Transforming the Data Center: Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation Servers

2012 Dell and TechTarget

Table of Contents

Reinventing the Data Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Components of a Transformative Data Center Infrastructure . . . . . . 4 Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Addressing Current Business Requirements with an Eye Toward the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Matching New Server Models to Business Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2012 Dell and TechTarget

e performance, availability, and reliability levels demanded by mission-critical applications have surpassed the capabilities of traditional, one-applicationper-server data center infrastructures. In response, enterprise IT teams are turning to virtualization, cloud computing, and mobility technology to signi cantly increase compute power while maintaining or reducing IT costs. ose technologies in turn require a new generation of servers that includes faster processors, higher memory density, enhanced storage capabilities, and I/O capacities that scale as workload demands increase, as well as features that help minimize the management eort and costs associated with power and cooling. Dells PowerEdge 12th generation serversequipped with a host of features that deliver unsurpassed performance, reliability, and availabilityare designed to address a wide range of enterprise computing requirements.

Reinventing the Data Center

So how do todays enterprise data centers meet the computing demands of tomorrow? To begin, IT departments need to assess common challenges they face with their current data centers. For instance, what do IT departments do when the demands of the organization outstrip the capabilities of the data center? What is the impact on processing capacity of ever-growing data stores and increased use of data-intensive applications, such as collaboration, business intelligence, and voice-over-IP? How do IT administrators increase overall performance and reliability within real-world budgetary and stang constraints? From a holistic perspective, IT executives are almost uniformly moving forward on new virtualization, cloud computing, and mobile technology implementations in order to increase overall data center capacity while holding back the reins on costs. Rather than roll out continuous streams of dedicated, single access servers, IT increasingly leverages virtualization technology to reduce the overall server footprint, save money on power consumption and cooling requirements, and

2012 Dell and TechTarget

streamline management. Cloud computing further simpli es server administration by reducing the number of application installations and data stores while facilitating anytime, anywhere access. Finally, mobile technology provides anytime, anywhere access to applications and data, and takes full advantage of cloud services. Virtualization, cloud computing, and mobility undoubtedly help enterprise IT departments realize signi cant bene ts, yet achieving true data center transformation depends on implementing the right underlying infrastructure.

The Components of a Transformative Data Center Infrastructure

Data-intensive applications that demand accessibility from any device or location require increased compute power and capacity. In addition, systems management and eciency are key factors in reducing IT maintenance and operating costs. Transformative data center server infrastructures that leverage virtualization, cloud computing, and mobility technology depend on the following server technology advancements: 1. Faster processors - End users of performance-hungry applications such as uni ed communication, enterprise collaboration, and business intelligence have an expectation that information will be readily and immediately available when needed. erefore, servers built with next-generation processors are needed to provide the compute power for data-intensive enterprise-class applications running across large and distributed employee populations. 2. Increased memory Servers require increased memory capacity, as the data center infrastructure is required to perform more and larger computing operations. Similar to the bene ts associated with faster processors, expanded memory options enable applications to deliver data in real time, keeping end users productive no matter when and where they are working.

2012 Dell and TechTarget

3. Increased storage capacity Enterprise data centers will continue to experience an incredible amount of data growth in the coming years. As a result, highly scalable storage capacity and data management capabilities are key factors when planning for performance and growth of enterprise applications and information. 4. Automated and streamlined management Data centers can provide better service and maintain costs if IT management tasks are simpli ed. Consequently, IT leaders are investigating automated management capabilities that allow proactive maintenance and preserve uptime. Furthermore, standardized servers those that support an open architecture and allow integration between technologies already in placeare being deployed to further streamline management processes by taking advantage of existing skill sets. 5. Power and cooling efficiencies Growing data centers can put a strain on utility expenses as power consumption and cooling requirements increase. To mitigate these costs, next-generation servers designed with built-in energy-eciency enhancements enable IT departments to manage the energy consumption of intensive workloads and conserve power during o-peak times. 6. Increased density When server footprints expand, data center square-footage requirements and costs will likely increase as well. In contrast, server technology that maximizes physical densitypacks more compute power into less space enables IT to deliver high levels of service while maintaining or even reducing oor space.

Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation Servers

Recognizing the challenges enterprise data centers face and the requirements of the users they support, Dell designed its PowerEdge 12th generation servers to signi cantly enhance data center performance and eciencies, enabling IT departments to realize the bene ts of virtualization, cloud computing, and mobility.

