Chassis Design and Airflow

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  1. Server Configuration Documentation: Template:DocumentationHeader

This document provides a comprehensive technical specification and operational guide for the server configuration designated internally as **Template:DocumentationHeader**. This baseline configuration is designed to serve as a standardized, high-throughput platform for virtualization and container orchestration workloads across our data center infrastructure.

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    1. 1. Hardware Specifications

The **Template:DocumentationHeader** configuration represents a dual-socket, 2U rack-mount server derived from the latest generation of enterprise hardware. Strict adherence to component selection ensures optimal compatibility, thermal stability, and validated performance metrics.

      1. 1.1. Base Platform and Chassis

The foundational element is a validated 2U chassis supporting high-density component integration.

Chassis and Platform Summary
Component Specification
Chassis Model Vendor XYZ R4800 Series (2U)
Motherboard Dual Socket LGA-5124 (Proprietary Vendor XYZ Board)
Power Supplies (PSU) 2x 1600W 80 PLUS Platinum, Hot-Swappable, Redundant (1+1)
Management Controller Integrated Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) v4.1 (IPMI 2.0 Compliant)
Networking (Onboard LOM) 2x 10GbE Base-T (Broadcom BCM57416)
Expansion Slots 4x PCIe Gen 5 x16 Full Height, Half Length (FHFL)

For deeper understanding of the chassis design principles, refer to Chassis Design Principles.

      1. 1.2. Central Processing Units (CPUs)

This configuration mandates the use of dual-socket CPUs from the latest generation, balancing core density with high single-thread performance.

CPU Configuration Details
Parameter Specification (Per Socket)
Processor Family Intel Xeon Scalable Processor (Sapphire Rapids Equivalent)
Model Number 2x Intel Xeon Gold 6548Y (or equivalent tier)
Core Count 32 Cores / 64 Threads (Total 64 Cores / 128 Threads)
Base Clock Frequency 2.5 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency Up to 4.1 GHz (Single Core)
L3 Cache Size 60 MB (Total 120 MB Shared)
TDP (Thermal Design Power) 250W per CPU
Memory Channels Supported 8 Channels DDR5

The choice of the 'Y' series designation prioritizes memory bandwidth and I/O capabilities critical for virtualization density, as detailed in CPU Memory Channel Architecture.

      1. 1.3. System Memory (RAM)

Memory capacity and speed are critical for maximizing VM density. This configuration utilizes high-speed DDR5 ECC Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs).

Memory Configuration
Parameter Specification
Total Capacity 1.5 TB (Terabytes)
Module Type DDR5 ECC RDIMM
Module Density 12x 128 GB DIMMs
Configuration Fully Populated (12 DIMMs per CPU, 24 Total) – Optimal for 8-channel interleaving
Memory Speed 4800 MT/s (JEDEC Standard)
Error Correction ECC (Error-Correcting Code)

Note on population: To maintain optimal performance across the dual-socket topology and ensure maximum memory bandwidth utilization, the population must strictly adhere to the Dual Socket Memory Population Guidelines.

      1. 1.4. Storage Subsystem

The storage configuration is optimized for high Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) suitable for active operating systems and high-transaction databases. It employs a combination of NVMe SSDs for primary storage and a high-speed RAID controller for redundancy and management.

        1. 1.4.1. Boot and System Drive

A small, dedicated RAID array for the hypervisor OS.

Boot Drive Configuration
Component Specification
Drives 2x 480 GB SATA M.2 SSDs (Enterprise Grade)
RAID Level RAID 1 (Mirroring)
Controller Onboard SATA Controller (Managed via BMC)
        1. 1.4.2. Primary Data Storage

The main storage pool relies exclusively on high-performance NVMe drives connected via PCIe Gen 5.

