HPE have officially announced the latest releases in their server range; the ProLiant Generation 10 (Gen 10). The new range focuses on multiple new technological advances, taking inspiration from “the machine” and has been specifically designed with security in mind.
HPE’s newest generation of server comes equipped with Intel’s new v5 processor; the next in the Xeon line. The new Processors boasts an impressive 20%1 core performance increase compared to its predecessors. When coupled with HPE’s Intelligent System Tuning a further 10%2 additional performance can be achieved. The Intel v5 processors will scale up to 28 cores per processor, providing a grand total of 56 cores in a dual socket platform. AMD have confirmed they will have an offering in the Gen 10 range, although at time of writing we are yet to see any literature surrounding this.
Memory and power
The HPE Persistent Memory technology will also be present in Gen 10 servers. Persistent Memory is a game changer for intensive databases and analytic workloads. Installed directly into the server memory bus, these DIMMS will help reduce latency and provide up to 20x faster recovery time3 which helps to maximise uptime and ensure business continuity. There will be an offering of 16GB NVDIMM’s and each server will be able to take up to 384GB of NVDIMMs (16GB x 24 DIMM Slots = 384GB) in a dual socket configuration.
NVDIMMs are an answer, or at least a start on an age-old issue in computing; what happens to the information in RAM if a machine unexpectedly goes down? We all know the answer, we have experienced it first hand, we lose the information. NVDIMMS are the start of a trend, which I hope will continue, which should mitigate the loss of information and will start to protect our data.
HPE have continued to innovate the technology in their flexible slot power supplies and have introduced a new 400W Lithium Ion battery to serve as backup for Persistent Memory. They have also introduced greater capacity options in the form of 1800W - 2200W power supplies.
Storage
Gen 10 DL servers can now accommodate more storage supporting up to 30 SFF drivers in a DL380 and a staggering 48SFF drives in a DL580. We also expect to see new SFF HDD offerings appear with 900GB disks at 15k and up to 2.4TB at 10k. There will be a new M.2 backplane option which will support up to 30 SATA SSD drives in 2U. We will also see a new flexible drive bay which will support multiple combinations of SFF drives.
Security
The silicon in the HPE server management chip, Integrated Lights-out (iLO5), has an immutable secure digital fingerprint. The Fingerprint presents servers from booting if the firmware has been compromised, in the event of this, the server will roll back to the last known-good firmware to provide a secure boot. iLO5 regularly checks server firmware during operation to ensure it is genuine and trustworthy. This is essential to stay ahead of compromising attacks and to prevent data loss. Firmware updates are only accessible through iLO, and are digitally validated which protects against compromised boots which helps data retention and further contributes to maximising uptime.
The new features are great for customers who are conscious of security threats or are concerned about data protection.
Utilising HPE’s Smart Update Manager (SUM) and Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) users can schedule updates ahead of time, meaning out of hours scheduling is easier than before minimising downtime during work hours, removing much of the risk associated with maintenance. Using these features and knowing that the firmware is trustworthy, you can relax whilst the server does the hard work for you.
HPE continue to innovate and this is evident with the technological advances presented with the launch of Gen 10; for more information please contact your Softcat account manager.
1. Based on Intel's internal tests 2017
2. Based on HPE Internal Lab tests in 2017
3. Based on HPE Internal Lab tests in 2017
Find out more
To find out more about the latest HPE ProLiant Generation 10 server range, please speak to your Softcat account manager or get in touch using the form below.