Hewlett-Packard Co’s new 64-bit PA-8000 commercial symmetric multiprocessing D-, K- and T-Class servers are claimed to deliver twice the performance of preceding 32-bit models, the PA-7200-based D and K machines and PA-7150-based T520 line (CI No 2, 999). At the high end, the T600 enterprise server with up to 12 180MHz processors, 4Gb memory, 30Tb disk and 112 slots starts at $100,000 as a uniprocessor from early next year. The company is claiming the T600 will offer over 15,000 transactions per minute, and over 35,000 tpm when four T600s are clustered into parallel arrangements using its 250Mbps Enterprise Parallel Server 21 fiber-channel links. The 1Gbps version of Hewlett-Packard’s switch is due in the first quarter of next year. For the first time Hewlett-Packard’s flagship Unix data center engines can accommodate the 160Mbps High Speed Connection input-output bus; up to 12 High Speed Connection channels can be configured in one T600 system. T5X0 users that are stuck with the 32 Mbps Precision Bus can upgrade to High Speed Connection by swapping out input-output adapter boards. Hewlett-Packard is also reducing prices on T520 by up to 25%. In the mid-range, Hewlett-Packard has effectively stripped the graphics options from i ts first PA-8000 systems, the K-Class deskside technical engines launched back in June (CI No 2,934), and re-fashioned them for commercial operations. The K260 is a 180MHz quad with from 128Mb to 2Gb memory, one High Speed Connection and four Precision Bus input-output channels. It is priced from $61,000. The 160MHz Model 250 equivalent starts at $52,200. The 180MHz K460 comes with from 128Mb to 4Gb memory, five High Speed and eight Precision Bus channels and costs from $77,200. The 160MHz version is from $68,200. A loaded K460 does 12,231 tpm-C at $186 per tpm-C.
High-speed connection
The entry-level D-Class server Models D270- and D370 come with one or two 160MHz parts and from 128Mb to 1.5Gb memory with five and eight slots respectively. They use High Speed Connection and EISA input-output. Prices start at $22,260. Hewlett-Pack ard claims the D370 will achieve 5,700 tpm-C. The firm admits it still lags behind Digital Equipment Corp’s AlphaServer performance by 10% to 20%, but claims it beats the Maynarder on price at all points. Hewlett’s EPS21 clustering configurations can accommodate up to 16 four-way K- or T-Class symmetric multiprocessing servers; EPS31 up to 16 12-ways. The switch will be cascaded through next year to go to 32 then 64 nodes. EPS21 is available this quarter, EPS31 from the beginning of next year from $130,000. All D-, K- and T-Class servers can use the MC/ServiceGuard-based Enterprise Clustering. There are no upgrades for the older E-Class server and the, G, H and I systems will be taken off the price list towards the end of next year. Hewlett-Packard’s new servers run HP-UX 10.20 now – the full-blown 64-bit release, HP-UX 11.0, is due mid-1997. Hewlett-Packard has 8200 – due mid-October – and 8500 versions of PA-8000 in hand to upgrade its server and workstations lines before the Intel Corp Merced processor arrives. Hewlett-Packard says it is still investigating upgrade paths and will go public with Merced system and upgrade details in six to nine months. Merced will run the 64-bit HP-UX; Hewlett-Packard is still promising binary compatibility with applications written for the PA-RISC-based HP-UX. It is expected to deliver two sets of application binary interfaces, for PA-RISC and for Merced, on the HP-UX CD-ROM.
