HP Introduces ProLiant Gen8 Servers That Enhance Virtualized Performance, Facilitate Move to Cloud

Ultradense four-socket servers reset performance bar

KUALA LUMPUR — Oct. 31, 2012 — HP today unveiled two new HP ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8) four-socket servers that facilitate customers’ move to cloud while delivering increased compute power in less space and  a return on investment within three months.(1)

The industry’s first four-socket servers to incorporate HP ProActive Insight Architecture, the HP ProLiant BL660c and DL560 Gen8 servers significantly reduce the time spent on maintenance tasks through high levels of automation and continuous monitoring of system health, saving IT staff more than 30 days of administration time a year.(2)

Clients are continuously virtualizing their compute-intensive applications in order to achieve greater utilization and efficiency, and to facilitate the move to private and hybrid clouds. Many clients have virtualized the basic infrastructure and smaller workloads, but a challenge still remains with more complex and higher-end workloads. Clients often face performance bottlenecks, data-center footprint and power limitations, and inadequate memory capacity from traditional two-socket servers.  

As building blocks for HP Converged Infrastructure, these multiprocessor servers satisfy the need for high-end compute power that enables clients to extend end-to-end virtualization and provide a foundation for creating private and hybrid clouds.

With a three-to-one server-consolidation rate(3) and reduced server footprint in the data center, the HP ProLiant BL660c Gen8 server offers four-socket density in half the size of the previous generation, and reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 30 percent.(4)

Additionally, the HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 server provides a space-minimizing four-socket server in a 2U form factor without compromising performance, scalability or expansion requirements.

New server capabilities in a powerful, compact footprint
The HP ProLiant BL660c and HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 servers were designed to drive better performance for complex, virtualized environments so clients can access their data faster, optimize their system to achieve higher-performing workloads and add more virtual machines (VMs) per server. The new servers deliver:
• Improved storage performance with the first integrated PCIe 3.0 storage technology(5), providing twice the input/output bandwidth(6) and up to six times faster performance than previous generations.(7)
• Enhanced VM support with a memory design that is five times more dense than competitive offerings(8) and delivers lower latency than previous generations.(9)
• Up to 50 percent better memory performance than competitive offerings, enabling more consolidation of virtual applications on fewer servers.(10)

The new servers drive a balance of economics and density for customers, while optimizing application performance to help speed innovation and business growth. For example, ZTE Corporation, one of the world’s largest smartphone vendors, needed to break through its capacity limitation and enhance the adaptability of the traditional data center in order to be able to keep up the business rapid growth.

“We needed to modernize our data centers in order to keep up with rapid growth and to ensure continued service to our customers across 140 countries,” said Yu Yuan, product manager, ZTE Corporation—Guangdong NewStart Technology Service Ltd. “We chose the HP ProLiant DL 560 Gen8 server over the competition because it offered increased virtual machine densities to reduce space and cost, while improving performance, which enabled us to develop a platform to build private clouds.”

Built on HP Proactive Insight Architecture
HP ProLiant Gen8 servers redefine expectations and economics in the data center by leveraging HP ProActive Insight Architecture to offer the new four-socket servers unprecedented lifecycle automation. A direct connection to the HP Insight Online portal accelerates problem resolution and reduced unplanned downtime. Through self monitoring, self diagnosing and proactive support, clients can resolve problems up to 66 percent faster.(11)

The advanced technologies of the HP ProLiant Gen8 portfolio, tested in real-world data centers and built with 150 client-inspired design innovations, eliminate common server problems that cause failures, downtime and data loss.

Pricing and availability
The HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 and HP ProLiant BL660c Gen8 are available