Executive summary

Important:

This document describes a performance characterization performed utilizing the HP 64-bit test harness, which incorporates a Microsoft® Office 2003 workload.

Test results cannot be compared directly with the results of tests performed using the 32-bit Office XP- or Office 2003-based harness.

The HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade delivers uncompromising performance and expandability in a dense form factor. With up to four Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processors, 64 GB of DDR2 memory, two hot plug serial hard drives, four integrated network adapters and three I/O expansion slots, the HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade can support the most demanding enterprise-class applications.

A four-socket1HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade with the AMD Opteron Processor Model 8356 (2.3 GHz) can provide optimal support for up to the following numbers of users (as described in Table 2) in a 64-bit HP Server Based Computing (SBC) environment:

Heavy Users

301

Medium Users

444

Light Users

544

 

 

Since the kernel memory constraints that limit scalability in a 32-bit HP SBC environment have been removed, this performance characterization demonstrates that customers can expect to fully utilize the resources of this server in a 64-bit environment, even when running their 32-bit applications.

Testing performed in March 2008 is described.

Audience

This performance characterization is intended primarily for IT professionals planning HP SBC solution deployments. The performance and sizing information provided herein is designed to help customers estimate the number of HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blades required for a particular environment.

Introduction

The HP ProLiant BL685c G5 server blade (shown in Figure 1) is ideal for multi-threaded, multi-tasked environments, high-performance computing, and HP SBC.

Note:

This server blade is deployed within an HP BladeSystem enclosure. For more information, refer to Appendix A – HP BladeSystem.

1Four-processor, also known as 4P

3