IBM, Intel, and Microsoft Achieve Record-Breaking Server Cluster Performance

Strategic Insights -

IBM, Intel, and Microsoft recently announced a groundbreaking effort to demonstrate the power of industry-standard servers, achieving a record-breaking 440,879 transactions per minute on a cluster of Netfinity servers running Intel Pentium III Xeon processors and Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server. This feat triples the performance of Oracle running on a Sun Microsystems cluster, while reducing the price by one-third. The partnership highlights the strengths of industry-standard computing, showcasing the scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of the combined technologies.

Key Takeaways:

  • The IBM, Intel, and Microsoft alliance achieved a record-breaking 440,879 transactions per minute on a cluster of Netfinity servers, surpassing Oracle's performance on a Sun Microsystems cluster by three times.
  • The benchmark configuration included an unprecedented 116 terabytes of physical disk space, utilizing RAID 1 and RAID 5 arrays for high availability.
  • The Netfinity 8500R servers, featuring Netfinity X-Architecture, contributed significantly to the benchmark's success with expansive memory, processor support, and LAN I/O capabilities.
  • DB2 Universal Database demonstrated record-breaking results in transactions and managing the world's largest database of over 116 TB of online storage, equivalent to a stack of paper 3,480 miles high.
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server was configured using a scale-out approach, showcasing its ability to achieve high scalability and reliability in large-scale applications.
  • The Intel Pentium III Xeon processor at 700 MHz with 1MB/2MB of L2 Cache recorded a record 140 million transistors, offering advanced features such as 100 MHz system bus and on-cartridge voltage management.

Statistics:

  • 440,879 transactions per minute achieved on the IBM, Intel, and Microsoft cluster, surpassing Oracle's performance on a Sun Microsystems cluster.
  • Benchmark configuration utilized 116 terabytes of physical disk space, featuring RAID 1 and RAID 5 arrays for high availability.
  • Netfinity 8500R servers provided 4GB ECC SDRAM memory per server, eight IBM Netfinity ServeRAID-3HB Ultra2 SCSI Adapters, and 96 IBM Netfinity 5000 servers as TPC-C clients.
  • DB2 Universal Database managed a world's largest database of over 116 TB of online storage, equivalent to a stack of paper 3,480 miles high.
  • Intel Pentium III Xeon processor at 700 MHz recorded a record 140 million transistors and offered advanced features such as 100 MHz system bus and on-cartridge voltage management.

Sources:

  • BUSINESS WIRE, "IBM Netfinity(R) and DB2(R) Universal Database, Intel(R) Pentium(R) III Xeon(TM)Processors, and Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 2000 Deliver 440,879 Transactions Per Minute"
  • Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC), "Benchmark Details"
  • Microsoft, "About Microsoft"