-speed throughput of

PCI Express 2.0. In addition, the Sun Fire X2270 server supports internal solid state

disks (SSDs) and Sun Flash Modules, accelerating data transfer rates well beyond

traditional approaches. Making this offering even more compelling, the Sun Fire

X2270 server also provides a low-voltage processor option, efficient front-to-back

cooling, and compact form factor to help minimize power and real estate costs.

The Sun Fire X2270 server is ideal for a variety of projects, including high-

performance computing (HPC) applications and Web infrastructure initiatives.

Support for simultaneous execution of 32-bit and 64-bit applications and a flexible

choice of operating systems including, the Solaris OS, Linux, Microsoft Windows,

and VMware operating environments helps maximize the versatility of this platform.

Sun has a long history of providing exceptional platforms to serve the needs of

compute-intensive Web and scientific applications. Backed by that experience,

the performance of the Sun Fire X2270 server is optimized for the requirements of

demanding workloads.


Chapter 1

escalating Business and Computational Challenges

Across a wide spectrum of industries, organizations continue to confront greater

computational challenges than ever before.

Oil and gas companies• need solutions that can help them meet the world’s ever-

increasing demands for energy. These organizations rely heavily on technology to

increase efficiency in the areas of exploration, data acquisition, and production.

In the • electronic design industry, the complexity of integrated circuit (IC)

devices is increasing dramatically. Integrated circuits now commonly incorporate

hundreds of millions of gates, placing strain on the task of completing simulations

within a reasonable timeframe.

To avoid losing business to the competition, • e-commerce companies are required

to quickly respond to potential buyers and sellers. As customers constantly, buy,

sell, and compare items, back-end systems must keep pace by rapidly querying

vast catalogs of information.

To improve productivity and economize the product development process, •

manufacturers need to reduce their dependence on physical prototypes. As

a result, engineers need to run increasing numbers of simulations at higher

resolution.

Financial institutions• must keep pace with the constant trading of securities. To

complete orders accurately, these organizations need to efficiently query large

collections of information and make rapid updates.

Through computational biology, the melding of information technology and •

the life sciences, scientists are putting applications such as bioinformatics,

molecular modeling, bio-simulation, clinical informatics, and medical imaging to

work in such diverse fields as human therapeutics, diagnostics, prognostics, and

forensics. As a result, information technology has become an essential component

in the advancements and achievements within the life sciences arena.

High-performance, high-caliber tools help organizations capitalize on the valuable

talents of engineering professionals and scientific researchers. With the proper

equipment, individuals can confront greater challenges, express new ideas

and visions, and engage their skills to the greatest effect. Investing in superior

technology provides the potential to solve problems more quickly, and with higher

quality than with lesser tools.

Sun set the industry standards for system design with its Open Network System

approach. By integrating and optimizing open compute, storage, networking,

and software technologies from across the company’s portfolio, Sun creates high-


performance, efficient, scalable systems that maximize the economics of computing.

Based on Open Network System design principals, the Sun Fire X2270 server

(Figure 1) is optimized to take full advantage of the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series,

flash technology, PCI Express 2.0, and high-density internal storage. As a result, the

Sun Fire X2270 server is an ideal platform for confronting increasingly demanding

computational challenges — without breaking budgets.

Figure 1. The Sun Fire X2270 server offers two sockets for Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series in a 1U chassis.

Sun Fire™ X2270 serverThe Sun Fire X2270 server is a 1U, two-socket x64 server designed to offer advanced

features and capabilities. The energy-efficient Sun Fire X2270 server utilizes

processor and memory speed grades that are among the fastest available, and

eliminates I/O bottlenecks through support for internal solid state drives and flash

technology. As an Open Network System offering, the Sun Fire X2270 also supports

operating system and application choices that can easily be managed by third-party

systems management tools. This flexibility allows organizations to avoid the lock-in

of proprietary solutions, helping lower costs and ease manageability. The following

technology selections maximize the value of the Sun Fire X2270 server for technical

computing workloads and Web infrastructure deployments:

Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series (formerly Nehalem-EP)•

Intel 5500 chipset (formerly Tylersburg-24D) and ICH10-R South Bridge•

High-performance QuickPath Interconnect (QPI)•

Three-channel Integrated Memory Controller supporting up to 1333 MT/sec •

Registered DDR3 DIMMs

Turbo Boost Mode and HyperThreading capabilities•

PCI Express 2.0 technology•

Intel 82575EB Gigabit Ethernet controller (formerly Zoar)•

Support for solid state drives and Sun Flash Modules •

Energy-efficient 60W Intel Xeon processor option•

An optional Sun ILOM service processor•


The Sun Fire X2270 server demonstrates Sun’s commitment to economy and

performance by delivering industry-leading price/performance and

performance per watt. In fact, the Sun Fire X2270 server offers up to three times the

performance, at 66% the energy consumption of current-generation systems. By

offering more memory capacity and drive spindles than similar systems in the same

product class, the Sun Fire X2270 server can provide organizations with up to 50%

savings on datacenter real estate expenses. Entry-level only from a cost perspective,

the Sun Fire X2270 server is a system worthy of being placed at the center of

performance-critical projects. Table 1 describes the features of the Sun Fire X2270

server.

Table 1. Sun Fire X2270 system characteristics

Sun Fire X2270 Server

enclosure 1 rack unit (1U)

Processor Up to two Intel Xeon Processor 5500 SeriesIntel Xeon X5570, 2.93 GHz, 8MB cache, 6.4 GT/sec QPI, HT, Turbo, 95WIntel Xeon X5550, 2.66 GHz, 8MB cache, 6.4 GT/sec QPI, HT, Turbo, 95WIntel Xeon E5540, 2.53 GHz, 8MB cache, 5.86 GT/sec, QPI, HT, Turbo, 80WIntel Xeon L5520, 2.40 GHz, 8MB cache, 5.86 GT/sec QPI, HT, Turbo, 60WIntel Xeon E5504, 2.00 GHz, 4MB cache, 4.80 GT/sec QPI, No HT, No Turbo, 80W

Memory Six DIMM slots per CPU2 GB or 4 GB DDR3 1066 MT/sec or 1333 MT/sec ECC Registered DIMMsUp to 24 GB per CPU, maximum 48 GB per system

internal Storage

Up to four 3.5-inch SATA hard disk drives or solid state drives500 GB or 1000 GB hard disk drives32 GB solid state driveUp to two 24 GB Sun Flash ModulesNo internal DVD/CD-RW support (utilize USB device or ILOM Remote KVMS)

System i/O

Two Gigabit Ethernet ports (one port can be shared with the service processor)One RJ45 Serial port (shared with the optional service processor)Four USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 2 rear)

expansion One 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 slot

Power Non-redundant, 600W power supply

Operating Systems

Solaris Operating System, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, Microsoft Windows Server, VMware ESX Server

Optional Service Processor

IPMI 2.0 compliant, Web, graphical, and command line interfaceSNMP V1, V2c, and V3, and SSH V2 supportOne dedicated 10/100 Base-T Ethernet port and one VGA video portRemote Keyboard, Video, Mouse, and Storage (KVMS)


Creating a superior platformOrganizations with intense computational workloads demand servers that can

offer top performance while also providing cost-savings, energy-efficiency, ease-of-

managment, and investment protection.

Maximize performance and headroomThe Sun Fire X2270 server delivers a level of performance that can help organizations

save money by tackling complex computing problems with fewer physical platforms.

