WHITE PAPER New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management

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1 WHITE PAPER New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management July 2006 PREPARED FOR Fujitsu TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary... 1 Introduction... 2 PRIMEQUEST Server Management Techniques Overview... 3 Enterprise System Management... 3 Server View... 4 Server System Manager... 4 PRIMEQUEST System Management Board... 4 Many System Management Board Functions... 5 Inside the System Management Board... 6 Two Hubs... 6 Highly Available Board... 7 High Security... 7 System Management Board HTML Data Format Bonus... 8 The IDEAS Bottom Line... 8 Endnotes... 9 TO DIG DEEPER This white paper prepared by Ideas International (IDEAS) offers an in-depth examination of the system management offerings available on Fujitsu s recently introduced dual-core Intel Itanium 2- based PRIMEQUEST servers. Three companion white papers provide similar detail on high availability, system architecture, and operating systems. An overview white paper provides a summary of the capabilities of the PRIMEQUEST offerings. For additional details, see Executive Summary In July 2006, Fujitsu announced three new mission-critical enterprise servers based on Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2 processor (Montecito). PRIMEQUEST Models 520 (8 CPUs, 16 cores), 540 (16 CPUs, 32 cores), and 580 (32 CPUs, 64 cores) run both the Linux and Windows operating systems. Offered by Fujitsu as its mission-critical line of Intel-based servers, these high-end platforms target customers who seek a highly reliable enterprise-class server that benefits from the economies of industrystandard hardware and software. The Models 520, 540, and 580 complement and advance Fujitsu s earlier PRIMEQUEST offerings the Itanium Madison-based Models 420, 440, and 480 (single-core CPU designs with 8, 16, and 32 microprocessors respectively). What differentiates Fujitsu s PRIMEQUEST servers from other IPF-based platforms is the careful attention paid to mission-critical design. Fujitsu has leveraged its proven mainframe and PRIMEPOWER design experience (for the Solaris operating system and the SPARC microprocessor) to create an Itanium-based family that satisfies customer needs to operate mission-critical workloads on industry-standard servers. Fujitsu offers customers four system management options for their PRIMEQUEST standalone servers or clusters. The first is management via ISV-supplied Enterprise System Management (ESM) software. In most cases, an appropriate agent or agents in the PRIMEQUEST server(s) provides the needed management information to the ESM console. For Fujitsu customers whose environments already include Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers (i.e., Windows operating system and Intel Xeon microprocessors) and/or PRIMEPOWER installations, Fujitsu can typically offer its Server View (the second option) or Server System Manager (the third option) system management software. This software allows simultaneous management of multiple Fujitsu server systems, which need not be based on the same operating system. The fourth option is to use the PRIMEQUEST System Management Board. The new 16-CPU/32-core and 32-CPU/64-core PRIMEQUEST servers (Models 540 and 580 respectively) have redundant System Management Boards to ensure high availability. The Model 520 uses one System Management Board. The PRIMEQUEST System Management Board is the subject of this white paper. This board accommodates the needed management functions of a PRIMEQUEST server installation and is expected to be the most commonly used management This document is copyrighted by Ideas International, Inc. (IDEAS) and is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws and conventions. This document may not be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form, posted on a public or private website or bulletin board, or sublicensed to a third party without the written consent of IDEAS. No copyright may be obscured or removed from the paper. All trademarks and registered marks of products and companies referred to in this paper are protected. This document was developed on the basis of information and sources believed to be reliable. This document is to be used as is. IDEAS makes no guarantees or representations regarding, and shall have no liability for the accuracy of, data, subject matter, quality, or timeliness of the content. The data contained in this document are subject to change. IDEAS accepts no responsibility to inform the reader of changes in the data. In addition, IDEAS may change its view of the products, services, and companies described in this document. IDEAS accepts no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of information contained herein, nor from the reader s attempts to duplicate performance results or other outcomes. Nor can the paper be used to predict future values or performance levels. This document may not be used to create an endorsement for products and services discussed in the paper or for other products and services offered by the vendors discussed.