2012 Dell and TechTarget

Accomplish more with increased performance Organizations invest in IT with the expectation of increased productivity, which requires a high level of performance. For optimal use of data-intensive core applications, including communications, collaboration, and business intelligence, end users must have both real-time application functionality and nearly instantaneous data access. To meet these requirements, Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers run applications faster than previous-generation models, boosting virtualization performance with higher memory densities, exible I/O options, and redundant hypervisors. e servers enable real-time operations by incorporating multi-core GPU accelerators using Generation 3 PCIe with Dell High Performance Computing (HPC) solutions. ey also increase data access speeds 500% over previous-generation servers utilizing Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe solid-state disk (SSD) drives, Select Network Adapters, and Switch Independent Partitioning. e drives signi cantly reduce latency and enhance database performance. For example, they can handle up to 18 times more Microso SQL Server transactions per second than traditional drives. Select Network Adapters and Switch Independent Partitioning enable IT administrators to dynamically allocate bandwidth across I/O ports based on application demand to ensure continuous support for data-intensive operations. Database performance is further improved with increased memory, greater storage capacity, and scalable I/O. Because the drives are hot-swappable, downtime is signi cantly minimized, ensuring reliable data access and high availability. Drives can be maintained without taking servers oine, and with no moving parts, they are less likely to be compromised by physical shock.

2012 Dell and TechTarget

Improve eciencies to reduce costs IT departments struggling to manage operations with limited sta resources and conservative budgets cant aord to radically increase data center performance unless they can also realize signi cant eciencies. Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers deliver the performance enhancements organizations need while reducing power and space costs as well as maintenance and management overhead. As the server infrastructure expands, the cost of space and power to run and cool servers is likely to increase as well. e best way to reduce these costs is to increase the compute performance delivered per watt of power consumed. Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers increase performance per watt 47 times over servers designed three generations ago. To further reduce power usage, Dell launched its Fresh Air programs and uses Energy Star-rated technology to build its servers. Dells focus on ecient pooling of compute resources enables data centers to reduce their overall server footprint by as much as 50%, meaning organizations can scale capacity as needed without added construction or rental costs for new facilities. Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers also help enterprise IT departments save time and money on data center management and maintenance. Dells OpenManage tools and Intel Node Manager not only provide visibility across the environment, reducing maintenance time and risk of error, but also enable IT to control power consumption and maximize rack density. In addition, enhanced performance and operational feedback improve response times as well as the quality of operational and decision-making support. Maintenance becomes much more proactive, which reduces the risk of a costly crisis. Other IT task automation and management tools yield further time savings and boost productivity. Dell Virtual Integrated System (VIS) dynamic management

2012 Dell and TechTarget

facilities make application delivery fast and automatic. Workload migration through VISas opposed to traditional, manual processes that are time-consuming and error-pronecan be accomplished within the span of a reboot. In addition, Switch Independent Partitioning technology allows IT to exibly allocate resources across speci ed virtual machines. To streamline IT operations, the servers enable uniform management and seamless integration with existing applications. e multi-hypervisor/multi-OS, agent-free capabilities of iDRAC7 Enterprise with LifeCycle Controller simplify virtual server management, and since OpenManage and other third-party management solutions are integrated, organizations can leverage current IT skills and expertise. e integration of virtual management consoles also eectively reduces the amount of work physical server management requires. For example, integration between Dell management and VMware vCenter consoles eliminates 46 steps in the bare-metal host provisioning process, while integration with the Microso System Center console delivers similar eciencies. Ensure business continuity, security, and reliable access Server failures and security breaches degrade reliability, which increases IT costs and reduces overall productivity. In contrast, highly reliable servers provide end users with anytime, anywhere access to secure, high-performance applications, improving productivity and eciency. As a result, IT teams are able to focus on implementation of strategic technology rather than on crisis management. With Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers, IT organizations can reduce the chance of server failure, speed disaster recovery, and increase security. SSD drives, along with fans, disks, and power supplies, are hot-swappable, meaning they can be maintained while servers are fully up and running, ensuring minimal downtime. Dell iDRAC7 with LifeCycle Controller automatically and rapidly

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replaces motherboard settings to further reduce the risk of downtime, and multiple RAID options allow IT to designate servers for high-performance and highly available applications. To secure business data, digitally signed rmware authenticates and checks the validity of soware updates, while iDRAC Credential Vault safeguards access to passwords and certi cates. Automatic encryption and self-encrypting disks protect data that is not in use. Finally, Dell Advanced Infrastructure Manager (AIM) protects applications from server, rack, or other hardware failures. Should a malfunction occur, failover is fully automated and recovery takes only minutesinstead of hours. Applications that can survive momentary disruptions replace complex, expensive clustering solutions, making disaster recovery fast and cost-eective. With Dell infrastructure, IT can use spare servers anywhere they are needed, rather than retaining a costly backup server for every application or service.
Available in rack, blade, and tower con gurations, Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers deliver the capabilities enterprise data centers need to leverage the bene ts of virtualization, cloud computing, and mobile technology. e servers provide the following: IT eciencies Agent-free server management Auto-update for replacement parts Power and cooling controls through Dell OpenManage Power Manager Tailored network connections via Dell Select Network Adapters (embedded NIC technology) Switch Independent Partitioning on 10 GbE connections