Built with the highest-performance Intel Microarchitecture, DDR3 memory, Intel

Quickpath (QPI) technology, and PCI Express 2.0 support, the Sun Fire X2270 server

provides top entry-class server processing performance. Through the flexibility to

incorporate up to 48 GB of memory, two Sun Flash Modules, solid state drives and as

much as twice the storage of similar systems in the same class, the Sun Fire X2270

server also provides organizations with plenty of I/O headroom and performance.

Optimize energy efficiencyBy combining Intel Intelligent Power Technology with Sun’s energy-efficient system

design principles, the Sun Fire X2270 server can help organizations save on power

and cooling costs. The system lowers energy costs by automatically adjusting

processors and memory into the lowest available power state to meet the current

workload. In addition, the compact form factor and high memory and I/O density

of this platform helps to minimize real estate requirements. In fact, the Sun Fire

X2270 server nearly doubles the computing resources over previous generations

while maintaining the same footprint and incurring only minimal power and cooling

increases.

Simplify system managementSome organizations conduct remote management while others treat entry-

level servers as field-replaceable units. Sun offers options to accommodate both

approaches. Those using remote management require the ability to perform basic

monitoring, control, and administration from a remote location. The optional

Sun Integrated Lights-Out Management (ILOM) service processor supports remote

execution of management functions that do not require physically touching the

system. Based on industry standards, the Sun ILOM service processor also easily

integrates into existing management environments. At the same time, the Sun ILOM

service processor is offered as an optional component, helping to lower costs in

environments where servers are managed as field replaceable units.

Protect investmentsGiven the tightening economy, maximizing and protecting IT investments is a high

priority for many organizations. By taking advantage of the flexibility of the Sun

Fire X2270 server, organizations can utilize one hardware platform for a range of IT


project requirements. The Sun Fire X2270 server supports 32-bit and 64-bit computing

and the Solaris OS, Linux, Microsoft Windows, and VMware operating environments.

The flexibility of the Sun Fire X2270 server allows organizations to match the

operating system choice to the job at hand, and maximizes reuse of investments in

training and procedures.

Meeting industry demandsThe speed and flexibility of the Sun Fire X2270 server extends the usefulness of this

system to a broad range of applications. The following sections highlight some of the

specific industries and application areas that can benefit from the performance and

features of the Sun Fire X2270 server.

Visualize larger modelsOil and gas companies and life science researchers are constantly pushing for

the ability to visualize larger models. These organizations can benefit from the

performance and expansion characteristics of the Sun Fire X2270 server. The large

48 GB memory capacity of the Sun Fire X2270 server allows geophysicists to analyze

deeper oceanic seismic maps and biologists to model larger molecular structures.

Assessing how much crude oil sits below the earth’s surface requires computations

against a massive dataset, a process well served by the high-speed

1333 MT/sec DDR3 Registered DIMMs. Analyzing genetic sequences is a

computationally demanding job that can be accelerated by the Intel Xeon Processors

5500 Series with 6.4 giga-transfers (GT/sec) QuickPath interconnects.

Rigorous testing with SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 and Red Hat Enterprise Server

4 and 5 helps ensure that the Sun Fire X2270 server supports a wide array of oil and

gas applications. Recognizing that IT organizations place the highest premium on

absolute compatibility, Sun works closely with ISVs such as Landmark, Paradigm, and

Schlumberger for application certification.

Accelerate design cyclesEquipped with Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series with 6.4 GT/sec QuickPath

interconnects, integrated memory controller, and Intel Hyper-Threading (HT)

technology, the Sun Fire X2270 server allows electrical engineers to rapidly

synthesize, simulate, and verify sections of processor and ASIC designs. Automotive

engineers can utilize the Sun Fire X2270 server to quickly simulate more realistic,

higher-resolution crash tests and ultimately reduce dependence on physical

prototypes during the design process. The Sun Fire X2270 server also provides one PCI

Express 2.0 16-lane expansion slot for connecting to 10 Gigabit Ethernet, InfiniBand,

Fiber Channel HBAs, or external third-party options such as NVIDIA QuadroPlex

graphic solutions, helping engineers visualize more data sets simultaneously.


Maximize financial returnsFinancial institutions and e-commerce companies store extensive collections of

information and require fast access to data as customers constantly buy, sell, and

make comparisons. In order to optimize performance, some organizations invest

in large quantities of DRAM to achieve fast access to working sets. Unfortunately,

the expense of DRAM can make this strategy cost-prohibitive. Another approach to

improve responsiveness is to increase the I/O operations per second (IOPS) delivered

by the storage system. While deploying massive arrays of hard disks can be effective,

this approach wastes a large amount of space on each disk and increases energy and

real estate costs. By supporting internal solid state disks and up to two Sun Flash

Modules, the Sun Fire X2270 server offers a cost-effective alternative to improving

the performance of I/O intensive applications.


Chapter 2

The intel® Advantage

Sun collaborates closely with the Intel Corporation to design and bring to market a

broad server family based on the latest Intel Xeon processor technology. In the Sun

Fire X2270 server, Sun’s well-known system engineering expertise combines with

Intel’s processor design proficiency to emphasize performance, quality, reliability,

and eco-responsibility. Engineers at both companies work together to optimize

system performance under the Solaris OS as well as other operating environments.

The Sun Fire X2270 server incorporates Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series (formerly

Nehalem-EP) and includes a revolutionary new interconnect and microarchitecture

design. The server motherboard is populated with up to two processors, allowing the

system to deliver quick response times and high throughput for performance-hungry

applications. Compatible with a legacy of IA-32 software, these 64-bit processors

support a large volume of existing 32-bit applications as well as emerging 64-bit

applications.

This chapter introduces the new Intel Xeon processors and chipsets used in the Sun

Fire X2270 server. For detailed information on these components, please see the

following Web site: http://sun.com/x64.

new intel Core Microarchitecture With each release of a new processor series, Intel alternates between enhancing

the manufacturing process (shrinking the processor die) and redesigning the core

microarchitecture. Over a year ago, Intel transitioned to a 45nm manufacturing

process that enabled smaller transistors, allowing the previous processor generation

to consume less power, achieve faster switching times, and provide greater on-die

density than the generation before. This year, Intel is introducing a totally new

microarchitecture design in the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series — at the same time

reaping the benefits from its previous expertise with 45nm silicon manufacturing.

Figure 2 depicts the New Intel Core Microarchitecture (formerly Nehalem) of the Intel

Xeon Processor 5500 Series.


Figure 2. The Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series offers four cores per die, integrates a DDR3 memory controller, and implements Intel QuickPath technology.

This new Intel Xeon processor generation is targeted at delivering optimal

performance for bandwidth-intensive, threaded applications, with a

microarchitecture that features the following significant innovations over previous

designs:

Intel® QuickPath technology — • This technology provides a high-speed, point-

to-point interconnect between processors, memory, and I/O. The Intel QuickPath

interconnect (QPI) links processors in a distributed shared memory design that

provides high-bandwidth and low-latency memory access. Because it is a point-

to-point interconnect, processors do not contend for a single bus when accessing

memory and I/O, and do not compete for bus bandwidth — enhancing scalability.

Each QPI port includes two unidirectional links that support from 4.8 GT/sec up to

6.4 GT/sec per link, offering up to 12.8 GB/sec bandwidth in each direction for a

total bandwidth of 25.6 GB/sec — significantly higher than previous bus designs.

Multiple processor cores —• Within the Sun Fire X2270 server, the Intel Xeon

Processor 5500 Series microarchitecture offers four cores per die.