Primary Storage Configuration
Component Specification
Drive Type NVMe PCIe Gen 4/5 U.2 SSDs
Total Drives 8x 3.84 TB Drives
RAID Controller Dedicated Hardware RAID Card (e.g., Broadcom MegaRAID 9750-8i Gen 5)
RAID Level RAID 10 (Striped Mirrors)
Usable Capacity (Approx.) 12.28 TB (Raw 30.72 TB)
Interface PCIe Gen 5 x8 (via dedicated backplane)

The use of a dedicated hardware RAID controller is mandatory to offload parity calculations from the main CPUs, adhering to RAID Controller Offloading Standards. Further details on NVMe drive selection can be found in NVMe Drive Qualification List.

      1. 1.5. Networking Interface Cards (NICs)

While the LOM provides 10GbE connectivity for management, high-throughput data plane operations require dedicated expansion cards.

High-Speed Network Adapters
Slot Adapter Type Quantity Configuration
PCIe Slot 1 100GbE Mellanox ConnectX-7 (2x QSFP56) 1 Dedicated Storage/Infiniband Fabric (If applicable)
PCIe Slot 2 25GbE SFP+ Adapter (Intel E810 Series) 1 Primary Data Plane Uplink
PCIe Slot 3 Unpopulated (Reserved for future expansion) 0 N/A

The 100GbE card is typically configured for RoCEv2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) when deployed in High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters, referencing RDMA Implementation Guide.

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    1. 2. Performance Characteristics

The **Template:DocumentationHeader** configuration is tuned for balanced throughput and low latency, particularly in I/O-bound virtualization scenarios. Performance validation is conducted using industry-standard synthetic benchmarks and application-specific workload simulations.

      1. 2.1. Synthetic Benchmark Results

The following results represent average performance measured under controlled, standardized ambient conditions ($22^{\circ}C$, 40% humidity) using the specified hardware components.

        1. 2.1.1. CPU Benchmarks (SPECrate 2017 Integer)

SPECrate measures sustained throughput across multiple concurrent threads, relevant for virtual machine density.

SPECrate 2017 Integer Benchmark (Reference Values)
Metric Result (Average) Unit
SPECrate_int_base 580 Score
SPECrate_int_peak 615 Score
Notes Results achieved with all 128 threads active, optimized compiler flags (-O3, AVX-512 enabled).

These figures confirm the strong multi-threaded capacity of the 64-core platform. For single-threaded performance metrics, refer to Single Thread Performance Analysis.

        1. 2.1.2. Memory Bandwidth Testing (AIDA64 Read/Write)

Measuring the aggregate memory bandwidth across the dual-socket configuration.

Memory Bandwidth Performance
Operation Measured Throughput Unit
Memory Read Speed (Aggregate) 320 GB/s
Memory Write Speed (Aggregate) 285 GB/s
Latency (First Access) 58 Nanoseconds (ns)

The latency figures are slightly elevated compared to single-socket configurations due to necessary NUMA node communication overhead, discussed in NUMA Node Interconnect Latency.

      1. 2.2. Storage Performance (IOPS and Throughput)

Storage performance is the primary differentiator for this configuration, leveraging PCIe Gen 5 NVMe drives in a RAID 10 topology.

        1. 2.2.1. FIO Benchmarks (Random I/O)

Testing small, random I/O patterns (4K block size), critical for VM boot storms and transactional databases.

4K Random I/O Performance
Queue Depth (QD) IOPS (Read) IOPS (Write)
QD=32 (Per Drive Emulation) 280,000 255,000
QD=256 (Aggregate Array) > 1,800,000 > 1,650,000

Sustained performance at higher queue depths demonstrates the efficiency of the dedicated RAID controller and the NVMe controllers in handling parallel requests.

        1. 2.2.2. Sequential Throughput

Testing large sequential transfers (128K block size), relevant for backups and large file processing.

Sequential Throughput Performance
Operation Measured Throughput Unit
Sequential Read (Max) 18.5 GB/s
Sequential Write (Max) 16.2 GB/s

These throughput figures are constrained by the PCIe Gen 5 x8 link to the RAID controller and the internal signaling limits of the NVMe drives themselves. See PCIe Gen 5 Bandwidth Limitations for detailed analysis.

