proven performance with lower total cost of ownership

QAD Enterprise Applications and HP Integrity Blades
Proven Performance with
QAD Enterprise Applications and HP Integrity Blades
QAD 2010 and HP Integrity Blades Page 2
Proven Performance with Lower Total Cost of Ownership
Executive Summary
QAD customers and prospects want assurance that their systems – both hardware and software – are capable of handling substantial loads with good performance and that they can expand their systems „gracefully, without undue technical or financial burden. QAD Enterprise Applications Enterprise Edition, in conjunction with HP Integrity Blades Intel® Itanium® 9300 Series hardware, provides a robust and scalable software solution that delivers outstanding performance under demanding loads and offers a more cost-effective growth path than previous architectures.
QAD and HP routinely undertake performance testing at the Hewlett Packard Partner Technology Access Center (PTAC) when new generations of HP hardware become available, to benchmark performance and capabilities. Most recent testing (April 2010) with HP Integrity Blades Intel® Itanium® 9300 Series hardware showed that concurrent user counts of up to 3,500 could be achieved with good scalability, performance and consistency. In fact, the new hardware demonstrated impressive gains over the previous generation – delivering twice the responsiveness (response times cut in half) as the legacy Itanium 9100 series server at the same load, and the ability to support even higher loads with minimal degradation in response.
Advances in HP server capabilities deliver more capacity with the same number of cores, allowing users to save on operating system costs while reducing physical footprint, power usage and cooling requirements for a truly „green QAD and HP IT environment that provides a much lower cost of ownership when compared to previous technology.
QAD has the scalability and HP has the hardware and operating environment for large enterprises deploying a single server environment and for smaller enterprise looking forward to future growth. QAD/HP delivers a much lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for enterprise applications than was available on previous generation hardware. The scalability of blade systems makes it a particularly good platform for the deployment of QAD Enterprise Applications.
Existing QAD user companies should consider moving to a more capable and scalable blade system platform for reduced costs and increased flexibility.
CONTENTS
QAD and HP Deliver High Performance
Any organization that is currently using or considering a QAD
solution wants assurance that the system can handle the workload
and transaction volume required to deliver the needed functionality
in its environment, and that the system is capable of growing to
meet future needs. Both hardware and software must be proven to
be able to handle todays transaction volume and number of active
users, and be able to grow substantially and seamlessly.
To document system capabilities, QAD routinely tests application
performance for new HP hardware releases at the Hewlett
Packard Partner Technology Access Center (PTAC). Early 2010
tests, using an appropriate configuration of HP Integrity Itanium
9100 series server hardware and QAD Enterprise Applications
Enterprise Edition, demonstrated the system was able to support
more than 3,000 users performing a range of typical tasks – sales
orders, work orders, purchase orders along with item browsing and
report writing – with reasonable response times for interactive
users. These performance figures are used as a baseline in this
report and serve as a point of comparison for performance of the
HP Integrity Blades Intel® Itanium® 9300 Series servers,
codenamed Tukwila.
The latest tests explored the capabilities of the new 9300 series
server and compared their performance to the Itanium 9100 series
servers mentioned above and labeled “Legacy” on the graph
shown in Figure 1. The new servers were able to cut response
time in half throughout the range of user counts tested, and
provided reasonable response of less than one-half second for
user counts up to 3,500.
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Tukwilla
Legacy
Response Time
Response time is defined as the interval between a user
action and the time a response is produced on the screen. A
response time of 0.1 seconds appears to users as a near
instantaneous response. For delays of 0.2 to <1 second,
users notice the delay but find it acceptable as they perceive
the computer is “working” on the request. A one (1.0)
second delay is a practical limit for users. They perceive the
system as responding well and not delaying them from their
tasks on interactive activities. For more demanding tasks
such as saving an invoice or validating a credit limit,
available to promise, bill of material costing or shipment
confirmation, a two (2.0) to three (3.0) second delay is
considered reasonable and acceptable. A 10 second delay
is the limit for users to maintain attention on their task.