Core 0 Core 1 Core 2 Core 3

64KB L1 cache 64KB L1 cache 64KB L1 cache 64KB L1 cache

256KB L2 cache 256KB L2 cache 256KB L2 cache 256KB L2 cache

8MB Shared L3 cache

DDR3 memory controller QuickPath Interconnects

Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 QP0 QP1 QP2 QP3

3 x 64-bit channels @ 1.33 GT/sec

Up to 10.6 GB/sec per channel

4 x 20-bit links @ 6.4 GT/sec

Up to 25.6 GB/sec per link


Integrated DDR3 memory controller• — Implemented as a separate component in

earlier architectures, the memory controller is now integrated on the processor

die. The processor design creates a Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA)-style

memory architecture since each processor in multisocketed systems can access

local memory (connected to the local memory controller) as well as remote

memory that is connected to another processor.

In addition to independent channel mode operation in which each memory

channel supports direct memory access, the integrated memory controller also

supports the following two modes:

Memory channel mode – increases reliability through memory mirroring. In

this mode, two memory channels operate as mirrors of each other. The same

content is written to both channels simultaneously, creating data redundancy.

As a consequence of mirroring, the amount of usable system memory reduces

to half of the total physical memory installed. To utilize memory channel mode,

both channels must be populated with identical DIMM types.

Lockstep channel mode – operates two memory channels in lockstep, increasing

the reliability of each memory operation. In this mode, the cache line is split

across two channels, both channels must be populated identically, and memory

mirroring and sparing are not supported.

Regardless of the mode in use, the integrated memory controller also increases

data protection through support for demand and patrol scrubbing and single

device data correction (SDDC).

Demand and patrol scrubbing – technology proactively searches system memory,

repairing correctable errors. In the case of uncorrectable errors, the algorithm

permanently marks the memory location as unreadable.

x4 and x8 SDDC – offer an advanced form of ECC technology that protects

computer memory systems from any single memory chip failure. This

technology can detect and correct 1-bit to 4-bit internal data and data pin

failures within one DDR memory device, and detect up to 8-bit internal data and

data pin failures within two DDR memory devices. SDDC performs this function

by scattering the bits of an ECC word across multiple memory chips, such that

the failure of any one memory chip affects only one ECC bit. (Note: x8 SDDC is

only available in lockstep channel mode)

Advanced cache model• — Each core includes an associated Level-1 (L1)

instruction/data cache (64 KB per core) and a large integrated Level-2 (L2) cache

(256 KB per core). Also, all cores on a die share access to an inclusive Level-3 (L3)

cache. The L3 cache varies in size from 4 MB to 8 MB, depending on the specific

processor model.

Extended SSE4 (Streaming SIMD Extensions)• — These processor extensions

improve performance for XML, string, and text processing.


Virtualization enhancements• — Embedded virtualization technologies provide

hardware-based assistance for I/O device virtualization, improved virtualization

efficiency, and enhanced connectivity within a virtualized server.

Intel HyperThreading (HT) technology• — This technology provides two virtual

threads per core, increasing performance for highly threaded applications.

Intel Turbo Boost Technology —• For both multithreaded and single-threaded

workloads, this technology increases performance by taking advantage of

processor and system power and thermal headroom. The Turbo Boost feature

can increase performance up to two or three speed bins (266 or 400 MHz) above

typical performance levels. Turbo Boost and HyperThreading capabilities vary

according to specific processor models.

Intel Intelligent Power Technology —• When a processor workload decreases,

unneeded components — cores, cache, and memory — are put into sleep mode

to reduce power consumption.

Modular architectureThe New Intel Core Microarchitecture is modular, allowing a range of

implementations to meet a variety of application needs and price points. The

diversity between processor types (Table 2) results from differentiation in the number

of cores, the size of the on-die L3 cache, the speed of QPI links, and maximum

speed to memory, as well as support for Turbo Boost mode and HyperThreading

functionality. The Sun Fire X2270 server is available with processors of each type

shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Differentiation between microarchitecture implementations.

Processor type

Number of cores

L3 cache QPi link speed

Max memory speed

turbo Boost bins

hyper threading

Performance 4 8MB 6.4 GT/sec 1333 MT/sec 3 yes

Volume 4 8MB 5.86 GT/sec 1066 MT/sec 2 yes

Value 2 or 4 4MB 4.8 GT/sec 800 MT/sec N/A no

Power management technologiesContinuing the trend of reducing the processor energy footprint, Intel has designed

a microarchitecture that facilitates high performance while minimizing power

consumption. Enhancements to the microarchitecture add a greater number of CPU

power states and decrease latency when a core switches from one state to another.

In fact, the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series has up to 15 operating states, offers a

two microsecond state-to-state transition latency, and reduces CPU idle power to

10 W. Power gates that reside on the die allow idle cores to go to a near-zero power

state independently of one another.


To further conserve energy, memory, QPI, and PCI Express circuitry can also transition

to lower power states. Using DIMM self-refresh, DIMMs are automatically idled when

all CPU cores in the system are idle. DIMM Clock Enable (CKE) automatically places

idle DIMMs into a lower power state. QPI links and PCI Express lanes are also placed

in reduced power states during periods of inactivity.

The processor design helps to conserve power use, which can directly translate into

energy savings and reduced operational costs. Table 3 lists typical power envelopes

for the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series configurable in the Sun Fire X2270 server.

Because of innovative power efficiencies in the microarchitecture, even the highest

speed processors in the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series have a power envelope

of only 95W — in comparison to the previous generation of high-speed processors

which exhibited a power envelope as high as 120W.

Table 3. Power envelopes of Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series

Processor Processor speed QPi link speed Power

Intel Xeon X5570 2.93 GHz 6.4 GT/sec 95W

Intel Xeon X5550 2.66 GHz 6.4 GT/sec 95W

Intel Xeon E5540 2.53 GHz 5.86 GT/sec 80W

Intel Xeon L5520 2.40 GHz 5.86 GT/sec 60W

Intel Xeon E5504 2.00 GHz 4.8 GT/sec 80W

intel Xeon Processor 5500 platformThe Sun Fire X2270 server supports up to two Intel Xeon processors interfacing to

each other and to the Intel 5500 I/O Hub (IOH) over Intel QuickPath technology

interconnects. The IOH interfaces to an Intel 82801JR I/O Controller Hub (ICH10R),

providing expandability and high-I/O throughput. Each Intel Xeon Processor 5500

Series Platform is designed to match processor performance with memory capacity,

I/O expandability, and interconnect bandwidth. Chapter 3 includes system block

diagrams and descriptions.

For more information on the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series and the related

platform, please see http://www.intel.com/products/processor/xeon/5500/.


Chapter 3

Server Architecture

The Sun Fire X2270 server is based on a highly-integrated system architecture that

emphasizes performance, memory bandwidth, and I/O capabilities. The sections that

follow detail the physical and architectural aspects of this system.

MotherboardAs shown in Figure 3, the Sun Fire X2270 server motherboard includes two Intel Xeon

processors interconnected to each other and the Intel 5500 Chipset using Intel’s

QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology. The Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series each

have one integrated memory controller with three DDR3 channels and up to two

DIMMs per channel. The Intel 5500 Chipset provides 24 PCI Express 2.0 lanes, 16 of

which are used for the single PCI Express expansion slot. Four PCI Express 2.0 lanes

connect the Intel 5500 Chipset to the Intel 82575EB Gigabit Ethernet controller.

The Intel 82801JR I/O Controller Hub provides PCI, SATA, and USB connectivity. Out

of the six SATA devices provided by the I/O Controller Hub, four ports are utilized by

the drive slots that support both internal SATA hard disk drives and solid state drives.

