Intel Haswell - Nutanix Planned Platform Update

As already mentioned by several posts earlier, Nutanix began updating the hardware of its servers, the hardware platform of their product, from the Sandy / Ivy Bridge processors to the new Haswell. But this update is not only a “scheduled replacement” of processors.

For the first time, the company begins experiments with a flexible configuration. If prior to this model we offered server nodes in a fixed configuration, which, although well-validated in our laboratories for compliance with tasks and optimality, yet users had a sense of limitations (albeit with good intentions). As a company, it was, of course, convenient for us, the stock list in warehouses is reduced, the processes of configuration and coordination are simplified. But - customers first. Nutanix will now experiment with a flexible user-selectable configuration (of course, we continue to recommend the optimum at the configuration stage).
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First of all, our mainstream model, the NX-3060, was hit, followed by the NX-6000 and NX-8000.

Now, the a-la carte configuration for the NX-3060-G4, at your choice, includes three different processor types

• 2x 2630v3 8-core, 2.4GHz Intel Haswell
• 2x 2660v310-core, 2.6GHz Intel Haswell
• 2x2680v3 12-core, 2.5GHz Intel Haswell

Four SSDs of different capacities (a pair of SSDs go to each node).

• 480GB
• 800GB
• 1,2TB
• 1,6tb

Two HDD options (4 HDDs per node).

• 1TB SATA
• 2TB SATA

Five memory configurations.

• 128GB
• 192GB
• 256GB
• 384GB
• 512GB

As well as various options for bundling network interfaces.
To the already familiar 10G SFP +, for the first time, inexpensive 10GBase-T became available to us, and besides them, four-port 10G SFP +.

Gradually, the remaining models of the company will be transferred to the new configuration model.
Of course, for users it gives unprecedented flexibility of choice.

The new processor of the Haswell family made it possible, for a top-end processor model with 12 cores, to increase performance by about 15-20%, which means that the VM density on the node is increased. This means that if, for example, you use VMware vSphere, which is licensed "over the rocks", that is, "sock", then the more you can run at the same VM performance level on this processor socket, the cheaper it costs you a license on VM / infrastructure.
At the same time, which is pleasant, for a comparable to the old configuration, prices were able to be kept at the same level, and for some of the options they dropped quite substantially.
As for the resulting performance, below - our internal tests, demonstrating performance gains. Please note that this is not a benchmark, and the results cannot be considered in their absolute values. But for an overall assessment, and simply as an illustration of how “how fast this Nutanix is,” and how much productivity has increased in general, it is quite possible to look at it compared to it.



A few words in conclusion, clarifying the situation with the appeared and then removed the previous post. The product about which it was written, ready, available and supported. However, it was decided to postpone its official announcement to our large .Next annual conference, which will be in early June. In addition to this product, there will be many other important news, and marketing has decided to better prepare for a large-scale launch in all markets. Therefore, the product is there, it can be used, it is in the release, it comes with an update of NOS, users actively try it and work with it. But officially, on behalf of the company, publicly, it has yet been recommended not to talk about it until early June. Unofficially - please. In general, by the way, you are all big boys, and you should know where to look for something that was published on the Internet, and then removed “at the request of the copyright holders”;) Well, there;)