Defining Xeon

From the highest level, Intel's Xeon family is divisible into two parts: Xeon MP and Xeon DP. The former is, per Intel's product overview, intended for mid-tier enterprise applications and likely of little interest to the white box market. More attractive is the Xeon DP, a one- or two-processor solution available in a bevy of exciting fruit flavors.

The fastest Xeons run at up to 3.6 GHz thanks in part, to a recent move from 130 nm to 90 nm manufacturing. That particular line spans all the way down to 2.8 GHz as a cost consideration, but all of the 90 nm Xeon chips run on an 800 MHz front side bus and support Intel's EM64T 64-bit technology. "These are what we're selling the most of," says Ingram's Lynn. "64-bit may not be heavily utilized today. However, in one- to two-processor systems with moderate data handling requirements, such as a midrange database, the technology makes really good sense and will extend a server's useful life." Jerry Braun, product line marketing manager for Intel's Xeon DP processor, adds, "We're already supported in 64-bit distributions of Linux and anticipate a 64-bit release from Microsoft in the first half of 2005. Moreover, we're working with somewhere around 100 ISVs on porting more than 200 existing software applications to take advantage of our 64-bit technology."

Onboard cache provides another opportunity to either upsell better performance or compromise on price. "The thing about cache," according to Lynn, "is that your customer can simply swap out an old processor if the need for more L2 becomes apparent." Unlike the 130 nm Xeon DP, which employed 512KB of level-two cache and either 1MB or 2MB of L3, Intel's current flagship comes equipped with a simpler 1 or 2MB L2 repository. The 2MB version is a brand new offering from Intel. "Our 2MB Irwindale core slides right into the existing pricing schedule, but offers tremendous value in that, at 3 GHz, it's able to outperform the 3.6 GHz Nocona core with 1MB," says Braun.

Another of Intel's foci is cost reduction. Hyper-Threading technology has been around for a while now but still warrants mention. When a customer orders a Xeon system with two physical processors, they'll actually see four logical CPUs in the Windows device manager because each chip is able to work on two threads at the same time, achieving better resource utilization and improved performance. Pretty much any Xeon you buy nowadays sports Hyper-Threading. DBS (Demand-Based Switching), on the other hand, is exclusive to the latest models with 64-bit compatibility. Similar in scope to the mobile SpeedStep feature, DBS aims to reduce power consumption by dynamically adjusting operating parameters during idle periods, thereby cutting heat output and, ideally, saving money on electricity. It requires operating system recognition, though, and will acquire official support once Microsoft finalizes Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2003.

New and Improved Thanks to the Irwindale core, sporting 2MB of L2 memory, Xeon is faster than ever before.

Older Xeon processors obviously aren't going to be as popular. But they do provide a viable path for existing server clients with upgradeable 1P machines. You can still find the 533 and 400 MHz front side bus parts for those specific customers. However, it might surprise you that they're often more expensive than the 90 nm, 800 MHz bus processors. Additionally, they don't offer EM64T or support DBS, and platform support is limited to older technologies slated to be phased out over the next few years.

Platform Considerations

While we've previously discussed Intel's move into a 64-bit marketplace populated with AMD Opteron and Athlon 64 processors, we've yet to explore the intricacies of building servers with Xeon backbones. Don Clegg, Tyan's vice president of marketing and strategic sales, lays out two possible scenarios for resellers looking to architect total platform solutions.

The first involves what Clegg calls a traditional pedestal, or tower-based design, and requires a chassis that's able to accommodate an extended ATX motherboard. Such implementations are notorious for having lots of I/O expansion. And because they're largely standardized, it's relatively easy for a reseller to match motherboard, case, power supply, and memory from various distribution sources, resulting in a sort of do-it-yourself project.

Tyan's Thunder line helps facilitate a rich server feature set without the need for you to make extraneous design decisions by virtue of tight integration. The most attractive board in that lineup centers on Intel's E7520 chipset, formerly referred to as Lindenhurst, and enables dual-processor operation on an 800 MHz front side bus. Integrated graphics, dual Gigabit Ethernet controllers, SATA RAID, and a rich blend of PCI, PCI-X, and PCI Express all guarantee the flexibility to accommodate almost any add-in peripheral.

