Knowledge Center Archives

In-Depth Comparison of Intel Xeon E5-2600v2 “Ivy Bridge” Processors

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Eliot Eshelman

This article provides in-depth discussion and analysis of the 22nm Xeon E5-2600v2 series processors (formerly codenamed “Ivy Bridge”). “Ivy Bridge” processors improve upon the previous 32nm “Sandy Bridge” microarchitecture and are available for sale as of September 10, 2013. For … Continue reading →

Performance Characteristics of Common Network Fabrics

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Microway

Ethernet Performance of ethernet networks varies widely. Factors include the switch and NIC manufacturer, firmware settings and system/software settings. Physical layer even plays a role: 10 GigE over RJ45 (10GBase-T) has a higher latency than SFP+ Direct-Attach copper. Contact our … Continue reading →

Estimating the Performance of a New Computer System

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Microway

Transistor density doubles every ~2 years. Ideally, this means we can provide you computers that contain twice as much memory and perform twice as fast. In practice, it’s much more nuanced. Benchmark Your Application The best performance comparison will always … Continue reading →

Power and Cooling (Multiple-Computer Installations)

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Microway

This article applies to groups of computers which consume 1,000+ Watts of electricity. Review your quote or contact us to determine how much your systems will require (the power and cooling numbers are typically listed at the end of the … Continue reading →

Common Maintenance Tasks (Clusters)

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Microway

The following items should be completed to maintain the health of your Linux cluster. For servers and workstations, please see Common Maintenance Tasks (Workstations and Servers). Backup non-replaceable data Remember that RAID is not a replacement for backups. If your … Continue reading →

High-Level Linux Troubleshooting

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Microway

Whether you’re working on a cluster, a server or a workstation, most installations of Linux are similar. When something goes wrong, you need to determine the exact issue before you can get it resolved. This article provides a top-level overview … Continue reading →

IPMI Security for Datacenters and Compute Clusters

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Eliot Eshelman

Best Practices for managing servers with IPMI Baseboard Management Controllers (BMC) with IPMI are commonly used to manage servers remotely. Almost 100% of Microway’s servers support IPMI either through a dedicated management port or a shared LAN port. As of … Continue reading →

Performance Characteristics of Common Transports and Buses

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Microway

Memory The following values are measured per CPU socket. They must be doubled or quadrupled to calculate the total memory bandwidth of a multiprocessor workstation or server. For dual-processor systems, multiply by two. For quad-processor systems, multiply by four. Type … Continue reading →

Common Maintenance Tasks (Workstations and Servers)

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Microway

The following items should be completed to maintain the health of your workstation or server. For compute clusters, please see Common Maintenance Tasks (Clusters). Backup non-replaceable data Remember that RAID is not a replacement for backups. If your system is … Continue reading →

Power and Cooling (Single-Computer Installations)

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Microway

This article applies to computers which consume less than 1920 Watts of electricity. Review your quote or contact us to determine how much your system will require (the power and cooling numbers are typically listed at the end of the … Continue reading →