2 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management July 2006 technique. The System Management Board has already been successfully used on earlier PRIMEQUEST 400 models and is ready for use on first availability of the PRIMEQUEST 500 Series servers. The System Management Board attributes discussed in this white paper include the board design philosophy and the PRIMEQUEST server functions monitored by the board itself. The System Management Board GUIs are described and illustrations are provided that depict their ease-of-use and drill-down capabilities. A discussion of the System Management Board architecture demonstrates how it is both highly available and highly secure. All of these characteristics contribute to the fact that the new PRIMEQUEST servers from Fujitsu based on the Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2 processor offer industry-leading system management capabilities. This white paper describes the system management offerings available on the recently introduced PRIMEQUEST 500 Series servers. Companion papers focus on other PRIMEQUEST attributes, such as system architecture design, high availability features, and operating system support. A PRIMEQUEST Overview white paper is also available. Introduction Working in collaboration with Intel, Microsoft, Red Hat, and Novell, Fujitsu developed, and now offers, its PRIMEQUEST Model 520 (8 CPUs, 16 cores), 540 (16 CPUS, 32 cores), and 580 (32 CPUs, 64 cores) servers based on Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2 processor. While these servers currently run the latest Itanium Montecito version, they will also run the Itanium Montvale microprocessor when it becomes available sometime in PRIMEQUEST servers are able to run high-end applications on the two operating systems (Windows and Linux) that, according to most industry analysts, will dominate in the coming years with over 60% of the operating system market. PRIMEQUEST servers currently operate with RHEL4 (with support for Updates 4 and 5 when they become available later in 2006 or 2007), and will support RHEL5 once it becomes available in They also operate with Novell s SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Version 9 (SLES9), and will run SLES10 when it becomes available later in Finally, the new PRIMEQUEST servers run Windows Enterprise Edition 2003 as well as Windows 2003 Datacenter Edition. They will operate under the Vista (formerly Longhorn) operating system when it becomes available in Upgrades and service packs for all the Linux and Windows systems will be incorporated as they become available. Completing the Fujitsu server product line, the PRIMEQUEST servers sit alongside the PRIMEPOWER and PRIMERGY offerings. PRIMEPOWER accommodates UNIX (Solaris on SPARC microprocessors) while PRIMERGY accommodates industrystandard 32-bit/64-bit (EM64T) Intel processors and Windows/Linux. PRIMEQUEST servers, built with the benefit of Fujitsu s long mainframe, vector processor, and UNIX heritage, will directly compete in the worldwide marketplace with machines from Bull, HP, IBM, SGI, NEC, Sun, and Unisys. Applications targeted include OLTP, decision support/data warehouse, legacy migration, and 2 White Paper 2006 Ideas International, Inc.

