IBM introduced the sixth generation of X-Architecture

On January 16, IBM introduced a new generation of architecture for System x and PureSystems. The X6 architecture allows you to significantly optimize the performance and, therefore, the profitability of the x86 family of servers, including their use such as cloud computing and analytics.



As for business intelligence, companies are increasingly using analytical data to get useful information for their own work. In addition, over the past few years, many business tasks are transferred to the "cloud" environment. First of all, this is done to increase efficiency and reduce costs. As an optimal platform, business representatives often use x86 servers.

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The new X6 architecture emerged as a result of investing IBM in new research and development. As for the new features, there are quite a lot of them in the new architecture. This is the ability to use more RAM (more than 3 times) than third-party manufacturers, and the speed of work, and much more.





IBM System x3950 - Three times the RAM thanks to the X6

Here are the main features of the X6 architecture:

• Speed . EXFlash DIMM integrated storage is the industry's first DIMM-based storage subsystem that provides up to 12.8 terabytes of ultrafast disk subsystem on flash memory, increasing application performance and providing the fastest write speed required for business intelligence applications. X6 provides significantly lower latency in processing database operations, which helps reduce licensing costs and reduce data storage costs by reducing the need for or completely eliminating the use of SAN / NAS storage; (2)



• Flexibility . The scalable modular design, which supports several generations of processors, can reduce acquisition costs by up to 28% compared with competitors (3). The X6 architecture provides stability and flexibility thanks to innovative technological developments that provide users with the ability to scale the system in real time and efficiently upgrade equipment in the future. Quick configuration and configuration downloads simplify installation and system life cycle management;



• Fault tolerance . Features of the X6 architecture allow you to use the cloud model of building IT to work with critical applications. The fault tolerance functions of processors and memory systems maximize the uptime of applications, proactively identifying potential problems and independently making decisions to eliminate them. Moreover, the modules of Upward Integration Modules help to reduce costs and greatly simplify the administration process.







The portfolio of server solutions designed for the new architecture includes the four-processor System x3850 X6 server, the eight-processor System x3950 X6 , and the IBM Flex System x880 scalable computing nodes.





IBM System x3850 X6 with SSD



In addition, IBM introduced the System x3650 M4 BD storage server - a dual-processor server for rack-mounting with support for up to 14 internal disks with a total storage capacity of up to 56 terabytes. Today in the industry is the maximum amount of data storage within a single server. The System x3650 M4 BD server is also 46% more productive than previous IBM System x servers and is ideal for distributed workloads when processing big data. (four)

New solutions for X6

Customers who are migrating enterprise applications to the cloud and using analytics to measure business performance need integrated solutions for rapid deployment, increased efficiency and productivity. To achieve these goals, IBM has created new solutions based on the X6 architecture for analytics, database and cloud computing. The solution portfolio includes: a powerful system for IBM System x Solutions for DB2 with BLU Acceleration on X6 analytics, IBM System x Solutions for SAP HANA on X6 and System x Solutions for VMware vCloud Suite on X6 for IaaS analytics.

New storage systems to accelerate key enterprise applications, analytics and cloud computing

IBM confirms the strategy for the development of data storage systems built on flash memory and announces the new IBM FlashSystem 840 data storage system. The new storage system has twice the bandwidth and provides better performance (1.1M IOPS) compared with the previous model - FlashSystem 820.





IBM FlashSystem 840 - quick access to data for analytics



The FlashSystem 840 storage system is ideal for solving business intelligence, online transaction processing, high-performance computing systems, virtualization infrastructures, and public or hybrid cloud computing. (5) By supporting data storage up to 48 terabytes in a 2U form factor, the flash system also includes IBM MicroLatency technology, which significantly reduces application response times (from milliseconds to microseconds - less than 135 microseconds).



This allows organizations to more quickly obtain critical information in real time. Moreover, the new GUI controls, as well as the functionality optimized for use in the data center, allow you to quickly deploy and administer the system without difficulty. This includes the replacement of components in the "hot" mode, and updating the microcode without stopping the operation of equipment and applications, and all sorts of patented data protection technologies.



IBM also introduced the FlashSystem Enterprise Performance Solution, which combines FlashSystem 840 and IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller (SVC) technology. The solution includes a set of advanced features for data management: real-time compression, database snapshots, Thin Provisioning, VAAI on-demand space technology, as well as application-specific copying, FlashCopy, and IBM Easy Tier multi-level data storage.