Naturally, Tyan has interests in enabling both PCI-X and PCI Express. However, Clegg has thus far been surprised at the rapid adoption of PCI Express platforms in servers, a market notoriously slow to embrace new I/O technologies. And while most of Intel's focus with PCI Express is currently directed towards desktops, Intel is forecasting a doubling of available PCI Express devices in 2005. "At this point, it's not so much a matter of if," says Intel's Jerry Braun. "It's a matter of when the industry will transition completely. Customers interested in longevity will want to at least consider the prevalence of PCI Express hardware over the next few years."

Room to Grow SilverStone's TJ06 offers the chassis space that you'll need in order to accommodate an Extended ATX motherboard.

Right-sizing

One of the first questions that Don Lynn and his team at Ingram Micro asks is how a customer intends to use their server. In establishing specific needs, Lynn leverages his experience, determining a best fit for each environment. Borrowing a term from the Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 community, this is often referred to as right-sizing, or implementing a solution that addresses immediate needs and provides the flexibility to expand, all without dribbling out of bounds or over-budget.

"There's no set litmus test to tell you what someone should buy," Lynn says. But as a general rule, the more data a customer anticipates manipulating, the more they'll want to look into multi-processor servers with plenty of memory. For example, even a modest SQL database server stands to benefit from dual-processing capabilities. Higher-end loads are often referred to quad-processor servers or beyond. Conversely, application servers in small offices generally get away inexpensively as single-chip boxes.

Right-sizing doesn't just refer to the number of processors wielded, though. Frequency, front-side bus speed, cache configuration, and platform choices also contribute to the bottom line and shouldn't be forgotten.

Look at all of those vital specifications as knobs and levers that you can dial up or down on a per-case basis. As a reseller, you have an important advantage versus top-tier vendors in that you're able to sit down with the customer to hash out a plan outlining total cost of ownership. "Most end-users will save money in the long run by buying hardware and using it for five years or so," says Ingram Micro's Lynn. "Money is tight everywhere, and if you're trying to save money, analyzing cost from an elevated view is far more telling than comparing the price tags of two machines today."

In other words, if your customer buys a server online from Dell or HP based on price alone, they're susceptible to missing the bigger picture, and two years down the road they might find performance lacking due to their short-sighted purchase. That's the reseller's chance to introduce right-sizing. By presenting a solution that may cost more initially, but save several thousand dollars over five years, you open the door to increased margins and a more satisfied customer. Again, everyone wins.

According to Lynn, most new server customers are best off with a Xeon utilizing Intel's newer 800 MHz bus, which facilitates much-desired longevity through increased bandwidth. Xeons with 533 and 400 MHz buses still sell, but primarily to those who already own single-processor configurations and would prefer to buy a second, matching chip.

In Retrospect

If you're already thinking that today's Xeon landscape looks much better than the past year or so, just wait until the first half of 2006, when dual-core Xeons start popping up. All of the benefits associated with Hyper-Threading will compound as multi-threaded applications run across two physical cores instead of logical processors. At that point, Intel plans to introduce another chipset capable of delivering the bus, memory, and I/O bandwidth necessary to keep what should be an attractive solution fed with data.

Double-Barreled Board Offer one processor now with room to grow or populate both sockets to fulfill your customer's processing needs.

But that doesn't mean you should have customers to wait for dual-core processing. Intel's Jerry Braun points out that today's Xeon is a well-established processor with proven performance. In fact, the brand new 2MB version at 3 GHz outpaces the 3.6 GHz model with 1MB of cache. Moreover, value-added features—EM64T, DBS, an 800 MHz bus, and PCI Express support—all help extend platform longevity. And when it comes right down to it, selling your customers a superior server with the power to last five years is going to be better for your relationship than just trying to sell something cheaper.