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Fujitsu is fast off the mark with the release of two single-socket servers using the latest Intel Clarkdale processor. Known as the Primergy TX150 S7 and RX100 R6, the company is targeting them at two different markets. Both servers use second-generation PCI-E slots, SAS 2.0 interfaces and up to 32GB RAM. They also continue to use Cool-Safe, Fujitsu’s method of cooling.
Two new single-socket servers from Fujitsu are aimed at two very different markets.
“These new Primergy servers provide price-conscious users with high-end performance coupled with versatility and reliability,” said Richard McCormack, senior vice president for the server and solutions business at Fujitsu America. “The flexibility and power of the Primergy TX150 S7 and RX100 S6 servers make them ideally suited for general all-around use, and they are affordable enough to be very attractive to clients in the small and midsize market sector.”
More specifically, he said that the TX150 S7 is good for those who need an affordable yet able system at a remote site. In addition, the company’s strength in the retail sector (it has a portfolio of offerings in that area) means that this server is likely to be an integral part of its offering in that space.
The TX150 S7 is a tower model designed as a dual-core and quad-core single-processor system for decentralized infrastructures. It can be used by SMBs or as a dependable database server. It also has plenty of capacity that allows the option for memory expansion. For a single-socket processor system, the TX150 S7 offers a decent level of system expandability, availability and scalability.
The Primergy RX100 S6, on the other hand, is a rackmount machine that has enough flexibility to make it applicable to midsize businesses and the data center. According to Fujitsu, it is a solid platform for web scale out, infrastructure services (name server, DNS) or for use as a platform for appliances, such as a security/firewall box protecting a small network from intrusions.
That said, the company has designed the RX100 S6 so it can perform well as a multipurpose server. According to McCormack, it is comfortable when running heavily demanding applications. Alternatively, it can serve within the small and midsize market or non-mission-critical environments, such as web server farms, infrastructure servers and terminal servers. The RX100 S6 can accommodate either two 3.5-inch drives or four 2.5-inch SAS drives. It supports SAS, SATA and solid state drives (SSDs).
Clarkdale
The feature Fujitsu talks up the most is the presence of the latest Intel Clarkdale processors, which offer higher computing power, integrated graphics and energy efficiency. McCormick said he believes this has opened the door to far more powerful and versatile mono-socket servers that can handle heavy demand without costing an arm and a leg.
“This new architecture integrates the memory controller in the processor, improving bandwidth across the system,” said McCormack. “The processor itself is much more powerful than the previous-generation Xeon chips.”
Result: armed with the Clarkdale processor, Fujitsu is now targeting a much higher performance market than previously with these new single-socket machines. The small-to-midsize market, in particular, is seen as a good fit. Compared to its previous mono-socket releases, Fujitsu has backed up the power of the latest Intel Chip with more capacity, memory and scalability to capitalize on its potential.
McCormack believes these processors are changing the dynamics of the server marketplace. It is now commonplace, he said, for workloads that could run only on expensive quad-way machines in the past to now run successfully on dual-socket boxes. The Clarkdale processor is taking that trend further: Those 4-way workloads can now be comfortably housed on a single-socket server.
“We are reaching a point now, where we could see more demanding workloads that were previously constrained by memory size or processor performance on single socket systems,” said McCormack. “This is great for the SMB because they can get more out of their affordable single socket servers.”
Bottom line: Moore’s Law continues to propel the industry into smaller and smaller form factors that pack an ever-greater punch — and at ever-falling prices. Think back to those old ENIACs from 60 years ago that filled a warehouse at a cost of millions; today, the average SMB can outgun them easily with one tiny box that costs a few hundred dollars.
Drew Robb is a freelance writer specializing in technology and engineering. Currently living in California, he is originally from Scotland, where he received a degree in geology and geography from the University of Strathclyde. He is the author of Server Disk Management in a Windows Environment (CRC Press).
