Re: hardware configuration Oracle 10gr2: Sun Intel X4450 4 Quad-core processor (2.73 GHz chip, 64 GB memory) VERSUS Sun Netra 1290 8 CPU (1.5 GHz Sparc VII. 64 GB Memory) --> Any performance #s (or comments) that anyone on the list has

Hi Pradeep,

For long running threads, an X-86 system or UltraSparc (III and above)
system would beat the Txxx series.

I did some testing with the Txxx series and I documented my findings here.

http://dsstos.blogspot.com/2009/02/ultrasparc-t1-versus-ultrasparc-iv.html

The cool threads CPUs do not look to be designed to do the kind of heavy
lifting required for long running threads.

There are many differences in the CPU architecture (Pipeline, Scalar, Cache
etc) between the Txxx-series and conventional CPU (X-86/UltraSparc III and
higher). Conventional CPUs are designed with  deep pipelines, super scalar,
fat caches, out of order instruction capability etc. The Txxx-series on the
other hand is opposite to this.

The Txxx is a very simple basic CPU and so would work very well for short
running threads. Since it is simple, it can scale well.

However most applications including oracle were coded to exploit the
features in conventional CPU's and so the T-series would not be a good fit.
The problem with conventional CPUs is that since they are complex, they do
not scale well with load. So locking your requirements early on is critical
to ensure you select the right system.

If you are planning on a very light weight transaction system where
scalablility is important, then probably the Txxx would be a good fit. The
T2000 works beautifully for messaging systems running Tibco Business Works.
We have deployed it with great success.

The T52xx (8 stage pipeline) has a relatively more deeper pipeline than the
T2000 (6 stage pipeline). Also there are other changes too. I have not
tested it yet vis-a-vis oracle performance. But I would not expect
extra-ordinary results.

Thanks
Krishna
http://dsstos.blogspot.com

Disclaimer - I work at one of the largest software companies in the world. I
work with Sun/Dell/Hitachi hardware (exclusively) for Datawarehousing and my
experiences are in the field and real-life. I do not have any vendor bias or
preference and look for the best fit for the requirement.


On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 6:12 PM, Pradeep Chetal<
Pradeep.Chetal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> Krishna,
>
>
>
> Actually on small X-Servers and smaller T-series boxes, I have seen that
> X-series easily beats the T-series.
>
>
>
> I don’t remember but it was T-2000 (8-core0 versus X4150(?) what had 2
> dual-core CPU.
>
>
>
> Now I hear that the new T-series has better FPU, etc - but the cooltst
> showed me that I was not using that much floating point.
>
>
>
> I don’t want to rely purely on the SPEC#s for Oracle server.
>
>
>
> -- Pradeep
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Krishna Manoharan [mailto:krishmanoh@xxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 10:52 PM
> To: Pradeep Chetal
> Cc: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: hardware configuration Oracle 10gr2: Sun Intel X4450 4
> Quad-core processor (2.73 GHz chip, 64 GB memory) VERSUS Sun Netra 1290 8
> CPU (1.5 GHz Sparc VII. 64 GB Memory) --> Any performance #s (or comments)
> that anyone on the list has
>
>
>
> I would suggest to look at your requirements from an Oracle perspective,
> convert them to tactical requirements and match to Server specs.
>
> SPEC/Vendor benchmarks really do not apply in the real world. Otherwise
you
> may end up under/over sizing your infrastructure.
>
> There is a lot to Server Selection beyond just CPU and Memory. You would
> need to consider other factors such as CPU-Memory-IO Interconnects, IO
> capabilities etc and determine as to whether it is a well balanced
scalable
> design.
>
> You would need to ask your vendor to provide the internal specifications
for
> the server - For Sun, you can ask for "Just the Facts (JTF)" for any
> specific Server. This would give you an indepth look at the internals.
>
> To give an example, the Dell 2950 (rated for max of 32GB RAM) using the
> Greencreek chipset has a theoretical peak overall bandwidth capability of
> ~20 GB/sec between CPU and Memory/IO. In actuality, I would estimate
around
> 12GB/sec as max bandwidth taking into account overhead and cpu
capabilities.
>
> If all you ever are going to consume is say 5GB/sec (CPU to Memory/IO),
then
> a Dell 2950 may be a economical idea. But assuming you requirement is for
a
> lot of concurrent memory access, then the Dell 2950 is a poor choice (>
12GB
> memory is not scalable).
>
> It is not easy to compare an Intel X-86 to Sparc on paper because they
> behave differently under different loads. A proper method would be to
> simulate your workload on each platform and see how they measure up. Even
> the choice of OS makes an impact.
>
> Thanks
> Krishna Manoharan
> http://dsstos.blogspot.com
>
> On Tue, Jun 9, 2009 at 7:23 AM, Pradeep Chetal
> <Pradeep.Chetal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> We are looking at
>
>
>
> hardware configuration Oracle 10gr2: Sun Intel X4450 4 Quad-core processor
> (2.73 GHz chip, 64 GB memory) VERSUS Sun Netra 1290 8 CPU (1.5 GHz Sparc
> VII. 64 GB Memory) --> Any performance #s (or comments) that anyone on the
> list has
>
>
>
> Any comments on this scenario?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> -- Pradeep
>
>
>
> Pradeep Chetal
> Sr. Director - Infrastructure Architecture
>
> ________________________________
>
> Mformation Technologies Inc.
> Switchboard: +1 732 692 6200
>
>
>
> Visit
>
> WWW.MFORMATION.COM and see how the MFORMATION SERVICE MANAGER can help you
> to transform your business
>
> Please consider the environment before printing
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> Visit
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> to transform your business



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