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(Fri, 09 October 2009)
Sun Fire X4270 and Sun Storage F5100 Flash Array Delivers Best Single Node Performance for ABAQUS/Standard I/O-Intensive Benchmarks
In single node runs, the Sun Fire X4270 with 74 GB memory and Sun Storage F5100 Flash Array beat the leading posted results from an HP BL460c G6 with striped SAS drives in an XFS file system on the S4B test (20G).
Benchmark Details
Hardware
Performance
Sun Fire X4270 and Sun Storage F5100 Flash Array
1970 Seconds
HP BL460c G6
2062 Seconds
Moreover, the F5100 Flash Array provides nominally up to 15% improvement in performance even when using the maximum possible amount of memory that also contributes to performance improvement by allowing for more I/O to be cached to memory.
The ABAQUS V6.9-1 "Standard" Module Test: "S4B" is nonlinear static model of a cylinder head bolted to an engine block.
Three versions of this benchmark are provided: a version using a smaller model (700,000 DOF) with a low iteration count, a version using a larger model (5,000,000 DOF) model with a low iteration count, and a version using the smaller model but with a higher iteration count. These three models are used to demonstrate that as a general rule parallel scaling in Abaqus/Standard improves as either the model size or the number of iterations increases.
Sun Storage F5100 Flash Array Improves Sun Fire X4270 I/O Performance By Up To 2.1x When Running MSC/NASTRAN
For MSC/NASTRAN MDR3 running on a Sun Fire X4270 with 2.93 GHZ Intel X5570 CPU, test case "xxocmd2_8" was run against Internal disk drives and Sun Storage F5100 array.
With four RAID0 72GB 15K RPM internal drives, the benchmark execution time was 958.81 seconds
With a 20 Flash Module F5100 Flash array, the time dropped to 462.74 seconds
This is a 2.1x improvement for this benchmark test case.
The Sun Fire X4270 Server Outdoes Competition on Two-Tier SAP Sales and Distribution (SD) Standard Application Benchmark
The Sun Fire X4270 server equipped with two Intel Xeon X5570 processors (8 cores, 16 threads) running SAP with Oracle Database on top of the Solaris 10 OS delivered the highest two-processor result on the two-tier SAP SD Standard Application Benchmark with SAP enhancement package 4 for SAP ERP 6.0 (Unicode). Sun's versatile 2RU server supported 3,800 SAP SD Benchmark users.
SAP is one of the world's premiere ERP application providers, and maintains a suite of benchmark tests to demonstrate the performance of competitive systems on various SAP products. The SAP Standard Application Sales and Distribution (SD) Benchmark is a two-tier ERP business test that represents order-processing and invoice-processing workloads, while also demonstrating the ability to run both the application and database software on a single system. The SAP SD Benchmark represents the critical tasks performed in real-world ERP business environments.
Competitive Comparisons Table (Unicode Results)
Sun Fire X4270
HP DL380 G6
HP BL460c G6
IBM System 550
Space (RU)
2
2
2
4
Processors
2
2
2
4
Cores
8
8
8
8
Threads
16
16
16
16
Performance (SD Users)
3,800
3,300
3,415
3,752
Users per Rack Unit
(Higher is Better)
1,900
1,650
1,708
938
SAP enhancement package 4 for SAP ERP 6.0 (Unicode)
SAP enhancement package 4 for SAP ERP 6.0 (Unicode)
SAP enhancement package 4 for SAP ERP 6.0 (Unicode)
SAP enhancement package 4 for SAP ERP 6.0 (Unicode)
SAP ECC 6.0 (non-Unicode)
Operating System (OS)
Solaris 10
Windows Server 2008 EE
Windows Server 2008 EE
AIX 6.1
Database
Oracle 10g
SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008
DB2
Certification Number
2009033
2009004
2009031
2009023
Benchmark Outcome
This new two-processor Unicode result utilizes the latest version of SAP software to deliver breakthrough performance. It highlights the optimal performance of SAP ERP applications on Intel Xeon-based Sun Fire servers running the latest version of the Solaris 10 OS and the seamless multilingual support available for systems running SAP applications.