      1. 2.3. Real-World Workload Simulation

Performance validation involves simulating container density and general-purpose virtualization loads using established internal testing suites.

    • Scenario: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Density**

Running 300 concurrent light-use VDI sessions (Windows 10/Office Suite).

  • Observed CPU Utilization: 75% sustained.
  • Observed Memory Utilization: 95% (1.42 TB used).
  • Result: Stable performance with <150ms average desktop latency.
    • Scenario: Kubernetes Node Density**

Deploying standard microservices containers (average 1.5 vCPU, 4GB RAM per pod).

  • Maximum Stable Pod Count: 180 pods.
  • Failure Point: Exceeded IOPS limits when storage utilization surpassed 85% saturation, leading to increased container startup times.

This analysis confirms that storage I/O is the primary bottleneck when pushing density limits beyond the specified baseline. For I/O-intensive applications, consider the configuration variant detailed in Template:DocumentationHeader_HighIO.

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    1. 3. Recommended Use Cases

The **Template:DocumentationHeader** configuration is specifically engineered for environments demanding a high balance between computational density, substantial memory allocation, and high-speed local storage access.

      1. 3.1. Virtualization Hosts (Hypervisors)

This is the primary intended role. The combination of 64 physical cores and 1.5 TB of RAM provides excellent VM consolidation ratios.

  • **Enterprise Virtual Machines (VMs):** Hosting critical Windows Server or RHEL instances requiring dedicated CPU cores and large memory footprints (e.g., Domain Controllers, Application Servers).
  • **High-Density KVM/VMware Deployments:** Ideal for running a large number of small to medium-sized virtual machines where maximizing the core-to-VM ratio is paramount.
      1. 3.2. Container Orchestration Platforms (Kubernetes/OpenShift)

The platform excels as a worker node in large-scale container environments.

  • **Stateful Workloads:** The fast NVMe RAID 10 array is perfectly suited for persistent volumes (PVs) used by databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB) running within containers, providing low-latency disk access that traditional SAN/NAS connections might struggle to match.
  • **CI/CD Runners:** Excellent capacity for parallelizing build and test jobs due to high core count and fast local scratch space.
      1. 3.3. Data Processing and Analytics (Mid-Tier)

While not a dedicated HPC node, this server handles substantial in-memory processing tasks.

  • **In-Memory Caching Layers (e.g., Redis, Memcached):** The 1.5 TB of RAM allows for massive, high-performance caching layers.
  • **Small to Medium Apache Spark Clusters:** Suitable for running Spark Executors that benefit from both high core counts and fast access to intermediate shuffle data stored on the local NVMe drives.
      1. 3.4. Database Servers (OLTP Focus)

For Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) databases where latency is critical, this configuration is highly effective.

  • The high IOPS capacity (1.8M Read IOPS) directly translates to improved transactional throughput for systems like SQL Server or Oracle RDBMS.

Configurations requiring extremely high sequential throughput (e.g., large-scale media transcoding) or extreme single-thread frequency should look towards configurations detailed in High Frequency Server SKUs.

---

    1. 4. Comparison with Similar Configurations

To contextualize the **Template:DocumentationHeader**, it is essential to compare it against two common alternatives: a memory-optimized configuration and a storage-dense configuration.

      1. 4.1. Configuration Variants Overview

| Configuration Variant | Primary Focus | CPU Cores (Total) | RAM (Total) | Primary Storage Type | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Template:DocumentationHeader (Baseline)** | Balanced I/O & Compute | 64 | 1.5 TB | 8x NVMe (RAID 10) | | Variant A: Memory Optimized | Max VM Density | 64 | 3.0 TB | 4x SATA SSD (RAID 1) | | Variant B: Storage Dense | Maximum Raw Capacity | 48 | 768 GB | 24x 10TB SAS HDD (RAID 6) |

      1. 4.2. Performance Comparison Matrix

This table illustrates the trade-offs when selecting a variant over the baseline.

