Along with different OEMs, Lenovo can be updating its Xeon Scalable server choices to Intel’s new processor household, Cascade Lake, and can be providing some Optane variants as effectively. Lenovo’s announcement is exclusive in two methods: by providing a big eight-socket implementation with as much as 448 threads and 24 TB of Optane DC Persistent Memory, and in addition providing its programs by means of Lenovo TruScale, its just lately introduced consumption based mostly compute-as-a-service method of interacting with Lenovo’s product choices.
A complete of twenty new and up to date programs are set to come back out of Lenovo immediately from its ThinkSystem and ThinkAgile product ranges, every that includes Intel’s newest Xeon Scalable Cascade Lake processor expertise with as much as 28 cores. All the choices can even be obtainable with Intel’s latest reminiscence expertise, Optane DC Persistent Memory, which provides as much as 3TB of additional reminiscence per socket. The headline product of the vary is the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950, which Lenovo states is the trade’s first eight-socket server that includes Intel’s new Optane reminiscence.
Intel helps as much as Eight sockets utilizing UPI (i.e. a glueless expertise) – and we’ve seen it previously with earlier Intel microarchitectures – however will probably be fascinating to see how effectively it interacts with Optane. An 8-socket system represents the intense finish of a single system non-uniform reminiscence structure, and firms that construct them usually have particular clients in thoughts. One of the numbers that Lenovo quotes is SAP HANA start-up restoration time: utilizing a Lenovo ThinkStation system, the corporate quotes a discount in start-up occasions from fifty minutes to 4 minutes by making the most of the ‘persistent’ nature of the Optane DC Persistent Memory. Intel additionally repeats comparable numbers in its Optane announcement.
Some of Lenovo’s choices will likely be directed in direction of three key workloads: SAP HANA, Microsoft SQL Server, and Red Hat OpenShift Containers. Each of those product builds will likely be validated and labeled as Intel Select Solutions, noting to the purchasers that Intel has verified the programs as being targeted for these use instances. Lenovo is eager to advertise that it has extra Intel Select Solutions on common availability than some other OEM, and can proceed this development with the newest Cascade Lake variations of its merchandise. The firm can be noting that its choices will embody Lenovo ThinkShield for information heart merchandise with the intention to prolong safety by means of the lifetime of the server.
The different fascinating vector within the announcement is Lenovo’s TruScale platform. The firm just lately introduced TruScale because the server-as-a-service expertise for its clients to make use of the {hardware} with out buying it outright, leaving the deployment and upkeep to Lenovo. Just like different cloud choices, it’s a pay-what-you-use, and helpful for corporations that need to check earlier than buying outright or deciding what scale of compute they require. According to the announcement, all of Lenovo’s programs will likely be obtainable by means of the TruScale platform.
We’ve reached out to Lenovo for extra data on its choices, and to see if we are able to get particulars about that eight-socket behemoth. Stay tuned.