The two remaining SATA ports are connected to the two Sun Flash Module slots. An

optional Sun ILOM service processor daughter card completes the architecture.

The motherboard of the Sun Fire X2270 server supports the following system

architecture features:

Integrated memory controller on each CPU• , offering three 64-bit channels

that each support two DIMMs and deliver up to 1.33 GT/sec or 10.6 GB/sec of

bandwidth each.

The Intel QuickConnect Architecture,• providing 6.4 GT/sec links, delivering up to

25 GB/sec of total bandwidth.

High-speed PCI Express 2.0 slot for high-performance I/O expansion •

Two Gigabit Ethernet ports with RJ-45 connectors to provide fast network •

connectivity (one port can be utilized for side-band management).

A six-channel SATA-II disk controller, supporting two Sun Flash Modules and up to •

four SATA hard disk or solid state disk drives.


An optional Sun ILOM service processor daughter card with an ASPEED AST2100 •

integrated communications processor provides system management and video

capabilities

In the absence of the optional Sun ILOM service processor daughter card:•

The graphics interface and dedicated network management port are unavailable –

The serial port connects directly to the I/O controller hub –

LEDs and fans are controlled by the BIOS –

PCIe 2.0 x16 (8 GB/sec)

QPI QPI

QPI

DDR3 DDR3

DDR3 DDR3

DDR3 DDR3

XEONTM XEONTM

5500 Series

USB

ESI

(PCIe x4)

(PCIe x4)

PCI 32-bit 33 MHz

Side-BandInterface

Intel5500

I/O Hub

Virtual UART

LPC

2x SATA

4x SATA

USB

USB

USB

USB4x SATAHard Disk orSolid State

Drive

2 x FrontUSB 2.0

2x FlashModules

Intel82801JR

I/O Controller

Hub

Front Panel

AST2100

PCI Express 2.0x16

Optional SP Board

Serial RJ-45

2 x Rear

1 x Internal

Back Panel

GigabitEthernet

Management10/100Ethernet

VGAVideo

82575EBIntel

Intel Xeon Processor

USB 2.0

USB 2.0

Figure 3. The Sun Fire X2270 server architecture


Memory architectureThe memory architecture of the Sun Fire X2270 server contributes to the platform’s

high performance. Each CPU includes a high-bandwidth, integrated DDR3 memory

controller that reduces access latency. Up to six extended ECC memory modules per

CPU are supported. Memory slots can be populated with the following DIMM types:

2 GB DDR3-1066 MT/sec•



The following DIMM population rules and best practices can help organizations

create configurations with the best possible performance.

Since each processor contains a separate memory controller, a DIMM slot is only •

accessible when the corresponding processor slot is populated

Populate the DIMM slots for each memory channel that are the farthest from the •

CPU first. For example, populate D5, D3, and D1 first; then D4, D2, and D0 second.

(DIMM numbering starts with D0 in the position closest to the processor and

increases moving out to the end of the memory bank)

Populate single-rank (SR) or dual-rank (DR) DIMMs in sets of three for each CPU, •

one per memory channel.

The best performance is achieved by preserving symmetry. For example, installing •

three of the same kind DIMMs, one per memory channel and ensuring that both

CPUs are utilizing the same DIMMs sizes populated in the same manner.

DIMMs for the Sun Fire X2270 server are available in two speeds, 1066 MT/sec and •

1333 MT/sec. Although mixing DIMM types within a configuration is supported,

the system operates all memory only as fast as the slowest DIMM.

In certain configurations, DIMMs operate slower than the maximum individual •

DIMM speed, please see Table 4.

Table 4. Memory DIMM speeds by configuration

configuration DiMM Speed

Two DIMMs per channel 1066 MT/sec

One DIMM per channel 1333 MT/sec (if using 1333 MT/sec DIMM)

One DIMM per channel 1066 MT/sec (if using 1066 MT/sec DIMM)

PCi express expansionHigh-bandwidth I/O access and flexible expansion are critical to meet evolving

business and application requirements. The Sun Fire X2270 server provides one

internal 16-lane, low-profile, PCI Express slot with support for PCI Express 2.0

technology. Adapter cards insert into a 90-degree angle PCI Express riser slot


that provides x16 mechanical and electrical support. PCI Express 2.0 doubles the

interconnect bit rate, increasing the aggregated bi-directional bandwidth of a

16-lane link to approximately 16 GB/sec. Populating this slot with an optional

InfiniBand, Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, or other high-speed adapter card

provides high-bandwidth connectivity to additional network or storage devices.

On-Board interfacesIn order to accommodate the attachment of a full complement of I/O devices, the

Sun Fire X2270 server provides integrated Gigabit Ethernet, serial, and USB ports. In

addition, the Sun Fire X2270 M2 server provides two USB ports on the front panel

of the system. The front and rear panel of the Sun Fire X2270 server are shown in

Figure 4. Please note that in the absence of the optional Sun ILOM service processor,

the VGA port and network management (Net Mgt) connectors do not appear on the

rear interface of the Sun Fire X2270 server.

PCIExpress

SlotPowerSupply

USB Ports

SerialPort

GigabitEthernet

PortsVGAPort

NetMgt

USB Ports

Hard Disk Drive and Solid State Drive Slots

LocatorLED

FaultLED

PowerLED

Figure 4. Front and rear panel of the Sun Fire X2270 server


internal storageThe internal storage options for the Sun Fire X2270 server help organizations increase

data throughput for I/O sensitive applications. The Sun Fire X2270 server supports

the following internal storage options:

SATA 3.5” 500 GB or 1000 GB hard disk drives•

SATA 2.5” 32 GB solid state disk drives (SSDs) in 3.5” carrier with bracket adapter•

Internal 24 GB Sun Flash Modules in a mini-DIMM form factor installed on the •

motherboard

Hard disk drives and solid state drives for the Sun Fire X2270 server utilize an

innovative drive carrier that helps maximize air flow above and below each drive.

Drives insert into a modular disk tray and cable-free disk backplane that increases

reliability and serviceability. The carrier includes an ejection handle that simplifies

drive removal. Drive status lights indicate “Ready to remove”, “Fault”, and “Status”.

Using the four internal hot-swappable drive bays, the Sun Fire X2270 server can

support up to a maximum of 4 TB. The RAID controller embedded inside the Intel I/O

Controller Hub supports RAID 0, 1, 5, or 10 on Windows Server 2003 and Windows

Server 2008 operating environments and requires Intel Matrix Storage Technology,

available at: http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/matrixstorage_sb.html.

For more information on the capabilities and benefits of solid state drives and

Sun Flash Modules for the Sun Fire X2270 server, please see Chapter 4 “Flash

Technology”.

Power and coolingBuilt to support energy efficiency, the power and cooling subsystem of the Sun

Fire X2270 server helps maintain cost-effective datacenter operation. The chassis of

the Sun Fire X2270 server is cooled with front-to-back airflow. A sensor chip within

the service processor modulates fan speed. In the absence of the Sun ILOM service

processor daughter card, the BIOS performs this function. The service processor

reads the fan speeds and turns the fan fault LED on if the rotations per minute (RPM)

falls under a specific threshold. The Sun Fire X2270 server provides a single, 600 Watt

power supply. To assist with proactive maintenance, the power supply is actively

monitored by the system.


