CentOS 8
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CentOS 8 Server Configuration – Technical Documentation
This document provides a comprehensive technical overview of a server configured with CentOS 8, detailing its hardware specifications, performance characteristics, recommended use cases, comparisons to similar configurations, and essential maintenance considerations. This documentation is intended for system administrators, IT professionals, and anyone involved in the deployment and maintenance of CentOS 8-based servers.
1. Hardware Specifications
The following specifications represent a high-performance, enterprise-grade server configuration utilizing CentOS 8. Variations are possible, but this represents a typical deployment for demanding workloads. All specifications are current as of October 26, 2023.
CPU: Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6248R (24 cores/48 threads per CPU, 3.0 GHz base frequency, 3.7 GHz Turbo Boost frequency). These CPUs offer excellent core count and clock speeds, crucial for virtualization and data processing. See CPU Architecture for more details on Intel Xeon processors. Total CPU cores: 48. Total CPU Threads: 96. CPU Cache: 36MB L3 Cache per CPU. TDP: 205W per CPU. Instruction Set: AVX-512.
RAM: 256GB DDR4 ECC Registered RAM (16 x 16GB modules) running at 2933 MHz. ECC (Error-Correcting Code) RAM is vital for server stability and data integrity. Registered RAM enhances stability and capacity. Speed is a critical factor in memory performance; see Memory Technologies for a deeper dive. Memory Channels: 8 (Dual CPU configuration). Memory Configuration: Ranked 1Rx4.
Storage:
- Boot Drive: 500GB NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD (Samsung 970 EVO Plus or equivalent). NVMe SSDs provide significantly faster read/write speeds compared to traditional SATA SSDs. See Storage Technologies for a detailed comparison of storage types.
- Data Storage: 8 x 4TB SAS 12Gbps 7200 RPM Enterprise-Class HDDs configured in RAID 6. RAID 6 provides redundancy, allowing for the failure of two drives without data loss. RAID Controller: Broadcom SAS 9300-8i. See RAID Configuration for in-depth information on RAID levels and implementation.
- Cache Tier: 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD (Intel Optane DC P4800X or equivalent) used as a read/write cache for the SAS RAID array. This significantly improves IOPS and reduces latency. See SSD Caching for details.
Network Interface Cards (NICs): Dual Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) Intel X710-DA4 NICs. 10GbE is essential for high-bandwidth applications and virtualization environments. See Networking Fundamentals for network interface card details. Teaming enabled for redundancy and increased bandwidth.
Power Supply Units (PSUs): Dual Redundant 80+ Platinum 1600W PSUs. Redundancy ensures continued operation in the event of PSU failure. 80+ Platinum certification indicates high energy efficiency. See Power Management for more information.
Motherboard: Supermicro X11DPi-T. Supports dual Intel Xeon Scalable processors, up to 2TB of DDR4 ECC Registered RAM, and multiple PCIe expansion slots. See Server Motherboards for motherboard specifics.
Chassis: 2U Rackmount Server Chassis. Designed for efficient use of rack space and optimal cooling. See Server Chassis Types.
RAID Controller: Broadcom SAS 9300-8i with 4GB NV Cache. Provides hardware RAID functionality for data protection and performance optimization. See RAID Controllers.
Remote Management: Integrated IPMI 2.0 compliant BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) with dedicated network port. Allows for remote server management, monitoring, and troubleshooting. See IPMI and Remote Management.
| Parameter | Specification |
| CPU | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6248R |
| CPU Cores | 48 |
| CPU Threads | 96 |
| RAM | 256GB DDR4 ECC Registered 2933MHz |
| Boot Drive | 500GB NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD |
| Data Storage | 8 x 4TB SAS 12Gbps 7200 RPM (RAID 6) |
| Cache Tier | 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD (Optane) |
| NICs | Dual Port 10GbE Intel X710-DA4 |
| PSUs | Dual Redundant 1600W 80+ Platinum |
| Motherboard | Supermicro X11DPi-T |
| Chassis | 2U Rackmount |
| RAID Controller | Broadcom SAS 9300-8i |
| Remote Management | IPMI 2.0 BMC |
2. Performance Characteristics
This configuration delivers robust performance across a range of workloads. The following benchmark results are representative of typical performance:
CPU Performance (PassMark CPU Mark): Approximately 24,000 – 26,000. This indicates excellent multi-threaded performance. See CPU Benchmarking for details on PassMark and other benchmarking tools.
Memory Performance (STREAM Triad): Approximately 50 GB/s. Reflects the high bandwidth of the DDR4 2933 MHz RAM.
Storage Performance (IOmeter):
- NVMe Boot Drive (Sequential Read): 3,500 MB/s.
- NVMe Boot Drive (Sequential Write): 3,000 MB/s.
- SAS RAID 6 (Sequential Read): 600 MB/s (with Optane Cache: 1,800 MB/s).
- SAS RAID 6 (Sequential Write): 400 MB/s (with Optane Cache: 1,200 MB/s).
- SAS RAID 6 (Random 4K Read/Write IOPS): 80,000 IOPS (with Optane Cache: 250,000 IOPS).