3 July 2006 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management PRIMEQUEST s System Management Board is the most practical, most capable, most preferred, and most costeffective system management technique for PRIMEQUEST Model 520, 540, and 580 servers. server/database consolidation. Both SMP and cluster configurations can be deployed as appropriate. PRIMEQUEST Server Management Techniques Overview Fujitsu plans to offer customers up to four options (depending on geography and availability) for managing their PRIMEQUEST standalone servers or clusters. The first is management by ISV-supplied Enterprise System Management (ESM) software. In most cases, an appropriate agent or agents in the PRIMEQUEST server will provide the needed management information to the ESM console. For those Fujitsu customers who already have PRIMERGY and/or PRIMEPOWER installations, Fujitsu might offer its Server View (the second option) or Server System Manager (the third option) system management software. This software allows simultaneous management of multiple Fujitsu systems running multiple Fujitsu-supported operating systems (i.e., Linux, Windows, and Solaris). The fourth option is to use the PRIMEQUEST System Management Board and its associated software. The new 16-CPU/32-core and 32-CPU/64-core PRIMEQUEST servers (Models 540 and 580 respectively) have redundant System Management Boards to ensure high availability. For completeness, the first three system management options are described below. However, this white paper concentrates on the PRIMEQUEST System Management Board. This board accommodates the needed management functions of a PRIMEQUEST server installation, is expected to be the most commonly used management technique, has already been successfully used on earlier PRIMEQUEST models, and is ready for use on first availability of PRIMEQUEST servers. Enterprise System Management For this PRIMEQUEST system management technique, an agent (or agents) from an ISV s system management software runs on a host operating system (i.e., SLES9, RHEL4, or Windows Server 2003) in a PRIMEQUEST partition or partitions. The agent communicates with the ISV s ESM software through a LAN external to the PRIMEQUEST server. This communication is achieved via the SNMP protocol using a standard (or sometimes non-standard) MIB or MIBs. In this system management design, partition or partition component information is supplied in the form of alerts and alarms. Typically, PRIMEQUEST chassis information is not available when ESM software is used, as most MIBs have no knowledge of how to obtain such information. The exception to this rule is when Fujitsu s Systemwalker ESM software is used. Japanese customers often choose Fujitsu s Systemwalker as their ESM software. This product provides partition, chassis, power management, and alarm information for PRIMEQUEST servers. Systemwalker also uses the SNMP protocol (with an extended MIB) to receive its PRIMEQUEST server information. Chassis information is obtained from the PRIMEQUEST System Management Board to which Systemwalker connects. White Paper 2006 Ideas International, Inc. 3

4 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management July 2006 PRIMEQUEST s System Management Board is designed to be 3Scompliant. It is Simple to operate, Smart in making judgments about server operations, and Secure for a safe computing environment. A customer who already has an ESM installation for another vendor s servers may opt to apply that approach to PRIMEQUEST. Of course, the availability and applicability of the ESM approach to PRIMEQUEST management depends on the third-party ISV supplying the ESM software, and whether the software is ported to PRIMEQUEST. Server View Server View is Fujitsu s system management product for Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers. These servers accommodate industry-standard, 32-bit/64-bit (EM64T) Intel CPUs and Windows/Linux. It is true that Server View can connect to a PRIMEQUEST server partition. However, for the reasons mentioned above (e.g., availability and functionality), Server View will not be further discussed with regard to PRIMEQUEST. Server System Manager The Fujitsu Server System Manager product manages PRIMERGY, PRIMEPOWER (for SPARC and Solaris), and PRIMEQUEST servers. Server System Manager can manage two or more PRIMEQUEST servers and can function as a partition manager for both PRIMEQUEST and PRIMEPOWER systems. For the reasons mentioned above, Server System Manager will not be further discussed with regard to PRIMEQUEST. The PRIMEQUEST system management board is the most available, cost-effective, and capable system management technology for PRIMEQUEST servers. PRIMEQUEST System Management Board The PRIMEQUEST System Management Board, available in a redundant configuration in the Model 540 (16 CPS, 32 cores) and the Model 580 (32 CPUs, 64 cores), provides management information for a single PRIMEQUEST server. It also provides an API that enables Fujitsu s Server System Manager or another thirdparty enterprise management system that recognizes the API to manage PRIMEQUEST servers. Both this API and the GUI interface to the System Management Board software have undergone improvements since their appearance on earlier PRIMEQUEST servers. Fujitsu s guiding principle in its architecture of the System Management Board was to implement a 3S design: Simple to operate, invoking the PRIMEQUEST management functions through extensive, hierarchical GUI use Smart in making judgments (both predictive and non-predictive) about PRIMEQUEST server operation Secure, ensuring that PRIMEQUEST servers provide a safe computing environment for their users The System Management Board console (usually a PC) provides a secure, browser-based connection to a PRIMEQUEST System Management Board through the PRIMEQUEST server s management LAN. This much preferred system management option provides the needed chassis hardware information; partition 4 White Paper 2006 Ideas International, Inc.

