Hewlett-Packard Co this week begins to bring its next generation processor and operating system technologies into its Unix business, beginning with a new K-Class server in its HP 9000 Series 800 line. The new server accommodates up to four 100MHz Precision Architecture RISC 7200s, runs HP-UX 10.0, performs 2,616 TPC-C and is board upgradable to the forthcoming 64-bit PA-8000 at the high end. Skipping J, the K-Class server comes in above existing dual-processor G, H and I boxes, which go to 1,403 TPC-C, and as a four-way model reaches well above many configurations of the high-end one-to-12 way T500 line, which goes to 4,067 TPC-C, although it offers less expandability. It is positioned first as a commercial transaction processing Unix engine and AS/400 replacement, but Hewlett-Packard is also pushing the system, which does 4,300 Network File System operations per second, as a full-blown technical symmetric multiprocessing compute server for engineering and defence industry markets, positioning it between its other ‘technicals’, the uniprocessor 735/125CL and 128-way SPP1000 parallel system. Hewlett-Packard puts the four-processor K up against Digital Equipment Corp’s four-way AlphaServer 2100 4/275 at 1,708 TPC-C ($555 tpm-C); IBM Corp’s four-way RS/6000 J30 at 1,275 ($935 tpm-C); the AS/400 320-2052 at 1,150 ($3,086 tpm-C); Sun Microsystems Inc’s eight-way SS1000E at 1,204 ($867 tpm-C); and AT&T Corp’s 3455 at 1,479 ($746 tpm-C). The K class uses the same Hawk symmetric multiprocessing architecture found in Hewlett-Packard’s new HP 3000 symmetric multiprocessing Kittyhawk – though there are no 80MHz K servers – which has one or two 960Mbps processor-memory interconnects, 128Mbps input-output channels and a 20Mbps SCSI-2 interface.
Clustering support for four nodes
The uniprocessor K100 is estimated at 270 transactions per second – there are no TPC-C results for one-, two- or three-processor configurations – with one 128Mbps input-output bus. It has from 32Mb to 512Mb RAM, five slots, including one High Speed System Connect, and up to 2.3Tb disk. With two-user HP-UX 10.0 licence, 32Mb RAM and 1Gb disk it costs from $21,270. The one-to-four-way K200, estimated at 850 transactions per second, comes with a single 128Mbps input-output bus, 64Mb to 1Gb RAM, five slots, including on High Speed System Connect and up to 2.3Tb disk. For $33,650 you get a uniprocessor K200 with 64Mb RAM and 2Gb disk. The K400 has four motherboard slots and comes with dual 128Mbps input-output buses, from 128Mb to 2Gb RAM, 13 input-output slots, five of which are High Speed System Connect, and 5.2Tb disk. With a single processor, 128Mb RAM and 2Gb disk it costs $60,350. The four-way goes from $370,000. Hewlett-Packard currently implements a single 100MHz 7200, a part designed for low-cost symmetric multiprocessing, on each motherboard. The boards can carry two processors and Hewlett is looking at that configuration, but not for the current K class. A uniprocessor K100 is board upgradable to the K200, which will also accommodate PA-7200 RISCs. The K200 is board-upgradable to the K400, the only model with dual 128Mbps input-output buses, and is also the route up to the 64-bit PA-8000, due this time next year. Additional processors are $10,000 each. Hewlett-Packard measures uniprocessors at 136 SPECint92 and 217 SPECfp92 – four ways at 12,171 SPECrate_int92 and 17,709 SPECrate_fp92. The servers are on two week’s delivery from March 27, with HP-UX 10.0 new business release. The general business release for users moving up from HP-UX 9.*, is not out until summer. Hewlett-Packard claims the top 20% of its Unix independent software vendors will have applications up on 10.0 by May. HP-UX Release 10.0 comes with clustering support for up to four nodes – Hewlett-Packard has further clustering for the Series 735 servers due next month which will roll over on to the K servers. It is readying 7200-based symmetric multiprocessing desktops for later in the year. Hewlett-Packard’s Unix server business grew 45% last year and is around the same s
ize as its workstation operation – its total Unix business was around $4,426m last year according to International Data Corp.
