Intel Haswell - Planned Nutanix Platform Update

As mentioned several posts earlier, Nutanix began updating the hardware, its servers, the hardware platform of its product, from the Sandy / Ivy Bridge family of processors to the new Haswell. But not only the “planned replacement” of processors is interesting for this update.

For the first time, a company begins experimenting with a flexible configuration. If before this model we offered server nodes in a fixed configuration, which, although it was well validated in our laboratories for compliance with tasks and optimality, users still had a sense of limitations (albeit with good intentions). For us, as a company, it was, of course, convenient, the stock list in warehouses was reduced, the processes of configuration and coordination were simplified. But - customers first. Now Nutanix will experiment with a flexible user-selectable configuration (we, of course, continue to recommend the optimum at the configuration stage).

Our mainstream model, the NX-3060, came first of all, followed by the NX-6000 and NX-8000.

Right now, the a-la carte configuration for the NX-3060-G4 of your choice includes three different types of processor

• 2x 2630v3 8-core, 2.4GHz Intel Haswell
• 2x 2660v310-core, 2.6GHz Intel Haswell
• 2x2680v3 12-core, 2.5GHz Intel Haswell

Four SSDs of different capacities (a pair of SSDs goes to each node).

• 480GB
• 800GB
• 1,2TB
• 1,6TB

Two options for HDD (4 HDDs in each node).

• 1TB SATA
• 2TB SATA

Five memory configurations.

• 128GB
• 192GB
• 256GB
• 384GB
• 512GB

As well as various configuration options for network interfaces.
To the previously familiar 10G SFP +, for the first time, inexpensive 10GBase-T became available for us , and in addition to them, four-port 10G SFP +.

Gradually, other company models will be transferred to the new configuration model.
Of course, for users this gives unprecedented flexibility of choice.

The new processor of the Haswell family made it possible, for the top model of the processor with 12 cores, to increase productivity by about 15-20%, which means the density of the VM on the node. This means that if, for example, you use VMware vSphere, which is licensed "by the stones", that is, "per-socket", then the more you can run at the same level of VM performance on a given processor socket, the cheaper the license is based on on VM / infrastructure.
At the same time, which is nice, for prices comparable to the old configuration, we managed to keep them at the same level, and for some options they decreased quite significantly.
As for the resulting performance, below are our internal tests that demonstrate a performance gain. Please note that this is not a benchmark, and here you can not consider the results in their absolute values. But for a general assessment, and just as an illustration of how “this Nutanix is ​​fast”, and how much overall productivity has increased, it is quite possible to look at it in comparison.



A few words in conclusion, clarifying the situation with the appeared and then removed the previous post. The product about which it was written is ready, available and supported. However, it was decided to postpone the official announcement to our large annual .Next conference, which will be in early June. In addition to this product, there will be many other important news, and marketing decided to better prepare for a large-scale launch in all markets. Therefore, there is a product, it can be used, it is in release, it comes with an NOS update, users actively try it and work with it. But officially, on behalf of the company, in public, it was recommended not to talk about it until early June. Unofficially, please. In general, by the way, you’re all big boys, and you need to know where to look for something that was published on the Internet,