New features of software-defined environments for cloud solutions

IBM expands its portfolio of solutions for software-defined environments by announcing the IBM Platform Resource Scheduler. This solution is ideal for customers with IBM SmartCloud private and hybrid clouds, who are committed to reducing time costs, increasing infrastructure flexibility and reducing operating costs. The IBM Platform Resource Scheduler provides customers with a virtualized, open, and programmable platform that maximizes the use of all available IT enterprise resources, from application licenses to network bandwidth.



This dynamic resource management tool, integrated with OpenStack, provides a full set of intelligent scheduling functions that automatically allocate resources, balances demand for loads and infrastructure offer, and also ensures strict implementation of service programs, increasing overall application performance and efficiency. generally. An open, scalable architecture allows organizations to easily change configurations and add custom settings and policies to meet specific sharing and scheduling requirements.



The IBM Systems and Technology Group offers a broad portfolio of cloud-integrated software and IBM services that support public, private, and hybrid cloud environments. The portfolio includes IBM System x and BladeCenter rack servers, NeXtScale, PureFlex, Power Systems and System z servers, as well as IBM storage systems.



The new IBM X6 platform has important tasks and opportunities provided by the company.



Tasks :



Return on investment (ROI) : as mentioned above, the IBM X6 platform belongs to the premium class of the x86 market, where low-cost servers have traditionally dominated. Some customers believe that return on investment in the low end server sector is more efficient than using higher-end servers, including the IBM X6. One of the main tasks now is to show the effectiveness of the new platform, the advantage of IBM X6 over low-end servers, relative to such an important indicator as ROI.

High competitiveness : the analysis of large data arrays has always been a priority task of any enterprise. Of course, there are several solutions on the market for such tasks. Among the alternatives to the IBM X6 platform, we can single out x86 systems from other manufacturers, as well as Unix systems, and cloud solutions offered by various companies. The task of IBM is to show the advantages of the IBM X6 platform over other systems.



Opportunities:



The IBM X6 platform enables customers to deploy cost-effective server infrastructure that can work with multi-terabyte databases, as well as use virtualization. Platform software allows for easy management of the entire server infrastructure.

Conclusion

As software for large companies becomes more and more complex, the server platform should gradually become more and more complex to achieve maximum efficiency of the corporate software.

The IBM X6 platform is designed taking into account all previous corporation experience in the field of corporate server systems, and is intended primarily to work with critical business data with the ability to scale if necessary, as well as effective support for virtual environments.



Notes : (1) Three times more RAM (up to 6TB in four-processor and up to 12TB in an eight-processor system), support up to 24 DDR3 DIMM per socket and memory bars up to 64GB LRDIMM in accordance with Intel specifications in comparison with competing x86 servers based on Intel processors.



(2) Delay of 5-10 microseconds at write operations for eXFlash DIMM according to the results of preliminary testing in comparison with a delay of 15-19 microseconds for PCIe Fusion IO, Micron and Virident flash adapters; 65 microseconds latency for Intel S3500 and S3700 solid-state drives (final performance testing is expected). Using internal storage eXFlash reduces or eliminates the need for external SAN / NAS storage. Reducing the amount of storage networking equipment means reducing the cost of acquiring software licenses.



(3) The 28% reduction in acquisition costs is based on comparing the x3850 X6 cost at the time of the announcement on February 18 and the current cost of a similar x86-based system, which includes two Intel Xeon E7-4820 (v1) processors, 1TB of RAM ( 16GB RDIMM), 3.6TB disk space, and Dual Port 10GBe SFP + controller. The X3850 X6 comes with two Intel Xeon E7 processors, 1TB of memory (16GB RDIMM), 3.6TB of storage space, and a Dual Port 10GBe SFP + controller.



(4) Compared with HP dual-processor servers supporting maximum internal storage capacity of up to 48TB by installing 12 x 3.5 ”drives, as well as Dell dual-processor servers supporting maximum internal storage of up to 51.2TB using 12 x 3, 5 ”and 2 x 2.5” disks. The indicator of 46% is based on the results of internal testing of Intel №1310, benchmark SPECjbb * 2013, July 2013.



(5) IBM's performance results are obtained under certain test conditions. Actual results may vary.