Performance Metric Comparison
Metric Baseline (Header) Variant A (Memory Optimized) Variant B (Storage Dense)
Max VM Count (Estimated) High Very High (Requires more RAM per VM) Medium (CPU constrained)
4K Random Read IOPS **> 1.8 Million** ~400,000 ~50,000 (HDD bottleneck)
Memory Bandwidth (GB/s) 320 400 (Higher DIMM count) 240 (Slower DIMMs)
Single-Thread Performance High High Medium (Lower TDP CPUs)
Raw Storage Capacity 12.3 TB (Usable) ~16 TB (Usable, Slower) **> 170 TB (Usable)**
    • Analysis:**

1. **Variant A (Memory Optimized):** Provides double the RAM but sacrifices 66% of the high-speed NVMe IOPS capacity. It is ideal for applications that fit entirely in memory but do not require high disk transaction rates (e.g., Java application servers, large caches). See Memory Density Server Profiles. 2. **Variant B (Storage Dense):** Offers massive capacity but suffers significantly in performance due to the reliance on slower HDDs and a lower core count CPU. This is suitable only for archival, large-scale cold storage, or backup targets.

The **Template:DocumentationHeader** configuration remains the superior choice for transactional workloads where I/O latency directly impacts user experience.

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    1. 5. Maintenance Considerations

Proper maintenance protocols are essential to ensure the longevity and sustained performance of the **Template:DocumentationHeader** deployment. Due to the high-power density of the dual 250W CPUs and the NVMe subsystem, thermal management and power redundancy are critical focus areas.

      1. 5.1. Power Requirements and Redundancy

The system is designed for resilience, utilizing dual hot-swappable Platinum-rated PSUs.

  • **Peak Power Draw:** Under full load (CPU stress testing + 100% NVMe utilization), the system can draw up to 1350W.
  • **Recommended Breaker Circuit:** Must be provisioned on a 20A circuit (or equivalent regional standard) for the rack PDU to ensure headroom for power supply inefficiencies and inrush current during boot cycles.
  • **Redundancy:** Operation must always be maintained with both PSUs installed (N+1 redundancy). Failure of one PSU should trigger immediate alerts via the BMC, as detailed in BMC Alerting Configuration.
      1. 5.2. Thermal Management and Cooling

The 2U chassis relies heavily on optimized airflow management.

  • **Airflow Direction:** Standard front-to-back cooling path. Ensure adequate clearance (minimum 30 inches) behind the rack for hot aisle exhaust.
  • **Ambient Temperature:** Maximum sustained ambient intake temperature must not exceed $27^{\circ}C$ ($80.6^{\circ}F$). Exceeding this threshold forces the BMC to throttle CPU clock speeds to maintain thermal limits, resulting in performance degradation (see Section 2).
  • **Fan Configuration:** The system uses high-static pressure fans. Noise levels are high; deployment in acoustically sensitive areas is discouraged. Refer to Data Center Thermal Standards for acceptable operating ranges.
      1. 5.3. Component Replacement Procedures

Due to the high component count (24 DIMMs), careful procedure is required for upgrades or replacements.

        1. 5.3.1. Storage Replacement (NVMe)

If an NVMe drive fails in the RAID 10 array: 1. Identify the failed drive via the RAID controller GUI or BMC interface. 2. Ensure the system is operating in a degraded state but still accessible. 3. Hot-swap the failed drive with an identical replacement part (same capacity, same vendor generation if possible). 4. Monitor the rebuild process. Full rebuild time for a 3.84 TB drive in RAID 10 can range from 8 to 14 hours, depending on ambient temperature and system load. Do not introduce high I/O workloads during the rebuild phase if possible.

        1. 5.3.2. Memory Upgrades

Memory upgrades require a full system shutdown. 1. Power down the system gracefully. 2. Disconnect power cords. 3. Grounding procedures (anti-static wrist strap) are mandatory. 4. When adding or replacing DIMMs, always populate slots strictly following the Dual Socket Memory Population Guidelines to maintain optimal interleaving and avoid triggering memory training errors during POST.

