SPARC Enterprise

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The SPARC Enterprise series is a range of UNIX server computers based on the SPARC V9 architecture. It was co-developed by Sun Microsystems and Fujitsu, announced on June 1, 2004, and introduced in 2007. They were marketed and sold by Sun Microsystems (later Oracle Corporation, after their acquisition of Sun), Fujitsu, and Fujitsu Siemens Computers under the common brand of "SPARC Enterprise", superseding Sun's Sun Fire and Fujitsu's PRIMEPOWER server product lines. Codename is APL (Advanced Product Line).

Contents

Since 2010, servers based on new SPARC CMT processors (SPARC T3 and later) have been branded as Oracle's SPARC T-Series servers, the "SPARC Enterprise" brand being dropped. Fujitsu continued to sell SPARC T-Series as their SPARC Enterprise product line until December 2015. Fujitsu rebranded the product line to "SPARC Servers" since SPARC M10 released in 2013 and continued to sell SPARC M-Series and T-Series with their new brand.

Model range

ModelHeight, RU Max. processorsProcessor frequencyMax. memoryMax. disk capacityGA date
M300021× SPARC64 VII or VII+2.52, 2.75 GHz (VII) or 2.86 GHz (VII+)64 GB4× 2.5-inch SAS October 2008 (2.52 GHz), February 2010 (2.75 GHz), April 2011 (VII+)
M400064× SPARC64 VI or VII or VII+2.15 GHz (VI), 2.53 GHz (VII), or 2.66 GHz (VII+)256 GB2× 2.5-inch SAS April 2007 (VI), July 2008 (VII), December 2010 (VII+)
M5000108× SPARC64 VI, VII or VII+2.15 GHz (VI), 2.53 GHz (VII), or 2.66 GHz (VII+)512 GB4× 2.5-inch SASApril 2007 (VI), July 2008 (VII), December 2010 (VII+)
M8000N/A16× SPARC64 VI, VII, or VII+2.28, 2.4 GHz (VI), 2.52, 2.88 GHz (VII), or 3.0 GHz (VII+)1024 GB16× 2.5-inch SASApril 2007 (VI), July 2008 (VII), December 2010 (VII+)
M9000N/A32 or 64× SPARC64 VI, VII, or VII+2.28, 2.4 GHz (VI), 2.52, 2.88 GHz (VII), or 3.0 GHz (VII+)4096 GB64× 2.5-inch SASApril 2007 (VI), July 2008 (VII), December 2010 (VII+)
T100011× UltraSPARC T11.0 GHz32 GB1× 3.5-inch SATA or 2× 2.5-inch SASMarch 2006
T200021× UltraSPARC T11.0, 1.2, 1.4 GHz64 GBUp to 4× 2.5-inch SASDecember 2005
T512011× UltraSPARC T21.2, 1.4 GHz128 GBUp to 8× 2.5-inch SASNovember 2007
T514012× UltraSPARC T2+1.2, 1.4 GHz128 GBUp to 8× 2.5-inch SASApril 2008
T522021× UltraSPARC T21.2, 1.4, 1.6 GHz128 GBUp to 16× 2.5-inch SASNovember 2007
T524022× UltraSPARC T2+1.2, 1.4, 1.6 GHz256 GBUp to 16× 2.5-inch SASApril 2008
T544044× UltraSPARC T2+1.2, 1.4, 1.6 GHz512 GBUp to 4× 2.5-inch SASOct 2008

SPARC64 processor based models (M-series)

The midrange and high-end SPARC64 VI, SPARC64 VII, SPARC64 VII+ processor based servers are designated "M-series". The "M" indicates RAS features similar to mainframe class machines. [1]

Processor types

The SPARC64 VI is a dual-core processor, with each core featuring two-way vertical multi-threading (VMT). [2] A M9000 server configured with the maximum number of processors supports running 256 concurrent threads. VMT is a coarse-grained multi-threading implementation. Each core in the SPARC64 VI can handle two strands or threads. VMT switches execution from one strand to the other on the basis of events. To execute instructions from another thread, the pipeline must be saved/flushed and switched to the registers for the other thread. These events include L2 cache misses, a hardware timer exception, interrupts, or some multi-threading-related control instructions. This is also called Switch On Event (SOE) threading.

In 2008, Fujitsu released the SPARC64 VII, a quad-core processor, with each core featuring two-way simultaneous multi-threading. Existing M-class servers will be able to upgrade to the SPARC64 VII processors in the field. [3]

In 2010, Fujitsu released the SPARC64 VII+, [4] running at higher frequency and with a larger L2 cache than its predecessor. A SPARC64 VII or SPARC64 VII+ processor module includes four physical cores, where each core can execute two threads. Each physical core is able to run both threads simultaneously. With SMT, there is no context-switch time and the two threads share the instruction pipeline smoothly. When both are ready to run, they alternate cycles for superscalar instruction issue, and share the functional units according to need.