These definitions are industry-standard, response-times for
web applications. QAD uses the following recommended
maximum response time guidelines for QAD Enterprise
Applications:
General Navigation: Less than 1 second
Complex Validations: Less than 2 seconds
Saving Documents: Less than 3 seconds
Figure 1 shows that Tukwila response times start at 0.2 seconds
and remain at that level for up to about 2,500 simultaneous users.
Above that level, response times rise slowly but remain well
within the acceptable range for 3,500 users and, presumably
more. However, the test plan did not extend beyond the 3,500
user level. It is also clear that HP Integrity Blades Intel® Itanium®
9300 Series servers essentially perform two times that of
previous generation of HP Integrity hardware.
These tests simulate 3000 users processing approximately
195,000 transactions during an eight hour shift1. A savings of 0.3
seconds per transaction equates to more than 16 hours of wait-
time per day or two full-time equivalents (FTEs). At a fully loaded
rate of $30 per hour, that adds up to more than $400 per shift or
$120,000 per year assuming only one shift per day and 250 work
days per year.
Consistent response times are just as crucial as fast
response times. Studies have shown that user productivity
increases significantly when system response time is
consistent, even if the average response time is slow. Note
the remarkable consistency for loads up to 2,500 users, and
the modest change beyond. Each performance test was
repeated multiple times and delivered predictable,
repeatable results.
More information about test conditions is included in Appendix A
and the referenced technical document.
For more information on the HPs new line of servers and the
Converged Infrastructure, please contact your local HP
representative or check on the HP websites:
NGIS:
http://h20341.www2.hp.com/integrity/us/en/systems/integrity-
Doing more with less
Each HP Integrity Itanium 9300 series server hosts either 2 or 4
processor cores compared to 1 or 2 for the Itanium 9100 series.
That means more computing capability per socket and less
electrical power, less cooling, and less physical space is needed to
support growing computational needs. This is especially impressive
when you consider that the innovative design and technology of the
9300 series delivers twice the responsiveness (half the response
time) for the same number of cores. Users can achieve significantly
more output because it takes half the time for the system to
respond.
Since operating system software is licensed per socket, not per
core, companies can expect to spend less for operating system
licenses, leaving more of their IT budget for applications, support, or
additional storage.
Current QAD/HP system users can upgrade to more capability with
the new 9300 series servers and decrease their data center
footprint, reduce operating costs and take advantage of
performance improvements without converting or recompiling
existing applications. Software compiled on „legacy systems can be
simply ported to the new servers and run just as it did on the old
system – with no compatibility or stability issues.
This provides for seamless growth. As new server cores are added,
theres nothing to convert and past investment is preserved. Users
can buy and install just enough processing power to serve todays
needs, with confidence that future upgrades will not be traumatic or
disruptive.
to this computing environment to deliver added value. QAD
leverages a suite approach to licensing and user pricing to provide
substantial and broad application functionality to all users
regardless of the size of servers and the number of cores deployed.
As users do more with the applications they have and expand their
usage into new areas, they are covered under the existing licenses.
Furthermore, QADs database architecture allows multiple
companies, divisions and plants/facilities to run the IT infrastructure
that supports their needs best, whether its a single database, or
multiple domains all with the same license and server cabinet.
QAD Enterprise Applications also can be deployed across servers
(e.g. database, application or user interface) to optimize
performance without impact to the QAD license. The combined
expandability and flexibility of QAD Enterprise Applications and HP
blades deliver extraordinary values to users, enabling a low total
cost of ownership (TCO) and high return on investment (ROI).
QAD has a history of delivering low total cost of ownership (TCO) among
ERP providers. In fact, leading technology analyst Aberdeen Group
noted in its June 2009 ERP in Manufacturing benchmark survey that
QAD customers achieved better than average cost reduction results from
the ERP implementation over other solutions.
Today, customers are also looking for ROI. Combined with its low TCO
and strong ROI, QAD Enterprise Applications on HP blades deliver
extraordinary value enabling users to reduce costs, manage growth,
improve customer experience, lower response times and manage
interoperability – all drivers of ERP ROI.
