The HPE Synergy 480 Gen10 Plus is a composable infrastructure blade server designed for enterprise workloads that demand high performance, scalability, and flexibility. It’s part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Synergy platform, which integrates compute, storage, and networking into a single, cohesive system. This solution is ideal for environments requiring a balance between traditional and cloud-native applications.
Key Technical Specifications:
- Processor Support: The Synergy 480 Gen10 Plus supports Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, specifically from the 3rd Generation (Ice Lake) family. It can accommodate up to two processors, providing significant computing power with up to 40 cores per processor.
- Memory Capacity: The server supports DDR4 memory with a maximum capacity of 12TB when using 256GB DDR4 memory modules. The memory operates at speeds of up to 3200 MT/s, enhancing the performance of memory-intensive applications.
- Storage:
- Internal Storage: The server supports up to four small form factor (SFF) drives or eight NVMe drives, depending on the configuration. This flexibility allows for a variety of storage configurations to suit different workload requirements.
- HPE Smart Array Controllers: These controllers offer advanced data protection features such as RAID and support for a wide range of storage devices.
- Networking:
- FlexibleLOM Adapters: The Synergy 480 Gen10 Plus features HPE’s FlexibleLOM technology, allowing users to choose from various network adapters (Ethernet, Fibre Channel, etc.) to meet their specific networking needs.
- Integrated Network Fabric: The Synergy platform integrates networking capabilities, enabling high-speed connectivity and reduced latency within the infrastructure.
- Expansion and Scalability:
- PCIe Slots: The server supports up to three PCIe 4.0 slots, providing the ability to add additional storage controllers, network adapters, or other expansion cards.
- Synergy Frame: Multiple Synergy 480 Gen10 Plus compute modules can be deployed within a Synergy Frame, sharing resources like storage and networking across all modules.
- Management:
- HPE OneView: This server is managed using HPE OneView, which provides a unified platform for automating and managing the Synergy infrastructure. It simplifies tasks such as provisioning, updating, and monitoring resources.
- Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) 5: Provides remote management capabilities, including advanced security features like Silicon Root of Trust.
Performance and Efficiency:
- Compute Performance: The use of 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors ensures high performance for demanding workloads such as databases, analytics, and virtualization.
- Memory and Storage Performance: With high-speed DDR4 memory and NVMe storage options, the Synergy 480 Gen10 Plus is well-suited for data-intensive applications requiring fast memory access and storage throughput.
Security Features:
- Silicon Root of Trust: HPE’s Silicon Root of Trust technology ensures that the firmware is secure from tampering, providing a strong foundation for the server’s security.
- Runtime Firmware Validation: The server regularly checks its firmware against a secure baseline to ensure it hasn’t been compromised.
- Secure Recovery: If compromised firmware is detected, the server can automatically revert to a known, secure state.
Use Cases:
- Virtualization: The Synergy 480 Gen10 Plus is ideal for running virtualized environments, supporting large numbers of virtual machines with high reliability and performance.
- Databases: With its high memory capacity and processing power, this server can efficiently handle large databases and in-memory database applications.
- Cloud and Hybrid Cloud: The composable infrastructure makes it easy to scale resources up or down, making it suitable for cloud and hybrid cloud deployments.
Advantages:
- Composable Infrastructure: Flexibility in deploying and scaling resources according to workload demands.
- Integrated Management: Simplifies operations through HPE OneView, reducing the complexity of managing large-scale environments.
- High Performance: The latest generation of processors and high-speed memory and storage options provide excellent performance for demanding workloads.
Challenges:
- Initial Cost: The Synergy platform, including the 480 Gen10 Plus, is a high-end solution, and the initial investment may be significant.
- Complexity: While the system simplifies management at scale, smaller organizations or those without experienced IT staff may find it complex to set up and manage.
Conclusion:
The HPE Synergy 480 Gen10 Plus is a powerful and flexible blade server designed for enterprises with demanding workloads. Its composable infrastructure, combined with the latest hardware innovations, makes it an excellent choice for organizations looking to modernize their data centers with a scalable and manageable solution.