IBM`s new RS/6000 M80 server with copper microprocessors has set a new transaction processing record for midrange servers, outperforming bigger and more expensive systems from Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems.
Following the lead of its computing cousin - the record-breaking RS/6000 S80 - the copper-based M80 now holds the leadership position for midrange servers on four separate performance benchmarks crucial to e-business: Java performance, Web serving, file serving and transaction processing.
"IBM set out to build a midrange Unix server that would emulate the RS/6000 S80`s success in the high end. This new benchmark says this approach has been a success," says Ronel Boucher, product manager at JSE-listed Faritec, South Africa`s largest RS/600 reseller.
In the TPC-C benchmark, an eight-way RS/6000 M80 processed 66 750,27 transactions per minute (tpmC), 32% better than the 50 268,07 tpmC posted by a 14-way Sun E4500. The M80 is also more affordable than the Sun E4500, achieving a price/performance score of $45,46 per transaction ($/tpmC), compared with $49,88 $/tpmC for the Sun system. The M80 tested ran AIX, IBM`s Unix operating system and Oracle 8i Release 8.1.7.
The rack-mounted M80 also outperformed a midrange server from Hewlett-Packard containing double the number of processors. It was 28% better than the 52 117,8 tpmC posted by a 16-way HP V2250. The M80 is 78% more affordable than the V2250, with a price/performance score of $45,46 per transaction ($/tpmC), compared with $81,17 $/tpmC for the HP system.
Commercial customers have traditionally used the TPC-C test as a principle metric for comparing systems that run demanding single database enterprise-wide applications.
Offered in a rack-mountable drawer, the M80 meets the demands of enterprise applications, such as ERP, business intelligence and customer relationship management, which are rapidly evolving to the Web.
The server is powered by two to eight 500 MHz RS64 III copper-based microprocessors, and can accommodate up to 32GB ECC SDRAM memory and 56 hot-plug PCI slots.
Since its introduction last month, the M80 has grabbed the number one spot on a number of crucial industry performance benchmarks. In the SPECweb99 benchmark it become the world`s fastest eight-way Web server and set new records for Java performance and scalability in the VolanoMark benchmark, achieving two-and-a-half times the capacity of the previous record-holder, a 22-way Sun E6500 server. The M80 also outperformed Sun Microsystems offerings on the SPECsfs97 .v2 benchmark, becoming the world`s most powerful eight-way general-purpose system for file-serving.
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