      1. 5.4. Firmware and Driver Lifecycle Management

Maintaining the firmware stack is crucial for stability, especially with PCIe Gen 5 components.

  • **BIOS/UEFI:** Must be kept within one major revision of the vendor's latest release. Critical firmware updates often address memory training instability or NVMe controller compatibility issues.
  • **RAID Controller Firmware:** Must be synchronized with the operating system's driver version to prevent data corruption or performance regressions. Check the Storage Controller Compatibility Matrix quarterly.
  • **BMC Firmware:** Regular updates are required to patch security vulnerabilities and improve remote management features.

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    1. 6. Advanced Configuration Notes
      1. 6.1. NUMA Topology Management

With 64 physical cores distributed across two sockets, the system operates under a Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) architecture.

  • **Policy Recommendation:** For most virtualization and database workloads, the host operating system (Hypervisor) should enforce **Prefer NUMA Local Access**. This ensures that a VM or container process primarily accesses memory physically attached to the CPU socket it is scheduled on, minimizing inter-socket latency across the UPI (Ultra Path Interconnect).
  • **NUMA Spanning:** Workloads that require very large contiguous memory blocks exceeding 768 GB (half the total RAM) will inevitably span NUMA nodes. Performance impact is acceptable for non-time-critical tasks but should be avoided for sub-millisecond latency requirements.
      1. 6.2. Security Hardening

The platform supports hardware-assisted security features that should be enabled.

  • **Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0:** Must be enabled and provisioned for secure boot processes and disk encryption key storage.
  • **Hardware Root of Trust:** Verify the integrity chain from the BMC firmware up through the BIOS during every boot sequence. Documentation on validating this chain is available in Hardware Root of Trust Validation.
      1. 6.3. Network Offloading Features

To maximize CPU availability, NICS should have offloading features enabled where supported by the workload.

  • **Receive Side Scaling (RSS):** Mandatory for all 25GbE interfaces to distribute network processing load across multiple CPU cores.
  • **TCP Segmentation Offload (TSO) / Large Send Offload (LSO):** Should be enabled for high-throughput transfers to minimize CPU cycles spent preparing network packets.

The selection of the appropriate NIC drivers, especially for the high-speed 100GbE adapter, is critical. Generic OS drivers are insufficient; vendor-specific, certified drivers must be used, as outlined in Network Driver Certification Policy.

---

    1. Conclusion

The **Template:DocumentationHeader** server configuration provides a robust, high-performance foundation for modern data center operations, striking an excellent balance between processing power, memory capacity, and low-latency storage access. Adherence to the specified hardware tiers and maintenance procedures outlined in this documentation is mandatory to ensure operational stability and performance consistency.


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.* ⚠️

Introduction

This document details the chassis design and airflow characteristics of a high-performance server configuration optimized for demanding workloads. This document is intended for system administrators, IT professionals, and hardware engineers involved in the deployment, maintenance, and troubleshooting of these servers. We will cover hardware specifications, performance characteristics, recommended use cases, competitive comparisons, and critical maintenance considerations. Understanding these aspects is crucial for maximizing server uptime, performance, and longevity. This is a 2U rackmount server design. See Server Form Factors for more information on different server sizes.

1. Hardware Specifications

This server configuration centers around maximizing compute density and efficiency within a 2U rackmount form factor. The chassis is a Supermicro 2U866 chassis, chosen for its robust construction and optimized airflow.