System management controllerThe Sun Fire X2270 server offers an optional Sun ILOM service processor, allowing

remote management of activities that do not require physically touching the

system. Industry standards are embraced throughout, letting these systems easily

integrate into existing environments. The Sun ILOM service processor is an optional

component of the Sun Fire X2270 server, helping organization further lower the cost

of projects without remote management requirements. More information about the

optional service processor can be found Chapter 5 “System Management”.


Chapter 4

Flash Technology

Modern servers are driving throughput levels that rapidly outpace the capabilities

of typical storage solutions. While many servers can achieve processing capabilities

in excess of one million I/O operations Per Second (IOPS), today’s fastest hard

disk drives are only capable of about 300 to 400 IOPS. To match throughput more

closely to server performance and meet the challenging demands of data-intensive

applications, many datacenters implement large pools of high-speed disk drives.

In some cases, a large buffer of expensive DRAM is also deployed so that the

application’s working set can be stored in memory to reduce latency.

Flash technology provides a more economical alternative that can dramatically

enhance application I/O performance while also operating with significantly better

energy-efficiency than conventional rotational hard disk drives (HDDs). The Sun Fire

X2270 server supports flash technology in the form of solid state drives (SSDs) and

internal Sun Flash Modules.

Solid state drivesRecent advances in the quality of flash technology have made solid-state drives

(SSDs) an effective and reliable solution for enterprise storage. Flash technology

contains no moving parts, avoiding the seek times and rotational latencies inherent

with traditional hard disk drive technology. Because SSDs offer low latency and are

significantly less expensive than DRAM storage, they balance cost and performance

in a manner that can provide tremendous value for I/O-intensive workloads. SSDs

utilize a disk drive form factor (Figure 5) and are directly supported by the drive bays

of the Sun Fire X2270 server. The operating system and BIOS for the Sun Fire X2270

server views the SSDs as standard SATA drives.

Figure 5. Sample solid state drive for the Sun Fire X2270 server


Sun Flash ModulesEngineered by Sun — the Sun Flash Module is a storage innovation that combines

NAND flash components and a flash memory controller (FMC) to provide an industry-

standard SATA device in a compact, highly efficient form factor. The Sun Fire X2270

server supports installation of up to two 24 GB Sun Flash Modules to deliver a high-

capacity and high-performance storage option for I/O sensitive applications. Similar

to SSDs, Sun Flash Modules are viewed by the operating system and BIOS as standard

SATA drives. Table 5 provides the characteristics of the Sun Flash Module and Figure

6 shows the key components on the front and back of the Sun Flash Module.

Table 5. Sun Flash Module characteristics

Feature Description

Capacity 24 GB

Buffer cache 64 MB

Form factor JEDEC MO-285A, 3 Gb SATA-II/SAS-I

Reliability 7 x 24 x 3 years (100% write duty cycle)

Peak performance per module Random write: 20,000 IOPSRandom read: 24,000 IOPSSequential write: 150MB/secSequential read: 250MB/sec

Figure 6. Front and rear views of Sun Flash Module

LED Indicator

FlashNAND

FlashNAND

FlashNAND

FlashNAND

DRAM Voltage Regulator

Flash Memory Controller


Components of the Sun Flash Module include:

NAND SLC flash• — Each module contains eight 4 GB SLC NAND components

(four on the front side and four on the back), for a total of 32 GB of which 24 GB

is addressable for primary back-end storage. Excess capacity is used to optimize

performance and longevity. Because of the availability of spare blocks, slower

erase cycles can occur independently in the background, and faulty blocks can be

mapped out so they are not reused.

DRAM• — 64 MB of DDR-400 DRAM per module provides a local buffer to accelerate

flash write performance and maintain active data structures. Automatically

draining the write buffer to non-volatile flash memory helps to protect data

integrity in the event of sudden power loss to the array.

Flash memory controller• — Each Sun Flash Module incorporates a Marvell

flash memory controller — a SATA-2 controller that allows each module to

communicate via standard SATA protocol. The controller manages the back-end

storage and buffer cache, and provides a communication interface to the system.

To extend the life of NAND devices, the controller performs “wear-leveling” (a

technique that decreases wear by minimizing writes to the same location) and

on-the-fly ECC error correction (34 bits per 2 KB of data). The controller is also

responsible for tracking and mapping out bad blocks. In addition, the controller

load-balances and interleaves data accesses to back-end NAND devices to

accelerate I/O operations.

Voltage regulator• — A voltage regulator on each module governs the single 3.3v

input voltage to the module.

LED indicator• — An LED indicator on each module is used to signal the location of

a faulty module, helping to speed servicing if necessary.

Logical block diagramFigure 7 depicts a logical block diagram of a single Sun Flash Module. Four 1 GB

NAND die are stacked together in a single package, forming each of the eight NAND

flash devices. Each NAND device communicates via a single SATA-2 interface to the

flash memory controller. The controller also interfaces to the 64 MB DRAM and the

voltage regulator, and provides a connection to the array’s SAS expander, which

communicates to the controller using standard SATA-2 commands.

The NAND devices are enterprise-quality components, which means they have an

extended lifespan rating compared to commercial-grade flash components. To

develop enterprise-grade NAND SLC devices, Sun engineers worked closely with

NAND manufacturers to make specific reliability enhancements. These design

changes allow Sun’s enterprise-quality SLC NAND devices to exhibit greater

endurance. In addition, Sun performs extensive quality assurance testing and

component screening to optimize NAND device reliability. A worst-case estimate


1. In Sun Fire X2270 servers that do not include the optional service processor, control over the platform fans and LEDs is achieved via the capabilities of the platform BIOS.

of module life is 7 x 24 x 3 years (given the worst case of 100% duty cycle under

large sequential writes). Under normal workloads, this level of reliability translates

to approximately a 10-year data retention rate. For more information on flash

technology, please see http://sun.com/flash.

Figure 7.

64MBDRAM

VoltageRegulator

SATA-2 3.3v

DDR-400

NAND NANDNAND NAND NAND NAND NAND NAND

FlashMemory

Controller

Logical block diagram of the Sun Flash Module

Solaris ZFS™ file systemTaking best advantage of the performance and cost characteristics of flash

technology requires an enabling technology that can transparently combine the

strengths of HDDs, SSDs, and Sun Flash Modules. The Solaris ZFS file system can

harness these technologies within Hybrid Storage Pools to create a solution that

offers a balance between the speed of flash technology and the economy of HDDs.

A Hybrid Storage Pool automatically places data on the most appropriate storage

media to optimize performance and manage costs. In fact, the ZFS file system can

transparently cache data on SSDs without any need to modify applications. For more

information, please see the solution brief “Solaris ZFS Enables Hybrid Storage

Pools — Shatters Economic and Performance Barriers,” available at:

http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/pdf/solariszfs_solutionbrief.pdf.

Sun Flash AnalyzerTo help simplify the adoption of flash technology, the Sun Flash Analyzer tool can

be utilized to detect I/O intensive applications that can best benefit from flash. The

Sun Flash Analyzer tool runs on the Solaris 10 OS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux

operating environments and can easily be downloaded at the following Web site:

http://sun.com/flash/resources.


Chapter 5

System Management

A horizontally-scaled architecture can provide the best possible performance for

many types of workloads, including scientific analysis, Web applications, and product

design engineering. Unfortunately, this architectural approach often requires

provisioning, monitoring, and managing a large number of servers. Remote server

monitoring, system management, and task automation capabilities can help ease

administrative burden. To address this need, the Sun Fire X2270 server provides a full

complement of advanced system management features through installation of an

optional Sun ILOM Service Processor1. The Sun Fire X2270 server also supports open

standards to simplify integration with Sun and third-party enterprise management

software tools.