Unicode enables seamless multilingual support when running various SAP applications and requires a different version of the software. Sun has pioneered the usage of Unicode-based SAP software in several benchmark publications to date and has gained significant expertise in lowering the additional resource consumption normally associated with Unicode software.
The Sun Fire X4270 server delivers the best 2-tier ERP performance at the departmental server level. Powered by a pair of Intel Xeon X5570 processors and running the industry-leading Solaris OS, this new benchmark result beats the HP DL 380 G6 server and HP BL 460c G6, both running Windows Server 2008 OS and Microsoft SQL Server database, by more then 11 percent.
The Sun Fire X4270 server also upstaged the IBM System 550 server's score of 3,752 SD users achieved with four POWER6 (8 cores, 16 threads) processors running AIX 6.1 with DB2 database.
Notably, Oracle Database 10g beats IBM DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server on this benchmark, utilizing the same number of cores, making the Sun Fire X4270 server the fastest eight- core system on the Unicode version of the two-tier SAP Sales and Distribution (SD) Standard Application benchmark with SAP enhancement package 4 for SAP ERP 6.0 (Unicode).
The Sun Fire X4270 Is the Industry's Fastest Web Server
The Sun Fire X4270 server posted a world record on the SPECweb2005 benchmark, the industry standard measure of Web server performance. Based on Intel Xeon architecture, Sun's newest system outperformed all competitive Web servers while consuming less power, making it an ultimate solution for power and space-constrained datacenters. These leading performance and performance-per-watt results confirm the Sun Fire X4270 server as the highest performing and most efficient dual-socket platform for deployment of secure Web services.
SPECweb2005 is the industry-standard benchmark for evaluating Web Server performance. The benchmark simulates multiple user sessions accessing a Web server and generating static and dynamic HTTP requests. The major features of SPECweb2005 are:
Measures simultaneous user sessions
Dynamic content: currently PHP and JSP implementations
Page images requested using 2 parallel HTTP connections
Multiple, standardized workloads: Banking (HTTPS), E-commerce (HTTP and HTTPS), and Support (HTTP)
Simulates browser caching effects
File accesses more accurately simulate today's disk access patterns
The Sun Fire X4270 server, equipped with two 2.93GHz Intel Xeon X5570 processors outperformed a similarly equipped HP ProLiant DL 380 G6 server with more system memory on SPECweb2005.
The Sun Fire X4270 server had an average server power consumption of 563 watts during benchmark execution at a steady state. The Sun Fire X4270 server performance/watt was 9% better than HP ProLiant DL 380 G6 server.
The Sun Fire X4270 server delivers 17% better performance than the HP ProLiant DL585 G5 equipped with four 2.91 GHz Quad-core AMD 8389 processors.
When compared to HP ProLiant DL585 G5 server, the Sun Fire X4270 server performance/watt was 2x better.
Since SPECweb2005 benchmark is designed to measure Web server performance on the system under test (SUT) it does not consider any other equipment (like external storage) that was used to produce benchmark results. For a large number of supported user sessions, as in the case of Sun Fire X4270 server result, storage represents a significant part of the overall solution. Sun recognizes that fact and in the spirit of complete transparency discloses the power consumption for the external storage that was used in this test. Four Sun StorageTek 2540 arrays and four Sun StorageTek 2501 expansion units were used to produce this record-breaking score. Their average power consumption was 2607W.
On the software side, Sun solution used a best-of-breed approach, deploying Accoria Networks' Rock Web Server v1.4.7 software and Rock JSP/Servlet Container v1.3.2. script engine on top of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 OS. The resulting performance further highlights Sun's ability to deliver the best performing servers, regardless of operating system environments.
In summary, this world record benchmark result clearly demonstrates that the 2RU Sun Fire X4270 server can support thousands of concurrent Web server sessions and is capable of delivering utmost performance and scalability.