Component Specification
Chassis Supermicro 2U866 Black Aluminum Chassis
Motherboard Supermicro X13SWA-TF, Intel C621A Chipset
CPU 2 x Intel Xeon Scalable Processor (4th Gen) - specifically Intel Xeon Platinum 8480+ (56 Cores / 112 Threads per CPU)
CPU Clock Speed Base: 2.0 GHz; Max Turbo: 3.8 GHz
CPU TDP 350W per CPU (Total 700W)
RAM 16 x 32GB DDR5 ECC Registered DIMMs (5200MHz) – Total 512GB
RAM Configuration 8 DIMMs per CPU, Balanced across channels. See Memory Channels for further details.
Storage – Primary 2 x 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen5 x4 SSD (Samsung PM1743) in RAID 1 for OS & Applications. See RAID Levels for more information.
Storage – Secondary 8 x 16TB SAS 12Gb/s 7.2K RPM HDD in RAID 6 for bulk storage.
RAID Controller Broadcom MegaRAID SAS 9660-8i with 8GB Cache
Network Interface 2 x 25GbE SFP28 ports (Mellanox ConnectX-6 DX) See Network Interface Cards
Power Supply 2 x 1600W 80+ Titanium Redundant Power Supplies
Cooling 8 x 80mm Hot-Swappable Fans (Redundant configuration) – See Server Cooling Systems
Expansion Slots 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (Full Height, Full Length), 2 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (Half Height, Half Length)
Management IPMI 2.0 compliant BMC with dedicated LAN port
Operating System Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

Detailed Component Notes:

  • CPU Cooling: Each CPU is cooled by a high-performance heatsink with dual 80mm fans. The heatsink design is optimized for low noise and maximal heat dissipation. See CPU Cooling Solutions for a detailed comparison of cooling technologies.
  • Storage Backplane: The 2U866 chassis uses a hot-swappable backplane for both NVMe SSDs and SAS HDDs, allowing for easy drive replacement without system downtime.
  • Power Supplies: Redundant 1600W power supplies provide ample power and ensure high availability. The power supplies are 80+ Titanium certified for maximum energy efficiency. See Power Supply Units for details on PSU efficiency ratings.
  • Airflow Design: The chassis utilizes a front-to-back airflow design. Cool air is drawn in from the front, passes over the components, and is exhausted out the back. This design is critical for maintaining optimal operating temperatures. See Airflow Management for detailed information on airflow principles.



2. Performance Characteristics

This server configuration is designed for high-performance computing and virtualization workloads. The dual Intel Xeon Platinum 8480+ processors, combined with ample RAM and fast storage, deliver exceptional performance.

Benchmark Results:

  • SPEC CPU 2017:
   *   SPECrate2017_fp_base: 452.3
   *   SPECspeed2017_int_base: 385.1
   *   (These results are approximate and may vary depending on software versions and system configuration.)  See Server Benchmarking for an overview of standard benchmarks.
  • IOMeter:
   *   Sequential Read (RAID 1 NVMe): 12 GB/s
   *   Sequential Write (RAID 1 NVMe): 10 GB/s
   *   Random Read (RAID 6 SAS): 2.5 GB/s
   *   Random Write (RAID 6 SAS): 1.8 GB/s
  • VMware vSphere Performance:
   *   Virtual Machine Density:  Approximately 60-80 virtual machines (depending on VM size and resource allocation).  See Virtual Machine Management for more information.
  • PassMark PerformanceTest: Overall Score: 28,500 (This score provides a general indication of overall system performance).

Real-World Performance:

In real-world testing, this server configuration demonstrated excellent performance in the following scenarios:

  • Database Server (PostgreSQL): Sustained transaction rates of 150,000 transactions per minute with a database size of 5TB.
  • Virtualization Host (VMware vSphere): Smooth operation of 80 virtual machines, including resource-intensive applications like web servers, application servers, and databases.
  • High-Performance Computing (HPC): Fast execution of scientific simulations and data analysis tasks. See High-Performance Computing for more details.
  • Video Encoding/Transcoding: Rapid processing of video files, significantly reducing encoding/transcoding times.