Affordable Growth
Buying now based on requirements over multiple years, a company
implementing with a 150 user configuration1, for example, can expect a
three-year TCO savings of 32% as compared to the equivalent system
using previous generation hardware and form factor. The five-year TCO
figures show a savings of 27% savings (see table). Even greater savings
are shown in a comparison of a 300-user configuration – with a 60-65%
lower TCO.
The advantage of a blades approach is highlighted when considering
tiered investments based on growth over a five- year horizon. For a
company starting out with a 150-user system and upgrading to a 300-
user configuration in year three, a common situation as the system
becomes more widely used and additional applications are brought
online, the company can expect to save 64% in hardware, software,
operations and maintenance as compared to previous a generation
system approach.
Note: Fifty- and fewer-user systems may not show the same TCO advantages due to the cost of blades class servers. A detailed analysis is included in the Appendix.
150 user 150 user 300 user 300 user 150300 upgrade
Traditional NextGen Traditional NextGen Traditional NextGen
3-year
Savings 32% 66%
Savings 27% 59% 66%
ROI and Green Computing
The HP Integrity Series blade server system can support your
companys green initiatives and provide for substantial relative
carbon footprint reduction. In the spirit of Moores Law, each new
generation of the HP Integrity Series server system offers a leap in
computing power at a considerable savings in price/performance. In
addition, upgrading to the more powerful 9300 series-based servers
packs more (and higher performance) cores into fewer sockets
delivering more computing power in a smaller footprint with lower
electrical power and cooling requirements. This deters data center
sprawl and reduces electricity and cooling needs. This, combined
with the aforementioned reduced operating costs, adds up to a
compelling ROI on the infrastructure side that complements QADs
recognized low TCO for enterprise applications. Additionally, in ROI
studies where return is measured, QAD business drivers like
reduced costs, managing growth, improving customer experience
and interoperability, score similarly well. *Aberdeen June 2009 ERP
in Manufacturing.
series servers a truly „green solution. HP is moving mission-critical
computing to a blade environment that delivers power and cooling
reductions compared to traditional server packaging. Previous
generation servers generally fit into a 2-meter rack. The new
generation Integrity servers fit into a single BladeSystem enclosure.
The smaller physical footprint of blade servers helps companies
reduce the size of the data center space, or stay in their existing data
center longer, saving construction and infrastructure costs or
allowing the rededication of space to value-add operations.
Reducing energy consumption certainly is kinder to the environment
through reduced carbon footprint and it saves money as well.
Another infrastructure savings derives from networking efficiency
built into the new servers. Instead of having to pull cables to add
systems to the environment, administrators can now sit at a
configuration console and add IP addresses. This is certainly faster,
easier, and less expensive to deploy and change systems.
Studies show that computer system and storage needs grow at an
average of 20% to 25% per year. As shown in the previous section,
operating costs and total cost of ownership with blade series servers
offers considerable cost savings over traditional architecture
systems as companies systems grow.
QAD and HP
QAD is committed to delivering higher value solutions and low total
cost of ownership to customers. QADs partnerships with leading
technology leaders are a big part of that commitment. QAD and
HP have been working together for more than 30 years, leveraging
each others innovations and working together to provide industry-
leading, cost-effective, best of breed solutions. Together, QAD and
HP help customers obtain maximum return on investment and
value from their respective investments in QAD software and
services and HP hardware and services.
QAD develops on, routinely tests and benchmarks each new HP
technology release to insure compatibility and performance.
Resources within QAD are dedicated to helping customers
optimize and calibrate their HP hardware for the best possible
performance and value.
bringing new generations of server technology to continually
improve the price/performance ratio of QAD-HP solutions.
View the videos:
Bill Keese, senior vice president of Research and Development for
QAD discusses how QAD and HP work together to meet the needs
of global manufacturers.
Summary
Intel® Itanium® 9300 Series servers offers current and
prospective users outstanding responsiveness in a new, energy
efficient configuration that reduces data center sprawl, saves
energy, operating costs and offers a seamless and affordable
upgrade path for growth.
