HP StorageWorks 2/16V ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 5 - Page 2

ISS Technology Update Volume 8, Number 5 Disabling processor cores in Intel®-based HP ProLiant G6 servers HP ProLiant G6 servers with the 4-core Intel Xeon® processor 5500 series have many new power and efficiency features. Several of these features are configurable, letting system administrators tune individual servers to provide optimal performance per watt for specific application environments. One such user-configurable feature is the option to disable individual cores within these processors. In some application environments, this feature allows administrators to configure the server to maintain comparable performance while lowering processor power consumption. In other cases, an administrator can increase overall system performance while maintaining the same processor power consumption. Disabling processor cores using the HP ROM-based Setup Utility The HP ROM-Based Setup Utility (RBSU) is the configuration tool used to disable processor cores in ProLiant 300 series G6 servers. Using the Core Disabling Options sub-menu located in the System Options menu of RBSU (Figure 1-1), the system administrator can configure processors with only one core enabled, half of the cores enabled, or all of the cores enabled. Once a core disabling option has been chosen and the configuration saved, it is applied to all of the processors installed in the system. Figure 1-1. Processor Core Disable sub-menu from the RBSU on HP ProLiant 300 series G6 servers Note In entry level HP ProLiant servers, the RBSU interface is slightly different. The sub-menu is labeled ―Active Processor Cores‖ rather than ―Processor Core Disable.‖ 2