World Record Two-Processor Unicode Result on Two-Tier SAP Sales and Distribution (SD) Standard Application Benchmark
The Sun Fire X4270 server equipped with two Intel Xeon X5570 processors (8 core, 16 threads) and running SAP ERP application Release 6.0 Enhancement Pack 4 (Unicode) with Oracle Database on top of the Solaris 10 OS delivered the highest two-processor Unicode result on the two-tier SAP SD Standard Application Benchmark. As of April 12, 2009, Sun's newest 2RU server supported 3,700 SAP SD Benchmark users.
SAP is one of the premier worldwide ERP application providers, and maintains a suite of benchmark tests to demonstrate the performance of competitive systems on various SAP products. The SAP Standard Application Sales and Distribution (SD) Benchmark is a two-tier ERP business test that represents order-processing and invoice-processing workloads, while also demonstrating the ability to run both the application and database software on a single system. The SAP Standard Application SD Benchmark represents the critical tasks performed in real-world ERP business environments.
Competitive Comparisons Table (Unicode Results)
Sun Fire X4270
HP DL360 G6
HP DL460c
Space (RU)
2
2
2
Processors
2
2
2
Cores
8
8
8
Threads
16
16
16
Performance (Users)
3,700
3,300
3,310
Users per Rack Unit
(Higher is Better)
1,850
1,650
1,655
SAP SD Software version
SAP ERP 6.0 EP4 (Unicode)
SAP ERP 6.0 EP4 (Unicode)
SAP ECC 6.0 (non-Unicode)
Operating System (OS)
Solaris 10
Windows Server 2008 EE
Windows Server 2008 EE
Database
Oracle 10g
SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008
Certification Number
2009005
2009004
2009003
Benchmark Outcome
This new two-processor Unicode World record relies on the latest version of SAP software to deliver these breakthrough results. It highlights the optimal performance of SAP ERP applications on Intel Xeon-based Sun Fire servers running the latest version of the Solaris 10 OS and the seamless multilingual support available for systems running SAP applications.
Unicode enables seamless multilingual support when running various SAP applications and requires a different version of the software. Sun has pioneered the usage of Unicode-based SAP software in several benchmark publications to date and has gained significant expertise in lowering the additional resource consumption normally associated with Unicode software.
The newest Open Network System — the Sun Fire X4270 server — delivers the best ERP performance at the departmental server level. Powered by a pair of Intel newest Xeon X5570 processors and running the industry-leading Solaris OS, this new benchmark result beats HP DL 360 G5 and HP DL 460c blade results by 12%.
SAP Standard Application Benchmarks test and prove the scalability of mySAP Business Suite. The benchmark results provide basic sizing recommendations for customers by testing new hardware, system software components, and Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS). They also allow for the comparison of different system configurations. The benchmarking procedure is standardized and well defined. It is monitored by the SAP Benchmark Council made up of representatives of SAP and technology partners involved in benchmarking. The SAP Standard Application Benchmarks can also be used to test and verify scalability, concurrency and multi-user behavior of system software components, RDBMS, and business applications. All performance data relevant to system, user, and business applications are monitored during a benchmark run and can be used to compare platforms and as basic input for sizing recommendations.
The Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) is a non-profit corporation formed to establish, maintain and endorse a standardized set of relevant benchmarks that can be applied to the newest generation of high-performance computers. SPEC develops suites of benchmarks and also reviews and publishes submitted results from their member organizations and other benchmark licensees.
Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, J2EE, Sun Fire and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. SPEC and the benchmark names SPECviewperf, SPECweb, SPECint, SPEComp, SPECfp, SPECjAppServer, SPECjvm, SPECpower, SPECmail, SPECsfs and SPECjbb are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. Sun's results have been submitted to SPEC. Competitive data obtained from http://www.spec.org as of the date located next to the respective claim. See the website for latest results. For comparison purposes, the terms CPU, chip and processor are used interchangeably. Each socket can accommodate one chip. SAP, R/3, mySAP reg TM of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. For the latest results and additional information visit www.sap.com/benchmark. TPC Benchmark C, tpmC, TPC-C, TPC Benchmark H, TPC-H, QphH are trademarks of the Transaction Performance Processing Council (TPC). More info http://www.tpc.org.