Access Center (PTAC) confirms that HP Integrity Blades Intel®
Itanium® 9300 Series hardware can comfortably support 3,500
users performing routine business tasks with good scalability,
performance and consistency. The new hardware demonstrates
impressive gains over the previous generation –delivering twice
the responsiveness (half the response time) as the legacy
Itanium 9100 series server at the same load, and the ability to
support even higher loads with minimal degradation in response.
The HP Integrity Blades Intel® Itanium® 9300 Series hardware
hosts more (and higher performance) cores per socket,
compared to the previous generation 9100 series systems, and
that saves space, reduces electricity and cooling demands, and
saves on operating system licensing which is priced per socket.
Software installed on legacy (9100 series) systems is fully
compatible with the new 9300 series hardware, running as-is with
no need to convert or recompile.
Comparisons of total cost of operation (TCO) for hardware,
software, IT operations and administration, facilities, and
hardware and software support and maintenance show that HP
Integrity Blade servers can offer savings of up to 66% when
compared to previous generation systems. And those savings
apply for the not uncommon case of substantial system growth
after a few years of use.
Large and growing enterprises can take full advantage of QAD
Enterprise software functionality with the confidence that the
underlying architecture is robust, scalable and able to handle
heavy user and workloads.
Appendix A: ROI and Performance Testing Information
50 User
Server Hardware $23,113 $17,972 $23,113 $17,972
Server Software $2,580 $3,844 $2,580 $3,844
IT Ops & Admin Staff $28,014 $28,014 $46,690 $46,690
Facilities $7,851 $12,042 $13,085 $20,070
Support &
Maintenance
300-User
Configuration
Server Hardware $247,362 $51,610 $247,362 $51,610
Server Software $24,600 $9,672 $24,600 $9,672
IT Ops &Admin Staff $34,590 $34,590 $57,650 $57,650
Facilities $17,016 $16,002 $28,360 $26,670
Support &
Maintenance
150-User
Configuration
Server Hardware $48,602 $19,892 $48,602 $19,892
Server Software $6,730 $4,896 $6,730 $4,896
IT Ops & Admin Staff $30,471 $32,520 $50,785 $54,200
Facilities $13,284 $12,042 $22,140 $20,070
Support &
Maintenance
Initial Purchase Upgrade 3 YR Increment Total Net Difference
Users 150 300
Trade in/upgrade $(5,000) $(5,000) $(3,000)
Server Software $4,896 $9,672 $9,672 $(14,928)
IT Ops &Admin staff $32,520 $34,590 $23,060 $55,580 $2,049
Facilities $12,042 $16,002 $10,668 $22,710 $(1,918)
Support &
Maintenance
Initial Purchase Upgrade YR 3 Increment Total
Users 150 300
Trade in/upgrade $(2,000) $(2,000)
IT Ops &Admin staff $30,471 $34,590 $23,060 $53,531
Facilities $13,284 $17,016 $11,344 $24,628
Support &
Maintenance
Response Time Comparison –ERP
with the QAD Core ERP software.
Scalability Comparison
During the high user count testing, QAD maintained acceptable performance and response times with 3500 concurrent users. During the same testing on the legacy rx8640 server, response times were borderline unacceptable with 3000 concurrent users, and not acceptable (and with a high standard variance / low predictability) with more than 3100 concurrent users.
Software Information and Versions
HP Java 1.5
Tomcat version 5.5.27
Operating System - HP-UX
Technical details and more complete description of the testing can
be found in the document “QAD 2010 Enterprise Applications
Enterprise Edition HP Integrity Blades Intel® Itanium® 9300 Series
High User Count Performance Testing, Revision 0.1, April 2010”
available from your QAD representative.
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
204.35% 213.04% 264.36% 263.08% 237.00% 186.65%
0.00%
50.00%
100.00%
150.00%
200.00%
250.00%
300.00%
100 Innovation Place
Santa Barbara, CA
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