3. Recommended Use Cases

This server configuration is ideal for the following use cases:

  • Virtualization Host: The high core count, large memory capacity, and fast storage make this server an excellent choice for running a large number of virtual machines.
  • Database Server: The server’s processing power and storage capacity can handle demanding database workloads. Specifically, it excels at OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) and analytical workloads.
  • High-Performance Computing (HPC): The server’s processing power and fast network connectivity make it suitable for scientific simulations, data analysis, and other HPC applications.
  • Application Server: Hosting mission-critical applications that require high availability and performance.
  • Video Processing: Video encoding, transcoding, and streaming applications benefit from the server’s powerful processors and fast storage.
  • AI/Machine Learning: While not specifically optimized with GPUs, the high core count and memory capacity can support some AI/ML workloads, particularly those focused on data preprocessing and model training. For more intensive AI/ML tasks, a GPU-accelerated server is recommended (see GPU Server Configurations).

4. Comparison with Similar Configurations

This configuration represents a high-end solution. Here’s a comparison with other common server configurations:

Configuration CPU RAM Storage Cost (Approx.) Use Cases
Entry-Level (1U) Intel Xeon E-2300 Series 64GB DDR4 1TB NVMe SSD $3,000 - $5,000 Web Hosting, Small Databases, File Server
Mid-Range (2U) Intel Xeon Scalable Silver 4310 256GB DDR4 2 x 2TB SAS HDD (RAID 1) + 512GB NVMe SSD $8,000 - $12,000 Medium-Sized Databases, Application Server, Virtualization (Small Scale)
**High-Performance (2U - This Configuration)** 2 x Intel Xeon Platinum 8480+ 512GB DDR5 2 x 2TB NVMe SSD (RAID 1) + 8 x 16TB SAS HDD (RAID 6) $25,000 - $35,000 Virtualization (Large Scale), Large Databases, HPC, Video Processing
GPU-Accelerated (2U/4U) 2 x Intel Xeon Gold 6338 512GB DDR4 2 x 2TB NVMe SSD (RAID 1) + 8 x 16TB SAS HDD (RAID 6) + 4 x NVIDIA A100 GPUs $40,000 - $60,000+ AI/Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Rendering, Scientific Simulations

Key Differences:

  • Compared to entry-level servers, this configuration offers significantly more processing power, memory, and storage capacity.
  • Compared to mid-range servers, this configuration provides substantially higher performance for demanding workloads.
  • Compared to GPU-accelerated servers, this configuration lacks the specialized processing power of GPUs but is more cost-effective for applications that do not require GPU acceleration.

5. Maintenance Considerations

Maintaining this server configuration requires careful attention to cooling, power, and component health.

  • Cooling: The server’s cooling system is critical for maintaining optimal performance and preventing overheating. Regularly check the fan status in the IPMI interface and ensure that no fans have failed. Clean the fans and heatsinks periodically to remove dust buildup. Monitor CPU temperatures using monitoring tools. See Server Room Cooling for best practices.
  • Power Requirements: This server configuration requires a dedicated 208-240V power circuit capable of delivering at least 3200W (allowing for redundancy). Ensure that the power circuit is properly grounded. Monitor power supply status in the IPMI interface.
  • Storage Maintenance: Regularly check the health of the storage drives using SMART monitoring tools. Replace failing drives promptly. Consider implementing a regular data backup schedule. See Data Backup Strategies for best practices.
  • Firmware Updates: Keep the server’s firmware up to date, including the BIOS, RAID controller firmware, and network interface card firmware. Firmware updates often include bug fixes and performance improvements.
  • Redundancy: Take advantage of the server’s redundant power supplies and hot-swappable fans to minimize downtime in the event of a component failure.
  • Airflow Management: Ensure that the server rack is properly ventilated and that there is sufficient airflow around the server. Blanking panels should be used to fill empty rack spaces to prevent air recirculation. See Data Center Airflow for best practices.
  • Environmental Monitoring: Implement environmental monitoring to track temperature and humidity in the server room. Extreme temperatures or humidity can damage server components.
  • Regular Inspections: Perform regular visual inspections of the server to check for loose cables, dust buildup, and other potential problems.

Related Topics

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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.* ⚠️

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