AMD 64 manual System Used, Chapter Experimental Setup

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40555 Rev. 3.00 June 2006

Performance Guidelines for AMD Athlon™ 64 and AMD Opteron™

 

ccNUMA Multiprocessor Systems

Chapter 2 Experimental Setup

This chapter presents a description of the experimental environment within which the following performance study was carried out. This section describes the hardware configuration and the software test framework used.

2.1System Used

All experiments and analysis discussed in this application note were performed on a Quartet system having four 2.2 GHz E1 Dual-Core AMD Opteron™ processors running the Linux® 2.6.12-rc1-mm1 kernel (ccNUMA-aware kernel).

While Quartet is an internal development non-commercial platform, the way the processors are connected on the Quartet is a common way of connecting and routing the processors on other supported 4P AMD platforms. We anticipate that these results should hold on other systems that are connected in a similar manner and we expect the recommendations to carry forward on the current generation Opteron systems. We also expect that the results will hold on other Linux kernels and even other operating systems for reasons explained later.

Each processor had 2x1GB DDR400 CL2.5 PC3200 (Samsung K4H510838B-TCCC) DRAM memory. To rule out any interference from the Xserver and the network, all tests were performed at runlevel 3 with the network disconnected.

At a high level, in a Quartet, the four dual-core processors are connected with coherent HyperTransport™ links. Each processor has one bidirectional HyperTransport link that is dedicated to I/O and two bidirectional coherent HyperTransport links that are used to connect to two other dual- core processors. This enables a direct connection for a given dual-core processor to all other dual-core processors but one in a 4-way configuration. The throughput of each bidirectional HyperTransport link is 4 GB/s in each direction. Each node has its own on-chip memory controller and is connected to its own memory.

As shown in Figure 1 on page 14, the processors (also called nodes) are numbered N0, N1, N3 and N2 clockwise from the top left. Each Node has two cores—labeled C0 and C1 respectively [1].

Chapter 2

Experimental Setup

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Contents Application Note Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved Contents Performance Guidelines for AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Opteron List of Figures List of FiguresList of Figures Revision History Revision HistoryRevision History Chapter Introduction IntroductionRelated Documents Chapter Introduction Introduction Chapter Experimental Setup Experimental SetupSystem Used Quartet Topology Internal Resources Associated with a Quartet Node Synthetic TestData Access Rate Qualifiers Axis Display Reading and Interpreting Test GraphsLabels Used Scheduling Threads Analysis and RecommendationsMultiple Threads-Independent Data Chapter Analysis and RecommendationsMultiple Threads-Shared Data Data Locality ConsiderationsScheduling on a Non-Idle System Hop Keeping Data Local by Virtue of first Touch Chapter Analysis and Recommendations Analysis and Recommendations Avoid Cache Line Sharing Threads access local dataCommon Hop Myths Debunked Myth All Equal Hop Cases Take Equal TimeHop Hop Hop Myth Greater Hop Distance Always Means Slower Time 102% 108% 107% 147% 126% 125% 136% 145% 136% 127% 126% 146% 129% 139% Locks Performance Guidelines for AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Opteron Analysis and Recommendations Chapter Conclusions ConclusionsConclusions Description of the Buffer Queues Appendix aAppendix a Appendix a What Role Do Buffers Play in the Throughput Observed? Performance Guidelines for AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Opteron Appendix a Controlling Process and Thread Affinity Support Under LinuxSupport under Microsoft Windows Support under SolarisMicrosoft Windows does not offer node interleaving Node Interleaving Configuration in the Bios CcNUMA Multiprocessor Systems Appendix a
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64 specifications

AMD64 is a 64-bit architecture developed by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) as an extension of the x86 architecture. Introduced in the early 2000s, it aimed to offer enhanced performance and capabilities to powering modern computing systems. One of the main features of AMD64 is its ability to address a significantly larger amount of memory compared to its 32-bit predecessors. While the old x86 architecture was limited to 4 GB of RAM, AMD64 can theoretically support up to 16 exabytes of memory, making it ideal for applications requiring large datasets, such as scientific computing and complex simulations.

Another key characteristic of AMD64 is its support for backward compatibility. This means that it can run existing 32-bit applications seamlessly, allowing users to upgrade their hardware without losing access to their existing software libraries. This backward compatibility is achieved through a mode known as Compatibility Mode, enabling users to benefit from both newer 64-bit applications and older 32-bit applications.

AMD64 also incorporates several advanced technologies to optimize performance. One such technology is the support for multiple cores and simultaneous multithreading (SMT). This allows processors to handle multiple threads concurrently, improving overall performance, especially in multi-tasking and multi-threaded applications. With the rise of multi-core processors, AMD64 has gained traction in both consumer and enterprise markets, providing users with an efficient computing experience.

Additionally, AMD64 supports advanced vector extensions (AVX), which enhance the capability of processors to perform single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) operations. This is particularly beneficial for tasks such as video encoding, scientific simulations, and cryptography, allowing these processes to be executed much faster, thereby increasing overall throughput.

Security features are also integrated within AMD64 architecture. Technologies like AMD Secure Execution and Secure Memory Encryption help protect sensitive data and provide an enhanced security environment for virtualized systems.

In summary, AMD64 is a powerful and versatile architecture that extends the capabilities of x86, offering enhanced memory addressing, backward compatibility, multi-core processing, vector extensions, and robust security features. These innovations have positioned AMD as a strong competitor in the computing landscape, catering to the demands of modern users and applications. The continuous evolution of AMD64 technology demonstrates AMD's commitment to pushing the boundaries of computing performance and efficiency.
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