Seagate ST3146855LC VAR Delivers Competitive Advantage With Intel, Adaptec, an - Page 2

"In order to handle all the virtual machines running on the virtual server, the client needed a powerful processor." William Huang President, Area Data Systems The 4 Must-Haves After analyzing their customer's needs, Area Data Systems identified four critical areas: • Processor. Powerful and efficient multi-core processors featuring large on-die L2 caches and fast front side bus speeds would be needed to effectively handle the multiple virtual machines running on a virtual server. • Memory. At least 16 GB of FB-DIMM memory per server would be required to maintain seamless throughput and excellent platform responsiveness. • I/O Performance. A high-performance I/O RAID controller would be crucial for the effective routing of platform data and high platform responsiveness. • Hard Drive. Fast and reliable hot-swappable hard drives with high capacities would increase work efficiencies while improving uptime. Based on these requirements, Area Data Systems chose Intel, Adaptec, and Seagate components. Turning to Intel Innovation Because of the customer's diverse and constantly shifting code-development and application testing needs, there was a need for a physical server unit able to run multiple systems (or virtual machines) in various separate environments simultaneously without slowdown. With this in mind, Area Data Systems researched their options and made their decision to utilize an Intel technologybased platform featuring support for Intel® Virtualization Technology1 (Intel® VT) and Intel® I/O Acceleration Technology (Intel® I/OAT). Intel® Server System SR1560SFHS Area Data Systems immediately saw the advantages of using the Intel® Server System SR1560SFHS. Since the solution required a significant memory footprint, Area Data Systems benefited from this Intel® Server System's support for sixteen fully buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) sockets enabling up to 64 GB of registered ECC DDR2 667 MHz memory and Intel® Extended Memory 64 Technology (Intel® EM64T). Representing Intel's latest generation of rack-optimized server solutions, this system offers support for a fast system bus and high I/O bandwidth. Using the Intel® Server System SR1560SFHS meant that Area Data Systems had the foundation for their high-performance virtualization solution. Once selected, this platform guided development and influenced the selection of complimentary components. Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® E5430 2.66GHz Processor Selecting this platform also meant that Area Data Systems could integrate the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® E5430 2.66 GHz processor. The decision to step up to quad-core was a natural one- the customer had already realized significant performance and efficiency gains when they made the move from platforms featuring single-core Intel® Xeon® processors to platforms featuring the Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5100 series. Upgrading to the powerful capabilities, efficiency and speed of a quad-core processor allowed for an exponential increase in the ability to capably handle multiple virtual machines. With enhancements including Intel's exclusive 45nm technology, Intel® VT, and an L2 cache that's 50% larger than the previous-generation Intel® Xeon® processor, Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processors E5400 series enable Area Data Systems to help their customers realize an improved return on investment while extending the leading performance and performance-per-watt advantages