Sun iLOM service processorLights-out management features provided by the Sun ILOM service processor can

help organizations simplify system management tasks. The Sun ILOM service

processor is a Sun-designed customer replaceable unit (CRU) daughter card. Powered

by an ASPEED AST2100 integrated communications processor, the service processor

runs independent of the host platform, executing a robust, security-hardened

operating system.

Capabilities of the Sun ILOM service processor include the following:

Full local and remote keyboard, video, mouse, and storage (RKVMS) access via •

redirection over IP, eliminating the need for KVM switches

Monitoring and reporting of environmental, power, hardware, BIOS, and •

operating system events

Remote power control, diagnostics, media attachment, and flash upgrades of the •

system BIOS and service processor software

System configuration information retrieval•

User configurable serial console access through a physical port or redirected •

through the management network

Java™-enabled remote console access across a secure Web connection•

Multi-level role based access with support for RADIUS, LDAP, and Microsoft Active •

Directory Service lookup of authentication data

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) V1, V2c, and V3 support•


For system management operations, the AST2100 uses the following connections:

Two USB ports for virtual devices (both ports are routed directly on the •

motherboard between the AST2100 and the ICH10R)

One RJ45 RS-232 serial interface for console redirection•

Two RJ45 10/100 MB/sec Ethernet network interfaces for IP-based management •

connections (one for dedicated out-of-band management, and one shared host-

port for side-band management)

One HD-15 SVGA video port for local video output•

Management functions provided by the service processor are implemented by

Sun ILOM 2.0 system management software. This software provides an Intelligent

Platform Management Interface (IPMI 2.0) Baseboard Management Controller,

platform control agents, diagnostics software, and Remote Keyboard, Video,

Mouse, and Storage (RKVMS) drivers. Many other Sun servers incorporate this same

firmware, providing organizations with a single, consistent, and standards-based

management interface.

Secure access to the service processor and associated ILOM software functions is

available in several ways:

Intuitive browser-based user interface (BUI) over SSL•

Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) command line interface over Secure •

Shell (SSH)

Redirection of the platform console, keyboard, mouse, and video to the Sun ILOM •

Remote Console application

SNMP v3 interfaces, providing easy integration with Sun xVM Ops Center, or third-•

party applications from companies such as Hewlett-Packard and IBM

IPMI 2.0 command interface, for remote management using IPMI-based tools, •

such as IPMItool

Maximizing management flexibilityWhile system management tools can play an important role in streamlining

operations, organizations must consider the best approach for each environment.

Executing management software directly on the host with or without use of a service

processor is known as in-band management. Using a dedicated Ethernet or serial

port to execute administrative tasks independent of the host is known as out-of-band

management. Sharing a single Ethernet port for host and service processor network

connectivity is known as side-band management. Table 6 offers a comparison of each

of these management strategies.


1. Side-band management capabilities are not enabled by default. To enable this feature, please consult product documentation for the Sun Fire X2270 server.

Table 5. Comparison of in-band, out-of-band, and side-band management

Characteristics Benefits ideal use cases

in-band Relies upon operating system-resident software

Management tasks utilize platform compute resources

Use of a single network connection and switch port minimizes cost and complexity.

Heterogeneous environments with requirements to provide a common administrative tool across all platforms

Out-of-band Utilizes a dedicated Ethernet or serial port for administrative traffic

Management tasks execute on an independent service processor

Continuous access to management capabilities even when host is disabled

Management tasks do not consume host resources

Increased security by physically separating management traffic and server data

Environments with compute or bandwidth intensive applications

Projects with complex management requirements or high-levels of administrative burden

Side-band The host and service processor share an Ethernet port and are each assigned an independent MAC and IP address

Management tasks execute on an independent service processor

Continuous access to management capabilities even when host is disabled

Management traffic uses part of the host network bandwidth

Requires only one switch port, lowering implementation costs

Minimizes processing overhead on the host

Cost-sensitive environments

The Sun Fire X2270 server offers extensive flexibility by supporting in-band, out-of-

band, and side-band management. Organizations can choose a single management

method or utilize in-band management in tandem with out-of-band or side-

band management approaches. The Sun Fire X2270 server provides out-of-band

management across a dedicated 10/100 Mb Ethernet port or a RS232 serial port on

the Sun ILOM service processor. Side-band management is supported over one of

the two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces that is shared by both the host and the service

processor (Figure 8). When utilizing a side-band management approach, the single,

shared physical Ethernet port provides unique MAC addresses and IP addresses for

both the platform and the service processor. Side-band management can provide all

the benefits of out-of-band management at considerable cost savings, by eliminating

the need to consume a switch port for both the management and platform

connection1.


AST2100Management10/100Ethernet

PCI Express x4

2 x 1GBEthernet 0 & 1

Intel82575EB

Intel5500

I/O Hub

Side-bandConnection

Figure 8. Side-band management takes advantage of the connection between the AST2100 and the Intel 82575EB Gigabit Ethernet controller on the motherboard

in-band server management

In-band server management offers the opportunity for organizations to take

advantage of industry-standard protocols and applications across all datacenter

platforms. The Sun Fire X2270 server facilitates in-band server management by

supporting the IPMI 2.0 and SNMP v1, v2c, and v3 standards. Operating system-

resident platform management functions for the Sun Fire X2270 server are

accomplished using one of the following two options:

IPMI with a Keyboard Controller Style (KCS) interface and an IPMI kernel driver •

SNMP agents•

Out-of-band and side-band server management

Out-of-band and side-band management approaches support the completion

of administrative tasks without placing unnecessary burden on the host. This

administrative strategy is desirable for performance-intensive environments. While

in-band management only works as long as the host operating system is up and

running, out-of-band and side-band management are fully functional even while the

host is powered off. In order for side-band management to work even while the host

is shut down, the Intel 82575EB Gigabit Ethernet network controller device operates

on stand-by power (similar to the service processor). Although out-of-band and side-

band approaches differ in the approach to network connectivity, these methods offer

similar capabilities and benefits.

Based on serial port redirection (serial-over-LAN), serial port connectivity to •

the ILOM service processor provides direct console access to the command line

interface (CLI) and to the system console stream. The CLI is designed to follow the

Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) Command Line Protocol (CLP).


1. ILOM Remote Console requires the installation of Java Runtime Environment 5.0 on the management console

Utilizing Ethernet connectivity, administrators can access a Web interface or •

command-line interface (CLI). A secure shell (SSH) session is required for access to

the CLI and the Web interface supports both secure (https) and non-secure (http)

access. Secure access is the default configuration for Web-based access.

remote keyboard, video, mouse, and storage (rKVMS)The ILOM Service Processor provides access to Keyboard, Video, Mouse, and Storage

(RKVMS) remotely over IP. Remote video display is accomplished through the Java

Web Start software known as Sun ILOM Remote Console. To set up a system as

a remote console, ILOM Remote Console software is downloaded from the ILOM

service processor to the target machine1. From this point onward, the ILOM Remote

Console executes locally. Since ILOM Remote Console does not run on the server, it

does not put overhead on the host.

ILOM Remote Console software can be used to redirect the BIOS and setup screens

as well as all other platform video output. A true remote video console to the

management console is provided by handling the input and output to and from

virtual devices and the Sun Fire X2270 server. With 8-bit and 16-bit support and 8MB

of video memory, the SVGA display provides resolutions up to 1024 x 768. A single

instance of ILOM Remote Console can open multiple sessions to manage several

remote servers simultaneously.