An important capability of the M-Series is the ability to mix processor generations and clock speeds in the same system and domain. All M-Series servers can have both SPARC64 VI and SPARC64 VII CPUs installed and they will run at their native speeds, with no clocking down to the slowest CPU.

Benchmark record

On April 17, 2007, a Sun SPARC Enterprise M9000 achieved 1.032 TFLOPS on the LINPACK benchmark, making it the fastest single system supercomputer at that time. [5]

On May 2, 2008, Sun SPARC Enterprise M9000 server achieved a world performance record on the TPC-H data warehousing benchmark at the 1 terabyte scale factor using the Oracle Database. [6]

As of February 19, 2009, the SPARC Enterprise M8000 holds the 64-thread world performance records on the SPEC OMP2001 benchmark, both for medium [7] and for large [8]

UltraSPARC T processor based models (T-series)

T5120 mainboard with UltraSPARC T2 and FB-DIMM memory Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 and FBDIMMs.jpg
T5120 mainboard with UltraSPARC T2 and FB-DIMM memory

The UltraSPARC T1-based Sun Fire T1000 and T2000 are rebranded to SPARC Enterprise:

In October 2007, Sun added the UltraSPARC T2-based servers to the SPARC Enterprise line:

In April 2008, Sun added the UltraSPARC T2 Plus-based servers to the SPARC Enterprise line:

In October 2008, Sun released the 4-way SMP UltraSPARC T2 Plus-based server:

Operating systems

SPARC Enterprise models are licensed to run Solaris 10 and Solaris 11.

Partitioning and virtualization

The M-series supports Dynamic Domains and Dynamic Reconfiguration, [9] [10] [11] which enable a single machine to be divided into multiple electrically isolated partitions.

The UltraSPARC T1, UltraSPARC T2/T2+ models partition the system using Logical Domains.

Both M-series and T-series models support Solaris Containers, which supports a maximum of 8191 non-global zones in each Dynamic Domain or Logical Domain.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Microsystems</span> American computer company, 1982–2010

Sun Microsystems, Inc. was an American technology company that sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services and created the Java programming language, the Solaris operating system, ZFS, the Network File System (NFS), and SPARC microprocessors. Sun contributed significantly to the evolution of several key computing technologies, among them Unix, RISC processors, thin client computing, and virtualized computing. Notable Sun acquisitions include Cray Business Systems Division, Storagetek, and Innotek GmbH, creators of VirtualBox. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982. At its height, the Sun headquarters were in Santa Clara, California, on the former west campus of the Agnews Developmental Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SPARC</span> RISC instruction set architecture

SPARC is a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) instruction set architecture originally developed by Sun Microsystems. Its design was strongly influenced by the experimental Berkeley RISC system developed in the early 1980s. First developed in 1986 and released in 1987, SPARC was one of the most successful early commercial RISC systems, and its success led to the introduction of similar RISC designs from many vendors through the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Enterprise</span>

Sun Enterprise is a range of UNIX server computers produced by Sun Microsystems from 1996 to 2001. The line was launched as the Sun Ultra Enterprise series; the Ultra prefix was dropped around 1998. These systems are based on the 64-bit UltraSPARC microprocessor architecture and related to the contemporary Ultra series of computer workstations. Like the Ultra series, they run Solaris. Various models, from single-processor entry-level servers to large high-end multiprocessor servers were produced. The Enterprise brand was phased out in favor of the Sun Fire model line from 2001 onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Ultra series</span> Workstations and servers introduced from 1995–2006

The Sun Ultra series is a discontinued line of workstation and server computers developed and sold by Sun Microsystems, comprising two distinct generations. The original line was introduced in 1995 and discontinued in 2001. This generation was partially replaced by the Sun Blade in 2000 and that line was in itself replaced by the Sun Java Workstation—an AMD Opteron system—in 2004. In sync with the transition to x86-64-architecture processors, in 2005 the Ultra brand was later revived with the launch of the Ultra 20 and Ultra 40, albeit to some confusion, since they were no longer based on UltraSPARC processors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Fire</span> Server series by Sun Microsystems

Sun Fire is a series of server computers introduced in 2001 by Sun Microsystems. The Sun Fire branding coincided with the introduction of the UltraSPARC III processor, superseding the UltraSPARC II-based Sun Enterprise series. In 2003, Sun broadened the Sun Fire brand, introducing Sun Fire servers using the Intel Xeon processor. In 2004, these early Intel Xeon models were superseded by models powered by AMD Opteron processors. Also in 2004, Sun introduced Sun Fire servers powered by the UltraSPARC IV dual-core processor. In 2007, Sun again introduced Intel Xeon Sun Fire servers, while continuing to offer the AMD Opteron versions as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UltraSPARC T1</span> Microprocessor by Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems' UltraSPARC T1 microprocessor, known until its 14 November 2005 announcement by its development codename "Niagara", is a multithreading, multicore CPU. Designed to lower the energy consumption of server computers, the CPU typically uses 72 W of power at 1.4 GHz.