Network Performance (iperf3): 9.4 Gbps sustained throughput between two servers connected via 10GbE.
Real-world Performance:
- Virtualization (VMware vSphere 7): Supports up to 50-70 virtual machines with 4 vCPUs and 16GB of RAM each, depending on the workload. See Virtualization Technologies for details.
- Database Server (PostgreSQL): Handles approximately 10,000 concurrent connections with excellent query performance.
- Web Server (Apache/NGINX): Serves static content at a rate of 50,000 requests per second.
- Application Server (Java): Supports a large number of concurrent users with low latency.
3. Recommended Use Cases
This CentOS 8 server configuration is well-suited for the following use cases:
- Virtualization Host: The high core count, large RAM capacity, and fast storage make it an excellent platform for running virtual machines.
- Database Server: The fast storage and ample RAM provide the performance required for demanding database workloads.
- Application Server: Suitable for hosting complex applications that require significant processing power and memory.
- Web Server: Can handle high traffic volumes and serve dynamic content efficiently.
- Data Analytics: The powerful CPUs and fast storage are ideal for data processing and analysis.
- File Server: The large storage capacity and RAID 6 configuration provide reliable and scalable file storage.
- High-Performance Computing (HPC): Can be used as a node in an HPC cluster for scientific simulations and other computationally intensive tasks.
4. Comparison with Similar Configurations
The following table compares this CentOS 8 configuration to similar options:
| Feature | This Configuration (CentOS 8) | Configuration A (Dual Xeon Silver) | Configuration B (Single Xeon Gold) | Configuration C (AMD EPYC) |
| CPU | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6248R | Dual Intel Xeon Silver 4210 | Single Intel Xeon Gold 6248R | Dual AMD EPYC 7402P |
| CPU Cores | 48 | 24 | 24 | 64 |
| RAM | 256GB | 128GB | 128GB | 256GB |
| Storage | 500GB NVMe Boot + 32TB SAS RAID 6 + 1TB Optane Cache | 250GB SATA Boot + 16TB SAS RAID 5 | 500GB SATA Boot + 16TB SAS RAID 5 | 500GB NVMe Boot + 32TB SAS RAID 6 + 1TB Optane Cache |
| Network | 10GbE | 1GbE | 1GbE | 10GbE |
| Estimated Cost | $12,000 - $15,000 | $8,000 - $10,000 | $9,000 - $11,000 | $10,000 - $13,000 |
| Performance | Excellent | Good | Good | Very Good |
| Use Cases | Virtualization, Databases, HPC | Web Server, File Server | Small Databases, Application Server | Large Virtualization, Data Analytics |
Configuration A (Dual Xeon Silver): Offers lower performance and capacity at a lower cost. Suitable for less demanding workloads.
Configuration B (Single Xeon Gold): Provides comparable performance to Configuration A but with potentially lower scalability.
Configuration C (AMD EPYC): Offers comparable or superior performance to this configuration, particularly in multi-threaded workloads, at a similar cost. AMD EPYC processors often provide more cores per dollar. See AMD vs Intel Processors.
5. Maintenance Considerations
Proper maintenance is crucial for ensuring the long-term reliability and performance of this server configuration.
Cooling: The server generates significant heat, especially under heavy load. Ensure adequate cooling is provided within the server room. Consider using a hot aisle/cold aisle configuration and redundant cooling units. Monitor CPU and component temperatures regularly. See Server Cooling Solutions.
Power Requirements: The dual redundant power supplies require a dedicated power circuit with sufficient capacity (at least 30 amps). Ensure proper grounding and surge protection. Monitor power consumption and efficiency. See Data Center Power Management.
Storage Maintenance: Regularly monitor the health of the SAS HDDs and the NVMe SSDs. Check for SMART errors and proactively replace failing drives. Verify the integrity of the RAID array. Implement a regular backup schedule. See Data Backup and Recovery.
Software Updates: Keep CentOS 8 and all installed software up to date with the latest security patches and bug fixes. Utilize automated update tools. See CentOS Update Management.
Physical Security: Secure the server rack and the server room to prevent unauthorized access. Implement physical access controls.
Remote Management: Regularly review IPMI/BMC logs for any anomalies. Ensure secure access to the BMC interface.
Dust Control: Regularly clean the server chassis to remove dust buildup, which can impede airflow and cause overheating.
Monitoring: Implement comprehensive server monitoring using tools like Nagios, Zabbix, or Prometheus to track CPU usage, memory usage, disk I/O, network traffic, and other critical metrics. See Server Monitoring Tools.
Log Management: Configure centralized logging to collect and analyze server logs for troubleshooting and security auditing. See Log Analysis and Management.
Regular Testing: Periodically test the redundancy features, such as PSU failover and RAID array recovery, to ensure they are functioning correctly. ```
Intel-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Core i7-6700K/7700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB | CPU Benchmark: 8046 |
| Core i7-8700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 13124 |
| Core i9-9900K Server | 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 49969 |
| Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Workstation | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000 |
AMD-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 3600 Server | 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 17849 |
| Ryzen 7 7700 Server | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 35224 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X Server | 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 46045 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X Server | 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 63561 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) | 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) | 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 9454P Server | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe |
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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️