The two USB 2.0 ports connected to the ILOM service processor enable remote

keyboard, mouse, and storage functions. The ILOM Remote Console software

captures keyboard, mouse, floppy, CD, and DVD input on the management console

and redirects it over IP to the ILOM service processor. Keyboard, mouse, and storage

inputs are then transmitted over the USB ports to the server. The Sun Fire X2270

server interprets these inputs as originating from locally connected USB devices.

These devices are called Virtual devices.

ILOM Remote Console can also be used to boot the remote server from a local device.

The virtual device can be a local physical device or an image file. Several types of

devices can be redirected as virtual devices by ILOM Remote Console, including the

following:

CD/DVD-ROM•

Floppy•

USB flash disk drives•

CD/DVD-ROM image (.iso files)•

Floppy image (.img files)•


intelligent platform management interfaceIntelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) refers to the autonomous

monitoring, logging, recovery, and inventory control features implemented in

hardware and firmware. The key differentiation of Intelligent Platform Management

is that these functions are independent of the main CPU, BIOS, and OS. There

are two major components of platform management: the system management

controller (or BMC) and System Management Software (SMS). Intelligent Platform

Management provides key capabilities that allow enterprise-class management for

high-availability systems.

The ILOM service processor provides autonomous sensor monitoring and event

logging. Typical sensor-related events are out-of-range temperature or voltage and

fan failure. When an event occurs, it is noted in the system event log and made

available to the system management controller. The system management controller

is powered by the power supply stand-by voltage and will function even when the

server is powered down or the operating system has crashed. As a result, platform

status can be obtained and recovery initiated under situations where in-band

delivery mechanisms are unavailable.

In modern systems, the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) provides a

hardware-level interface specification for monitoring and control functions. It defines

a standard, abstract, message-based interface between the BMC and SMS and a

common set of commands for operations such as accessing sensor values, setting

thresholds, logging events, and controlling a watchdog timer. IPMI messages can

be used to communicate with the BMC over serial and LAN interfaces, so software

designed for in-band (local) management can be re-used for out-of-band (remote)

management simply by changing the low-level communications layer.

iPMitoolIPMItool is a simple command-line interface to systems that support the IPMI

v2.0 specification. IPMItool provides the ability to remotely read the sensor data

repository and print sensor values, display the contents of the system event log,

print field-replaceable unit information, read and set LAN configuration parameters,

and perform remote chassis power control. IPMItool was originally written to take

advantage of IPMI-over-LAN interfaces. This tool is also capable of interfacing with

the system through a Linux kernel device driver such as OpenIPMI or the Solaris

BMC driver within the Solaris 10 OS. IPMItool is available under a BSD-compatible

license.

System Management Software (SMS) is generally complex and is only part of a much

larger management picture. However, system administrators and developers can use

command-line tools and scripting to manage these complex systems. IPMItool takes

a different approach to SMS and provides a completely command-line oriented tool.


IPMItool is not designed to replace the OpenIPMI library. Where possible, IPMItool

supports printing comma-separated values for output to facilitate parsing by other

scripts or programs. IPMItool is designed to run quick command-response functions

that can be as simple as turning the system on or off, or as complex as reading in the

sensor data records and extracting and printing detailed sensor information for each

record.

new features in iLOM3.0Since ILOM system management functionality is implemented in firmware, it can be

easily upgraded even after a server is deployed. For example, as support becomes

available for ILOM 3.0 on the Sun Fire X2270 server, this firmware can be deployed as

a free upgrade. As compared to ILOM 2.0, ILOM 3.0 provides many new features and

capabilities, including improved security, improved usability, and easier integration

into the datacenter environment. Table 7 lists new features for ILOM 3.0.

Table 7. Sample list of new features in ILOM 3.0

category Feature

General DNS support•

Timezone support•

Configuration backup and restore•

Restore to factory defaults•

Enhanced LDAP and LDAP/SSL support•

Java-based remote storage CLI•

Power management capabilities•

Ability to generate new SSH keys•

Scalability and Usability•

Scalability and usability

User-configurable filtering of hardware monitoring information in CLI and • web interface

Use host name to access other services by name, such as LDAP, Active • Directory, LDAP/SSL

Security More granular user roles•

Predefined root and default accounts•

User SSH key authentication•

Ability to disable the network management port when you are using only • the serial port

Ability to disable individual services, such as IPMI, SSH, and KVMS, so • that the port is closed

Serviceability•

Data collection utility to diagnose system problems•

More information about ILOM 2.0 and 3.0 features is available in the documentation

sets at http://docs.sun.com.


SnMPThe Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) provides remote access to

monitor and control network devices and to manage configurations, statistics

collection, performance, and security on a network. SNMP is a network

management protocol used almost exclusively in TCP/IP networks. The Sun Fire

X2270 server provides SNMP MIBs (Management Information Base) to manage and

monitor the servers using any SNMP-capable network management system, such as

HP OpenView Network Node Manager (NNM), Tivoli, CA Unicenter, or IBM Director.

The MIB data describes the information being managed, reflects current and recent

server status, and provides server statistics.

The ILOM service processor supports SNMP v1, v2c, and v3. SNMP v3 is enabled by

default; v1 and v2c are disabled by default. SNMP sets may be enabled and disabled

and are disabled by default. SNMP traps can be generated from within the service

processor. An IPMI-specific trap, called a Platform Event Trap (PET), may also be

generated. The following SNMP MIBs are supported:

The system group and SNMP group from the RFC1213 MIB•

SNMP-FRAMEWORK-MIB•

SNMP-USER-BASED-SM-MIB•

SNMP-MPD-MIB•

ENTITY-MIB•

SUN-PLATFORM-MIB•

Sun™ xVM Ops CenterSun™ xVM Ops Center software is a highly-scalable datacenter management platform

that helps organizations improve systems lifecycle management and process

automation. The capabilities of Sun xVM Ops Center can simplify management of

datacenter requirements such as server consolidation, compliance reporting, and

rapid provisioning. This management platform helps provision and administer both

physical and virtual datacenter assets in environments that include Sun Fire X2270

servers as well as other Sun and non-Sun hardware running Windows and Linux

operating systems and the Solaris OS.

Sun xVM Ops Center provides a single console to facilitate the following key

capabilities within globally dispersed heterogeneous IT environments:

Server discovery and inventory management• — Automatically scans and

identifies servers across the network, even when powered off, allowing faster

deployment and management of IT assets.


Firmware and bare metal server provisioning• — Delivers automatic and “hands

off” installation of bare-metal operating systems, RPMs and firmware, bringing

new efficiencies to IT departments.

Patch management and updating• —Provides up-to-date patch management tools

for Red Hat, SUSE and the Solaris OS, offering organizations greater control over

datacenter plans and minimizing downtime. In addition, unique patch simulation

capabilities remove uncertainty from the software update process.

Managing and monitoring• — Securely and remotely manages users and

heterogeneous datacenter assets, and proactively resolves problems by

monitoring critical parameters, improving the security and stability of systems.

Compliance reporting• — Provides an up-to-date view into the system state, patch

status, and software portfolio, helping improve the speed and accuracy of report

and compliance validation.

These automation capabilities can be used in conjunction with configuration

management investments to achieve knowledge-based change management. Taking

advantage of Sun xVM Ops Center software can help organizations create a more

compliant Solaris OS environment that requires less maintenance and recovery down

time and can lead to considerable cost savings.


Chapter 6

Operating System Support

Support for a variety of 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems can help protect

investments in server hardware. The Sun Fire X2270 server supports multiple

operating systems, letting organizations deploy a choice of application environments

without having to shift hardware platforms when software requirements change.

