Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, November 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. November 2005

CLUSTERING SPECIAL SECTION

From simple two-node configurations running high-

availability enterprise applications to high-performance

computing (HPC) networks crunching unimaginably

complex data sets across thousands of nodes, clusters

have successfully invaded the territory once dominated

by costly proprietary systems. Standards-based data center

components—including servers, storage, network inter-

are—allow organizations

all sizes to cluster cost-

ective computing power

strategic advantage.

Best-practices archi-

ecture and operational

techniques can help

administrators trans-

form their existing IT

framework into a scal-

able enterprise in practi-

cal, cost-effective phases.

For example, administra-

ors can start with consol-

ation and automation of

uster components, which

ys the foundation for

nterprise-wide resource

management—leading to the ultimate goal of responding

to emerging business opportunities with speed and agility.

At every stage, Dell’s scalable enterprise approach can help

cluster architects and administrators to simplify operations,

improve resource utilization, and scale cost-effectively.

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 clustersFor many organizations, high availability is not simply

an option—it is a requirement. Enterprises depend on

24/7 availability for clusters running applications such

as order processing and tracking, inventory control, trans-

action processing, customer support, and electronic com-

merce. Preparing properly for the transition to Microsoft

SQL Server 2005 can help administrators to provide top-

flight availability for application environments running

on multi-node server clusters. “Reap the Benefits of SQL

Server 2005” (page 51) explains advanced features in the

latest Microsoft SQL Server release, and how Microsoft

SQL Server 2005 is designed to provide exceptional data

availability and manageability, hardened security, and

the capability to scale from handheld mobile devices to

multi-terabyte data warehouses.

In addition, Dell and Microsoft have teamed up to

provide a comprehensive SQL Server 2005 solution that

is designed to deliver exceptional performance and value

Driving Clusters for High Availability and High Performance

Best-practices architecture and operational techniques can help IT administrators

respond to emerging business opportunities with speed and agility while helping

to reduce data center complexity and cost. This special clustering section explores

a wide range of high-availability and high-performance solutions, including how to

plan effectively for Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 deployments, how to enable grids

with Oracle® Database 10g Real Application Clusters, and how to leverage the latest

advances in blade server clusters and high-performance computing clusters.

8 ELL POWER SOLUTIONSDE

CLUSTERING SPECIAL SECTION

www.dell.com/powersolutions Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, November 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. DELL POWER SOLUTIONS 9

for critical database applications. Dell engineers tested the dual-

socket Dell™ PowerEdge™ 2800 server running SQL Server 2005

on the TPC-C benchmark from the Transaction Processing Perfor-

mance Council (TPC). The PowerEdge 2800 with one dual-core

Intel® Xeon™ processor at 2.8 GHz achieved a price/performance ™

ratio of US$0.99/transactions per minute (tpmC), becoming the

first system to shatter the US$1/tpmC mark.1

The Dell and Microsoft solution includes high-availability

clusters configured with Dell PowerEdge servers and Dell/EMC

Fibre Channel–based or Dell PowerVault™ SCSI-based storage, as ™

well as backup and recovery components. In the area of systems

management, Dell’s open standards approach and tight integration

with Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 and Microsoft Systems

Management Server 2003 enable efficient management of deployed

SQL Server 2005 applications. And flexibility in SQL Server 2005

licensing, which ranges from prepackaging with Dell PowerEdge

servers to volume enterprise licensing arrangements, can add

particular value when coupled with Dell’s SQL Server installation

services, SQL Server 2000 migration services, or Enterprise Support

services, which are designed to meet the unique needs of SQL Server

2005–based environments.

Oracle Database 10g0 clustersgIn the past, scaling has often meant replacing hardware with faster,

more expensive equipment. However, Oracle 10g Real Application g

Clusters (RAC) heralds an emerging model for high-availability appli-

cation scaling. Instead of scaling up by replacing existing hardware

with more powerful systems, Oracle 10g RAC allows organizationsg

to scale out simply by adding computing power or storage to an

existing database grid. Using Oracle 10g RAC with Dell PowerEdgeg

servers and Dell/EMC Fibre Channel–based storage, enterprises can

create a shared-storage database cluster in which cluster nodes have

equal access to the same set of database objects. “Oracle 10g Realg

Application Clusters: Building and Scaling Out a Database Grid on

Dell PowerEdge Servers and Dell/EMC Storage” (page 55) examines

how to use Dell servers and Dell/EMC storage with Oracle 10g RACg

to scale out database grids.

For small and growing enterprises, Dell and Oracle offer

cost-effective, preconfigured RAC-based solutions on Microsoft

Windows Server™ 2003, Standard Edition, with Service Pack 1.

“Exploring Dell-Supported Configurations for Oracle Database

10g Standard Edition with RAC” (page 60) discusses how these g

highly available clusters can be deployed as two-node direct attach

and Fibre Channel configurations using low-cost storage based on

Dell/EMC AX100 and CX300 arrays.

Blade server clustersFor high-density computing environ-

ments, Dell’s blade server architecture

enhances availability while economizing

on data center space with shared system

components inside the Dell Modular

Server Enclosure. Designed to work in

a storage area network or with direct

attach storage, blade server clusters can

be preconfigured by Dell Services to help

enterprises balance the need for perfor-

mance, availability, and cost. In “High-

Availability Blade Server Clustering with

the Dell PowerEdge Cluster FE555W”

(page 63), Dell engineers discuss high-

availability configuration options for the

PowerEdge 1855 blade server, which sup-

ports 10 removable server blades, fabric switches, and Ethernet

switches in the 7U Dell Modular Server Enclosure.

High-performance computing clustersToday, massively parallel HPC clusters are harnessed to solve

f computing problems that were once the exclusive domain of

proprietary symmetric multi processing systems—problems as

diverse as decoding the human genome, mapping the world’s

underground oil reserves, and digitizing the planet’s music

library. Several articles in this issue explain solutions that are

designed to simplify HPC cluster deployment and systems man-

agement as well as enhance cluster utilization, thereby helping

to reduce data center cost and complexity.

In “Dell OpenManage Tools for High-Performance Computing

Cluster Management” (page 40), Dell engineers describe how to

enhance cluster management with the Dell OpenManage™ remote

management software suite. In addition, “Platform Rocks: A Cluster

Software Package for Dell HPC Platforms” (page 29) demonstrates

the use of Platform Rocks to help deploy, maintain, and manage

HPC clusters. And “The Dell Life-Cycle Approach to Implementing

HPC Cluster Services” (page 46) explains how Dell Services follows

a comprehensive life-cycle approach to help organizations plan,

deploy, and manage HPC clusters.

By understanding best-practices architecture and opera-

f tional techniques, administrators can build upon a foundation of

standards-based cluster components to manage change efficiently—

transforming their existing IT framework into a scalable enterprise

in practical, cost-effective phases.

1 TPC-C performance results are based on benchmark tests performed by Dell labs in September 2005 on a PowerEdge 2800 server with one dual-core Intel Xeon processor at 2.8 GHz and 2 MB level 2 cache per processor core,

8 GB of error-correcting code (ECC) double data rate 2 (DDR2) SDRAM, an 800 MHz frontside bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express bus, one 36 GB SCSI drive, Windows Server 2003, and SQL Server 2005—

resulting in TPC-C performance of 38,622 tmpC, price/tpmC of US$0.99, and a system availability date of November 8, 2005. Actual performance will vary based on configuration, usage, and manufacturing variability. The top

TPC-C price/performance results are available at www.tpc.org/tpcc/results/tpcc_price_perf_results.asp.