The Sun Fire 15K was an enterprise-class server computer from Sun Microsystems based on the SPARC V9 processor architecture. It was announced on September 25, 2001, in New York City, superseding the Sun Enterprise 10000. General availability was in January 2002; the last to be shipped was in May 2005.

Sun-4 is a series of Unix workstations and servers produced by Sun Microsystems, launched in 1987. The original Sun-4 series were VMEbus-based systems similar to the earlier Sun-3 series, but employing microprocessors based on Sun's own SPARC V7 RISC architecture in place of the 68k family processors of previous Sun models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock (processor)</span>

Rock was a multithreading, multicore, SPARC microprocessor under development at Sun Microsystems. Canceled in 2010, it was a separate project from the SPARC T-Series (CoolThreads/Niagara) family of processors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UltraSPARC IV</span>

The UltraSPARC IVJaguar and follow-up UltraSPARC IV+Panther are microprocessors designed by Sun Microsystems and manufactured by Texas Instruments. They are the fourth generation of UltraSPARC microprocessors, and implement the 64-bit SPARC V9 instruction set architecture (ISA). The UltraSPARC IV was originally to be succeeded by the UltraSPARC V Millennium, which was canceled after the announcement of the Niagara, now UltraSPARC T1 microprocessor in early 2004. It was instead succeeded by the Fujitsu-designed SPARC64 VI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UltraSPARC T2</span> Microprocessor by Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems' UltraSPARC T2 microprocessor is a multithreading, multi-core CPU. It is a member of the SPARC family, and the successor to the UltraSPARC T1. The chip is sometimes referred to by its codename, Niagara 2. Sun started selling servers with the T2 processor in October 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultra 80</span>

The Sun Microsystems Ultra 80 is a computer workstation that shipped from November 1999 to 2002.

Logical Domains is the server virtualization and partitioning technology for SPARC V9 processors. It was first released by Sun Microsystems in April 2007. After the Oracle acquisition of Sun in January 2010, the product has been re-branded as Oracle VM Server for SPARC from version 2.0 onwards.

The SPARC64 V (Zeus) is a SPARC V9 microprocessor designed by Fujitsu. The SPARC64 V was the basis for a series of successive processors designed for servers, and later, supercomputers.

Afara Websystems Inc. was a Sunnyvale, California, USA server company whose goal was to build servers surrounding a custom high-throughput CPU architecture, "developing IP traffic management systems that will bring quality-of-service to the next generation of IP access infrastructure." The word "Afara" means "bridge" in the West African Yoruba language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SPARC T3</span>

The SPARC T3 microprocessor is a multithreading, multi-core CPU produced by Oracle Corporation. Officially launched on 20 September 2010, it is a member of the SPARC family, and the successor to the UltraSPARC T2.

Sun Blade is a line of blade server computer systems sold by Sun Microsystems from 2006 onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SPARC T4</span>

The SPARC T4 is a SPARC multicore microprocessor introduced in 2011 by Oracle Corporation. The processor is designed to offer high multithreaded performance, as well as high single threaded performance from the same chip. The chip is the 4th generation processor in the T-Series family. Sun Microsystems brought the first T-Series processor to market in 2005.

The Ultra 60 is a fairly large and heavy computer workstation in a tower enclosure from Sun Microsystems. The Ultra 60 was launched in November 1997 and shipped with Solaris 7. It was available in several specifications.

The SPARC T-series family of RISC processors and server computers, based on the SPARC V9 architecture, was originally developed by Sun Microsystems, and later by Oracle Corporation after its acquisition of Sun. Its distinguishing feature from earlier SPARC iterations is the introduction of chip multithreading (CMT) technology, a multithreading, multicore design intended to drive greater processor utilization at lower power consumption.

References

  1. ↑ "Community Development Comes to Hardware". Sun Microsystems. Archived from the original on 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
  2. ↑ "Improving Application Efficiency Through Chip Multi-Threading". Sun Microsystems. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  3. ↑ "Sun SPARC Enterprise Server Family Architecture: Flexible, Mainframe-Class Compute Power for the Datacenter" (PDF). Sun Microsystems. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  4. ↑ "Oracle and Fujitsu Enhance SPARC Enterprise M-Series Servers with New Processor". Oracle. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  5. ↑ "Sun SPARC Enterprise M9000 Breaks a Teraflop". supercomputingonline.com. Retrieved 2008-01-14.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Sun SPARC Enterprise M9000 server". Transaction Processing Performance Council . Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  7. ↑ "SPARC Enterprise M8000 server". SPEC . Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  8. ↑ "SPARC Enterprise M8000 server". SPEC . Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  9. ↑ "Introduction to Dynamic Reconfiguration and Capacity on Demand for Sun SPARC Enterprise Servers". Sun Microsystems. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
  10. ↑ "High Availability in the Data Center" (PDF). Sun Microsystems. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  11. ↑ "System and Resource Management" (PDF). Sun Microsystems. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
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