Today we are going to talk about a few questions about server basics, as well as some common questions that confuse those who are new to the server field:
1 Does dual-channel equal dual-core?
Question: I often hear about dual-socket Xeon XX type servers. Recently, dual-core Xeons have appeared, both with two CPUs. Does dual-socket equal dual-core?
Answer: No
Regardless of whether the server is single-channel, dual-channel, four-channel or even eight-channel, the "channel" refers to the number of physical CPUs in the server, which is the number of CPU slots on the server motherboard.
The recent emergence of dual-core processors encapsulates two CPU cores inside a physical CPU. The advantage of this is that it allows users to have stronger performance without much increase in cost. Moreover, it can significantly reduce the performance/power consumption ratio, which also has positive significance for enterprise users to save usage costs.
2 The difference between Xeon and Pentium
Question: In many servers, some use Xeon as the processor, and some use Pentium 4 as the processor. In addition to server products using Pentium 4 processors being cheaper, what is the difference between Xeon and Pentium?
Intel Pentium 4 631 3.0GHz (box)
Intel Xeon 3.2G(800MHz/2M/box)
Answer: The cores of Xeon processors and ordinary P4 processors used in servers are basically the same.
One of the differences is that since the Intel Pentium 4 processor, it has classified the Pentium 4 processor as a personal processor. Users cannot use two Pentium 4 processors to build a 2-way server system and develop Xeon processors with higher computing performance. device. Xeon processors are currently divided into Xeon DP (maximum support for dual-channel processing) and Xeon MP (maximum support for 8-channel processing).
The second difference is that the second level cache is different. The Xeon's L2 cache is 1MB~16MB, and the P4's L2 cache is 512KB~1MB. The capacity of the L2 cache is also an important factor in determining server processing performance.
Most Xeon series CPUs have a 604 interface, while P4 CPUs mostly have a 478-pin or 775 architecture.
Note: Under the X86 architecture, in addition to using Intel Pentium and Xeon series processors, AMD also provides a specialized processor for the server - Opteron, which can support up to 8 channels.
AMD Opteron 865(Bulk)
3 types of servers
Question: Servers are divided according to structure. How many types are there?
Answer: Currently, according to the appearance and structure, servers can be divided into three types: tower type, rack type, and blade type.
tower server
General tower server cases are similar to our commonly used PC cases, while large tower cases are much thicker. Generally speaking, there is no fixed standard for appearance dimensions.
rack server
Rack-mounted servers are a server type that uses a 19-inch rack as the standard width to meet the dense deployment of enterprises, and the height ranges from 1U to several U. Placing the server on the rack is not only beneficial for daily maintenance and management, but may also avoid unexpected failures. First, placing the server does not take up too much space. Rack servers are neatly arranged in the rack without wasting space. Secondly, connecting cables, etc. can also be neatly stored in the rack. Power cords and LAN cords can all be routed in the cabinet, which can reduce the number of connecting wires piled on the floor and prevent accidents such as kicking off wires.
The specified dimensions are the server's width (48.26cm=19 inches) and height (a multiple of 4.445cm). Because the width is 19 inches, a rack that meets this requirement is sometimes called a "19-inch rack."
blade server
Blade server is a HAHD (High Availability High Density) low-cost server platform, which is specially designed for special application industries and high-density computer environments. Each "blade" is actually a system motherboard. , similar to independent servers. In this mode, each motherboard runs its own system, serving different designated user groups, and is not related to each other. However, system software can be used to combine these motherboards into a server cluster. In cluster mode, all motherboards can be connected to provide a high-speed network environment and can share resources to serve the same user group.
4 What is "U"?
Question: What does the "U" in 1U and 2U servers mean? Does it refer to the number of processors in the server?
Answer: "U" specifically refers to the thickness of rack-mounted servers in the server field. It is a unit that represents the external dimensions of the server and is the abbreviation of unit. The detailed dimensions are determined by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) as an industry group.
Server dimensions are specified so that the server remains appropriately sized for placement in an iron or aluminum rack. There are screw holes on the rack to fix the server. Align it with the screw holes of the server and fix it with screws.
The basic unit of thickness is 4.445cm. 1U is 4.445cm, and 2U is twice the size of 1U, which is 8.89cm. In other words, the so-called "1U rack server" is a product that meets EIA specifications and has a thickness of 4.445cm.
5 What is the difference between a server and a workstation?
Question: What is the difference between a server and a workstation?
The server provides various services to workstations, including network communication services, file sharing services, hardware sharing services, and various resource services. While the workstation obtains various resources from the server, it can also help the server offload computing and other tasks.
Both servers and workstations are high-performance computers, but relatively speaking, servers focus on data throughput capabilities, so they support more peripherals (hard drives, I/O slots, etc.); while workstations focus on graphics processing capabilities, so peripherals The design is relatively small, but it adopts an architecture specially designed for graphics processing, uses high-end graphics cards, and supports 3D image processing. Workstations are mainly used in various design and multimedia production fields.