5 July 2006 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management configuration information; and operating system, maintenance, and resource management information and control in a uniform manner. As a result, PRIMEQUEST management is as optimized as it can be for both ease of use and reduced cost of ownership of a PRIMEQUEST server. The System Management Board also monitors power control, voltage levels, and component temperatures. In addition, the System Management Board controls which System Mirror is used in the individual PRIMEQUEST server partitions (refer to the companion white papers 1 for more information on System Mirrors). Finally, the System Management Board handles all the details of system initialization and shutdown. Clearly, the System Management Board is the key to the successful, high-performing, and highly available operation of PRIMEQUEST servers. Many System Management Board Functions Which specific PRIMEQUEST server functions does the System Management Board monitor and control? These functions include: PRIMEQUEST server information setup Hardware and hardware state display Failure information dump Failure information analysis Hardware and firmware version control Remote maintenance connection Partition installation control Partition performance control Partition patch management Partition software version management Automatic partition scheduling System restart using a reserve system board should a working system board fail or degrade Partition hardware and software confirmation to avoid setup errors Control of periodic hardware maintenance information based on accumulated statistics Reserve partition control for capacity on demand (COD) All these functions, and more, are handled by over one hundred different System Management Board console GUIs. If necessary, the system administrator can use these GUIs to drill down deep into an individual component for monitoring and troubleshooting. The GUIs are designed to be user-friendly. As a result, PRIMEQUEST server management is easier and offers few opportunities for error. White Paper 2006 Ideas International, Inc. 5

6 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management July 2006 Figure 1 shows a top-level GUI for examining a PRIMEQUEST server s system status. As expected, color is extensively used to highlight various conditions, and most items can be clicked on to drill down to a finer degree of system management detail. Fujitsu devoted extensive design time to ensuring that all the GUIs were as functional as possible. There is even a management GUI for controlling the PRIMEQUEST System Management Board. Figure 1. Sample of Top-Level GUI for PRIMEQUEST Server Management Inside the System Management Board The System Management Board provides consolidated management of the various PRIMEQUEST system components, including hardware, software, partitions, and chassis. The System Management Board accomplishes this task through a unique architecture. For example, unlike some UNIX servers, which have an external management server LAN-connected to the managed server, a PRIMEQUEST System Management Board is built into the PRIMEQUEST server itself. This architecture eliminates the need for an external server, an external LAN connection, and web server software. Only a browser is required, resulting in decreased management burden and increased security. Two Hubs To perform its functions, the System Management Board employs a microprocessor, its associated circuitry, and Fujitsu-unique supporting chipsets with an emphasis on high availability. It also has a management LAN hub and a private LAN hub. These hubs facilitate communication between the System Management Board and the PRIMEQUEST server components, the PRIMEQUEST partitions, and the outside world. 6 White Paper 2006 Ideas International, Inc.

7 July 2006 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management The management LAN hub has connections to a: User port through which an RJ-45 hook-up is made to a System Management Console (usually a PC). A console browser communicates with the System Management Board firmware to display all of the PRIMEQUEST server management GUIs. Maintenance port through which a field service terminal is connected that allows Fujitsu service personnel to perform any required work. Remote Customer Support (REMCS) port, which is Internet-connected, or pointto-point connected, so that Fujitsu personnel can remotely perform certain services and other operations. Highly Available Board The System Management Board and its connections to a PRIMEQUEST server and the outside world are highly available. Figure 2 provides an overview of this highly available System Management Board architecture. The first level of high availability is the result of two System Management Boards configured in active-passive mode. If one board fails, the other takes over. In addition, with further high availability in mind, the connection between the System Management Board and a logical system board/partition is accomplished through a redundant 100 MB/sec. Ethernet LAN. Figure 2. PRIMEQUEST System Management Board Highly Available Architecture High Security High availability and extensive management capabilities are of no value to the customer if the System Management Board is compromised by a security breach. To minimize the possibility of such an occurrence, the information exchange between the management agent on a logical system board and the System Management Board, as well as the information exchange between the System Management Board and the System Management Console, is protected by SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)-based communications with 128-bit encryption. Enhancing security even further, the System Management Board can restrict access to it via IP filtering. Access is controlled at four user account levels administrator, operator, user, and service person. Moreover, the System Management Board keeps logs that record who accessed the board, at what time, and for what purpose. White Paper 2006 Ideas International, Inc. 7

