Sun On Fire With New Multicore x86 Servers

AMD Opteron processors are the most powerful x64 processors on the market, delivering better performance than Xeon processors, and at a much lower cost.

According to Sun, servers based on Opteron processors consume about one-third the power of similarly configured Xeon-based servers. The Sun Fire X4200 server also can run 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Solaris OS, Linux and Windows. Specifically, the Sun Fire X4200 will run Solaris 10, 32-bit and 64-bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0, 64-bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0, 64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Server 2003. The server is ideal for customers currently running 32-bit applications but who plan to migrate to 64-bit applications down the road. It's also ideal for companies that are already running 64-bit applications.

The Sun Fire X4200 server has two sockets that will accept either single- or dual-core processors. The powerful processors are combined with AMD's HyperTransport technology, which helps to eliminate I/O performance bottlenecks. On the compute-intensive SPEC CPU2000 benchmark, the Sun Fire X4200 server achieved a SPECfp_rate2000 result of 53.8, which set a record for two-way x86 systems.

A server is only as good as its reliability. The Sun Fire X4200 includes enterprise-class redundant features such as hot-swappable power supplies, fans and hard drives; they all can be replaced without powering down the system. On-board RAID is also featured, and remote management functionality is built into the server. A separate BIOS and service processoraccessible through HTTP, XML, SNMP, IPMI or CLIallow all management functions to be performed remotely. The service processor has its own dedicated 10/100 Ethernet port and doesn't rely on any of the conventional hardware to operate.

Sun recommends its N1 System Manager for discovering, provisioning, monitoring, patching and managing multiple Sun Fire x64 servers from one console. Among other things, the N1 System Manager enables drag-and-drop software installs across an entire network.

The Sun Fire X4200 is faster than two-socket Xeon-based servers in transaction processing and secure Web serving. It's well-suited for use in application servers, databases, network services, security and Java development. The 2U system is highly expandable. The server features five high-speed 64-bit PCI-X slots: one at 100MHz, one at 133MHz and three at 66MHz. It also has four integrated Gigabit Ethernet ports; for redundancy, two of the ports are typically used to connect to the data highway, and the other two are typically used for storage.

The Sun Fire X4200 features four high-performance 2.5-inch SAS hard drives, which offer considerable power savings over 3.5-inch drives. The server will accommodate up to 16 Gbytes of DDR memory. It includes four USB 1.1 ports (two front and two rear) and one serial port. A slimline DVD-ROM drive completes the package.

All Sun Fire servers are fully compatible with Sun's Grid Rack System. The system provides an easy way to deploy grids, whereby solution providers can order custom configurations that include specific servers, switches from any vendor and other components that Sun factory engineers will install and configure.

The Sun Fire X4200 entry-level server configuration includes Solaris 10, one single-core Model 248 Opteron processor, 1 Gbyte of memory, one power supply and one service processor for $2,595. If more power is needed, the server can be configured with two processors, either single- or dual-core, but prices will rise accordingly.

Sun is looking to attract channel partners with its Solar Edge Elite Program, which is geared specifically to promote sales of x64 systems. The company offers extensive training options and marketing collateral. The single-tier program requires membership in the Sun Partner Advantage Program and first-year volume commitments. Partners must maintain a demo pool of x64 systems, but the company does provide free demo systems, based upon sales volume.

While Sun did not disclose margins for product sales, partners will have control over determining their own margins based on incentives offered by Sun. Requirements to join the program are based on minimum participation criteriaall of which seem like fair metrics for VARs pursuing the high-end server market.