This added flexibility can reduce cost and complexity and help organizations to

increase return on investment while lowering risk.

The Sun Fire X2270 server is certified to run the Solaris 10 OS, Red Hat Enterprise

Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Microsoft Windows, and VMware operating

environments. To help streamline maintenance efforts, support contracts for each

of these operating systems are available from Sun. Up-to-date operating system

support information for the Sun Fire X2270 server can be found at the following Web

site: http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x2270/os.jsp

The Solaris™ Operating System As a part of a strategic alliance, Sun and Intel have been working together — from

design and architecture through implementation — to optimize the Solaris OS to

unleash the power and capabilities of current and future Intel Xeon processors.

Since 2007, engineering teams from the two companies have delivered a range of

enhancements for Solaris on Xeon processors. This collaboration has focused on

optimizing how the Solaris platform and the New Intel Core Microarchitecture work

together on the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series, with compelling results:

Improved performance —• The Solaris OS takes advantage of the Intel Xeon

Processor 5500 Series, including Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, Intel Turbo

Boost Technology, and the new Intel QuickPath Technology resulting in significant

performance improvements.

Automated power efficiency and utilization —• The Solaris OS has been optimized

to take advantage of Intel’s power management functions, improving energy

efficiency and performance-per-watt through Integrated Power Gates and

Automated Power States.

Increased reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) —• The Solaris Fault

Management Architecture (FMA) infrastructure is enhanced to take advantage

of the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series RAS features to provide an even stronger

enterprise compute solution.

Virtualization enhancements —• The Solaris OS delivers cost-effective

virtualization by taking advantage of Intel Virtualization Technology features.


Distributed under a commercial and open source licensing model, the Solaris 10

OS offers many innovative technologies that change the equation for organizations

needing to reduce costs, minimize complexity, and eliminate risk. The Solaris 10

OS is optimized for Sun systems and supported on over one thousand third-party

x86 systems. In addition, the Solaris 10 OS is available for download without cost,

and with no requirement to purchase a support contract, offering an economic

advantage over other community-based operating system offerings. The Solaris 10

OS also includes more than 180 applications from the free and open source software

(F/OSS) community, and thousands of others are freely available for download over

the Internet.

The Solaris OS includes features not found in any other operating system, including:

Solaris Dynamic Tracing (DTrace) is a powerful tool that provides a true, system •

level view of application and kernel activities, even those running in a Java Virtual

Machine. System administrators, integrators, and developers can use this dynamic

instrumentation to reduce the time to diagnose problems from days and weeks to

minutes and hours, providing faster data-driven fixes.

Solaris Containers technology provides a powerful approach to virtualization and •

software partitioning, yielding many private execution environments within a

single instance of the Solaris OS. Using this technology, organizations can improve

resource utilization, reduce downtime, and lower solution costs.

Sun Predictive Self Healing technology automatically diagnoses, isolates, and •

recovers from many hardware and application faults. As a result, business-critical

applications and essential system services can continue uninterrupted in the

event of software failures, major hardware component breakdowns, and software

misconfiguration problems.

Resource management facilities built into the Solaris 10 OS allow computing •

resources to be allocated among individual tasks and users in a structured,

policy driven fashion. The Solaris OS resource management facilities can help

organizations to proactively allocate, control, and monitor systems. Resources

such as CPU time, processes, virtual memory, connect time, and logins can be

managed on a fine-grained basis to help organizations obtain more predictable

service levels.

Linux environmentsSun offers and supports the leading Linux variants on the Sun Fire X2270 server,

including Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. As the

leader in enterprise services for UNIX® software, Sun brings decades of expertise to

Linux environments. Sun support contracts for Linux provide all front-line support

and transparent access to back-line support from Red Hat and Novell.


Sun is one of the largest contributors to the open-source community. Areas of

contribution include OpenOffice.org, Mozilla, GNOME, and X.org. In addition, Sun

provides key software offerings for Linux including the following:

Lustre™ parallel file system•

Sun Ray™ Server Software•

Sun xVM software•

StarOffice™ productivity suite•

Java Desktop Powered Program•

Sun Studio, Sun Java Studio Creator, and NetBeans™ IDE software•

MySQL™ database•

Microsoft Windows environmentsOrganizations are constantly seeking to reduce the variety of platforms in the

datacenter. To help this effort, the Sun Fire X2270 server can run the Microsoft

Windows operating environment. The Sun Fire X2270 server has passed stringent

Microsoft compatibility test suites. Support contracts for Microsoft Windows are also

available from Sun. This certification and support demonstrates Sun’s commitment

to providing the best platforms to run not only the Solaris OS and Linux, but

Microsoft Windows as well.

VMware virtualization technologyVirtualization solutions from VMware help improve asset utilization, operational

efficiency, and business agility. The VMware Infrastructure product suite is available

for Sun hardware systems with full support from Sun. VMware virtualization

technology also combines with key Solaris 10 OS features such as, Solaris

DTrace, Solaris Containers, and Solaris Predictive Self Healing software. As a

result, organizations can create powerful IT solutions through virtualization. In

fact, utilizing VMware virtual infrastructure software with the Solaris 10 OS for

consolidation projects can increase system utilization by up to ten times. By taking

advantage of technology from VMware, enterprises can further capitalize on the

high-performance, scalability, and energy efficiency of the Sun Fire X2270 server.


Chapter 7

Summary

Organizations with technical computing and demanding Web services applications

need solutions that can help speed operations and provide a competitive edge.

Computing systems must deliver exceptional throughput and flexibility. At the same

time, keeping costs low remains a priority. With hundreds of servers deployed,

system management and energy costs also become key factors in achieving a low

total cost of ownership.

The Sun Fire X2270 server featuring powerful Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series, the

New Intel Core Microarchitecture, and innovative flash memory storage options

offers flexible, high-performance computing at an entry-level price. Providing

sophisticated functionality in an easy-to-cool compact design, the Sun Fire X2270

server is ideal for rack-dense system environments. In fact, the Sun Fire X2270

server delivers industry-leading price/performance and performance/watt and

offers exceptional memory and internal storage capacity. Combined with a choice

of operating systems and scalable system management tools, the Sun Fire X2270

server is a powerful and manageable server that is ideal for compute-intense Web

and scientific applications. Building on over 25 years of system design expertise and

excellence, the Sun Fire X2270 server demonstrates that Sun continues to deliver

system innovation that maximizes the economics of computing with breakaway

efficiency and intelligent scale.

For more informationTo learn more about Sun products and the benefits of the Sun Fire X2270 server,

contact a Sun sales representative, or consult the related documents and Web sites

listed in Table 7.

Table 7. Web sites for more information.

Description urL

Sun Fire X2270 server sun.com/servers/x2270

Solaris Operating System sun.com/solaris

Sun Services Overview sun.com/service

Sun xVM Ops Center sun.com/xvmopscenter

Linux offerings from Sun sun.com/software/linux

Microsoft Windows offerings from Sun sun.com/software/windows

Virtualization sun.com/datacenter/consolidation

Intel Xeon Processor 5500 Series intel.com/products/processor/xeon/5500

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Microsystems, Inc. 4150 Network Circle, Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA Phone 1-650-960-1300 or 1-800-555-9SUN (9786) Web sun.com

The Sun Fire X2270 Server Architecture

© 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved. Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, Lustre, MySQL, NetBeans, Solaris, Sun Fire, Sun Ray, and ZFS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd. Intel and Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. Information subject to change without notice. Printed in USA SunWIN #: 557215 04/09

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