Processors for space applications

       A long time ago I did not see the task manager of a 4-socket system based on 10-core processors ... Today, under a cut, a few words about the new Intel Xeon processors. The beginning of the year was fruitful for the latest news - most recently the corporation announced a whole assortment of desktop processors, and after them, just the other day, server solutions were updated.    Two families of processors were introduced at once - Intel Xeon E7 (code-named Westmere-EX - they update the platform with Nehalem processors) and Intel Xeon E3

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    image(based on the new Sandy Bridge architecture). Thus, the new processors can be conditionally divided into two groups: E3 for entry-level servers useful to small businesses; and E7 are the best features in their class for high-performance computing (for example, in data centers). I involuntarily recall the desktop processors (i3, i5 and i7) - whether the Intel Xeon E5 processors will appear is not yet clear.

    New items are presented by 29 models for 2-, 4- and 8-socket platforms and can be used for systems with 256-processor slots. All processors are manufactured using the new 32 nm technology.

    imageIntel Xeon E3 Processor Comparison Chart

    The processors are designed for the LGA1155 socket, and their TDP is from 20 (!) To 95 watts. Support for Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 technologies, memory error correction (ECC), data encryption with Intel AES-NI.

    The most interesting processor family is Intel Xeon E7: Intel Xeon E7 processor

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    Well, or a clear comparison of the characteristics for each series separately: 2800 4800 8800

       As you can see, the changes affected literally everything: the process technology has changed, the number of cores has increased (up to 10), the volume of the L3 cache (now it is from 24 to 30 MB), the heat generation has decreased (TDP for top models does not exceed 130 W). Low-voltage DIMMs are supported - if from each “bar” the consumption drops by at least 1 W, then in aggregate (in terms of a year) the savings will be quite substantial.

       There are more than 20 functions to ensure fault tolerance, and a number of other hardware and software solutions, such as, for example, Intel TXT (Trusted eXecution Technology). By the end of the year, an entire ecosystem of software products (about a hundred) supporting E7 technologies is expected to appear. For example, the processors of the new series are endowed with support for AES-NI encryption instructions- if earlier software encryption of a truly large database was not the best idea, now (for example, in Oracle Database 11g Release 2) data encryption shows an increase of 10 times and can occur literally in real time.

       Processors of the E7 series are made in the FC-LGA8 package and are aimed at interacting with the LGA 771 socket - we were shown an example of performance on the same server, which was used exactly a year ago for this purpose. All that was required to upgrade was to update the BIOS and install new processors.

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       It is clear that simply taking and seriously loading such a system is rather difficult - the correct use of such systems is like a whole science ... nevertheless, we were clearly shown an example of the difference in performance when using different optimization tools. So, the application of OpenMP coped with the computational task 70 (!) Times faster than when using the regular Intel Compiler. At the moment, processors in this series managed to set 15 world records for x86-systems (with the number of sockets from 1 to 8).

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       The keynote speaker was Andrei Semin, Development Director for High Performance Computing in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. According to him, the age of configurations in many scalable systems exceeds 5 years, that is, they were purchased in 2006, in the era of dual-core processors. Since then, literally everything has been improved - virtualization, security, power management and server reliability ... what can it be, even if so much has changed in relation to the previous generation of processors. Nevertheless, if we take into account the processors that were relevant in 2006, then the server rack with the new Intel Xeon E7-4800 is equal in performance to 18 (!) Racks with the Intel Xeon Dual Core. At the same time, the gain in energy efficiency for the year will be 93%. Compared to previous generation processors (about which Itold a year ago ), productivity growth will be at least 30%.

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       In his report, Andrey Semin emphasized that the consistent work of Intel Corporation to improve the Intel Xeon line leads to the fact that for tasks of critical importance, customers choose x86-based systems rather than other previously widespread architectures. Which, in turn, stimulates the development of an ecosystem of solutions for large enterprises, in particular, * NIX-compatible operating systems, virtualization and database management tools, etc.

    And according to some analysts, over the next decade, the server market will be consolidated on the basis of one technology - x86 architecture.

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    During the event, server solutions were presented (of course, already based on new processors) from partner companies such as Aquarius, DEPO, ETergo, Kraftway and HP - see photos for details:

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       The announcement of the processors on this day took place for a reason - the event held on Cosmonautics Day was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first manned flight into outer space, which was carried out in 1961 by Russian Yuri Gagarin. Therefore, as a bonus, Vyacheslav Vetelev (from Kraftway) told us (and showed in the photographs) about the anniversary launch of the rocket at the Baikonur cosmodrome. Unfortunately, I can’t retell everything (at least I didn’t remember it), but I will say this - the eyewitness account is much more interesting than everything that is shown on TV. Well, the very theme of space ... yes, now I understand why so many children dream of becoming astronauts!

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    By the way, the new Intel Xeon E7 is quite suitable for solving problems including the cosmic scale;)

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