2012 Dell and TechTarget

Data access and security Faster read access via automated storage tiering Best-in-class RAID implementation Accelerated encryption and encryption credentials Performance Greater processing power with the Intel Xeon E5 processor family Enhanced HPC and VDI performance via widely integrated GPU support Reliability Front-loading, hot-swappable PCIe SSD drives Fail-safe hypervisors

Addressing Current Business Requirements with an Eye Toward the Future

e best IT investments not only meet todays demands, but continue to pay o as the data center evolves to support new business requirements. With current and future enterprise computing challenges in mind, Dell engineered its new PowerEdge 12th generation servers with the following characteristics: 1. Open solutions, third-party integration, and vendor independence Data center virtualization is well under way, as is the implementation of cloud computing and mobile technology. Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers allow organizations to leverage these transformative technologies while protecting their current IT investments. Open solutions such as Dell servers allow IT departments to deploy technologies that best address the organizations needs, rather than locking into a single vendor.

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2012 Dell and TechTarget

2. Standards-based solutions Proprietary or vendor-speci c solutions typically require IT organizations to recruit and retain sta with highly specialized skills, which adds to the IT budget. Standards-based solutions, like those embedded in Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers, shorten learning curves, streamline management, increase IT productivity, and save money. 3. Best-of-breed components Dell designed the latest server advancements by combining its own innovations with best-of-breed components sourced from leading technology vendors. 4. Easy-to-maintain implementations Dell PowerEdge 12th generation server capabilitiesincluding seamless integration, standards-based solutions, and best-of-breed componentscombine to simplify data center management and reduce maintenance tasks, directly translating into time and cost savings.

Matching New Server Models to Business Requirements

While most organizations are embracing virtualization, cloud computing, and mobile technology, server needs vary according to unique requirements. Initially available in ve con gurationsthree racks, one blade, and one towerDell PowerEdge 12th generation servers t the full range of enterprise environments, workloads, and IT strategies: Dell PowerEdge R720 e R720 is a two-socket, 2U rack server designed for organizations that are still evaluating data center virtualization. It supports complex workloads with highly scalable memory, expansive I/O capacity, and a series of 1 exible network options. is combination of features is ideal for medium-size and large database applications such as ERP and collaboration workloads.

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2012 Dell and TechTarget

Dell PowerEdge R720xd e R720xd is geared toward data-intensive operations such as medical imaging, email, and collaboration. e two-socket, 1U rack server provides highly expandable internal storage and memory as well as enhanced I/O performance. Dell PowerEdge R620 e hyper-dense, two-socket R620 rack server is designed for space-sensitive environments. A general-purpose server, it provides up to 768GB of storage in a 1U form factor. A large memory footprint combines with highly scalable I/O (available through three integrated PCIe Gen3-capable slots) to power virtualization, high-performance computing, and collaboration applications. Dell PowerEdge M620 e M620 is a dual-processor, half-height blade server that combines density with performance, eciency, and scalability. It provides the capabilities required for decision support, collaboration, and virtualization, and features a host of enterprise-class management tools. Dell PowerEdge T620 e T620, a two-socket tower server, oers the highest performance, capacity, and availability in its class. Highly expandable, its a solid choice for department-level or remote oce consolidation and/or virtualization, business intelligence, information management, CRM, security management, desktop virtualization, and data-intensive applications such as medical imaging. e server can be vertically or horizontally rack-mounted. With expertise in state-of-the-art server capabilities and enterprise-class applications, Dell consultants can help IT leaders choose the PowerEdge server that best meets their current and anticipated requirements.

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2012 Dell and TechTarget

Conclusion
Organizations everywhere are turning to virtualization, cloud computing, and mobile technologies to support anytime, anywhere access to todays workloadintensive, data-heavy applications. Dell PowerEdge 12th generation serversbuilt for high performance, 24/7 availability, and uncompromised reliabilitycan help IT organizations deliver the bene ts of these transformative technologies. With cost-saving power, cooling, space, and management eciencies, Dells new servers oer data centers unparalleled performance, eciency, and reliability for a diverse range of enterprise applications.

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2012 Dell and TechTarget