Intel seeks new 'microserver' standard
SAN FRANCISCO--In September, Intel introduced its back-to-the-future idea of tiny "microservers." Now the company wants to make the design into a standard others can use, too.
The chipmaker will offer its design specification to the Server System Infrastructure Forum by the end of the year, said Jason Waxman, general manager of Intel's high-density computing group. If the group's board votes its approval for the specification, group members may use the designs royalty-free, he said in a meeting with reporters here.
"Before the end of the year, it will happen," Waxman said.
An Intel 'microserver.' Click on photo for more images.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)The computer industry is in constant tension between proprietary designs and standards that anyone may use. The former can mean tidy profits for companies, as long as the technology is widely adopted, but the latter can spur broader adoption. Intel's primary business, selling processors, benefits more from the latter when it comes to cultivating a new server market segment.
Who's it for?
Waxman believes the servers will appeal to Web site hosting companies that need a lot of servers for relatively low-traffic Web sites.
"At most Web sites hosting providers, do you know what the server does? Nothing. It just sits there," Waxman said, so a low power draw when idle is an important characteristic. But when that request to view the Web page does arrive, it must respond quickly.
Jason Waxman, general manager of Intel's high-density computing group
(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)This sales pitch recapitulates one for first-generation blade servers from early this decade. So what's different now from the first time, when those commercially unsuccessful blade servers were replaced with much more powerful, sophisticated, and expensive models? This time, though the Intel microservers are simple, they have reasonably good performance, Waxman said.
"For the low-end, scaled-out Web hosting space, we think we can put enough power in a low enough power envelope," Waxman said.
What's inside?
The diminutive server consists of a single quad-core processor and four memory banks. Intel showed 16 microservers housed in an 8.75-inch-tall chassis that supplies them all with power, cooling, and a network connection to the outside world. Along the bottom of the chassis is a bay with 16 "sleds" that each has a trio of 2.5-inch hard drives that directly connect to each microserver.
The present microserver uses a 1.86GHz quad-core processor, the "Lynnfield" model of Intel's new "Nehalem" generation. Its top power consumption is 45 watts, but early in 2010, Intel will release a dual-core "Clarkdale" model that consumes only 30 watts when running flat-out.
That's at the top end, though. Intel's goal is for the entire microserver--which also includes memory and supporting chips--to idle at just 25 watts of power.
Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank. 
No, can't hurt to have it, but is there a real benifit?
I have never worked with them before but i remember reading about them a year or two ago and they seemed to be built just for running huge amounts of virtual servers and web hosting type applications. It seams as though you would need like ten of these microserver setups to equal one of the Sun boards and I think it was about the same 65 watt max envelope as the low wattage AMD and Intel chips were doing at the time.
A couple of year later now I am sure they have improved them and shrunk them down process wise so they should be even better today.
Anyone have any experience with them?
SL Server is software. Intel is talking about a hardware STANDARD. If you don't know the implications, you probably shouldn't try the snide comments. They don't reflect well on you and other mac fans. And I repeat, I am a serious mac fan.
If you still don't get it, picture this, you can run Snow Leopard Server on the low power HARDWARE that intel is proposing.
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12746_div/12746_div.HTML
- by ProDigit October 30, 2009 1:05 PM PDT
- For a homepage of an ordinary guy, do it yourself guy, or a mini business, an EeeBox is good enough!
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(11 Comments)You start to need more memory when you have more than 1000 connections per day, and when you are working with active web pages.. I know very little of webpages. But with active webpages I mean if you sell lots of products, where the customer can send requests, and the server responds depending on the request of the user (kind of like a small search engine).
When things like that are enabled, the server will need plenty of power to process it all; and it doubles with each additional connection.
A 400Mhz processor is more than enough to upload files at 10mbit through the network, but it starts becoming too little as soon as more computing per web page is needed.