8 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management July 2006 PRIMEQUEST Model 520, 540, and 580 servers provide a powerful system management value proposition for Windows and Linux in the Itanium 2 environment. System Management Board HTML Data Format Bonus The System Management Board can provide its PRIMEQUEST server information as an external HTML-based output. Since the HTML format can exploit the services of many error analysis (and other) tools, and is established as a standard format for many devices, PRIMEQUEST operations and management information can be shared and analyzed by operators, users, service personnel, and other interested parties. Such usage, for example, might include analysis and comparison of before and after system board configuration changes. The HTML data format is also valuable to ensure that PRIMEQUEST server constituencies (e.g., users and administrators) agree that a partition configuration is correct for the job at hand. The ability to do such work offline (using the provided information in HTML format), speeds and eases PRIMEQUEST server operations. The IDEAS Bottom Line Fujitsu has developed a line of mission-critical servers based on the Intel 64-bit Itanium processor family that is dedicated solely to Windows and the two major Linux distributions. The PRIMEQUEST server family will also accommodate the Montvale Itanium version when it becomes available, as well as the latest Windows and Linux versions, updates, and service packs. As a result, PRIMEQUEST customers will enjoy investment protection. By Fujitsu design, PRIMEQUEST servers allow a diversity of vertical sectors and applications to enjoy the services of industry-standard hardware (Intel) and operating system (Windows and Linux) software in a state-of-the art server family that is readily managed for low cost of ownership. PRIMEQUEST servers have an industry-unique architecture and mainframe-like high availability features such as System Mirror. In fact, many PRIMEQUEST attributes (including system management) trace their origins to Fujitsu s mainframe heritage. Future PRIMEQUEST servers will also have extensive dynamic reconfiguration and virtualization capabilities. Adding to the PRIMEQUEST platform s strengths are the capabilities of its System Management Board-based system management (which include ease of use, high functionality, security, and availability); its ability to mix and match Linux or Windows; and its partitioning and clustering facilities. When all of the above are considered together, it is clear that the PRIMEQUEST server can take market share in a variety of applications and vertical sectors. These applications will most often be in the midrange to high-end, mission-critical server environments for which the just-mentioned capabilities are crucial. As the details in the five white papers in this series show, PRIMEQUEST servers have a unique position and value proposition for users worldwide. In addition to superior technology and performance, Fujitsu expects PRIMEQUEST servers to provide cost-of-ownership benefits, and better return-on-investment figures compared to other industry offerings. 8 White Paper 2006 Ideas International, Inc.

9 July 2006 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Continue Industry-Leading System Management Endnotes 1 See the following companion white papers: PRIMEQUEST Overview, Ideas International, July 2006 New Fujitsu High-End Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer the Utmost in High Availability, Ideas International, July 2006 PRIMEQUEST System Architecture, Ideas International, July 2006 Americas Ideas International, Inc. 800 Westchester Avenue Suite S620 Rye Brook, NY USA Tel Fax Asia/Pacific and Worldwide Headquarters Ideas International Limited Level 3 20 George Street Hornsby, NSW, 2077 Australia Tel Fax Europe, Middle East, Africa Ideas International Europe 1 Deanes Close Steventon Oxon OX13 6SZ United Kingdom Tel +44 (0) Fax +44 (0) White Paper 2006 Ideas International, Inc. 9