HP launched the new  ProLiant BL460c Gen8 blade but you would have never known about it.   With the prelaunch work done it February it seemed like a non event.   The bulk of the goodness on the Gen 8 updates are across the ProLiant  family so I will try to keep my focus on those that pertain to the  BL460c.

The BL460c is focused around the new Intel Xeon E5-2600 Family  processors with up to 8 cores/16 threads each, advanced memory capabilities and new cloud ready management .

CPU
Eight-Core Processors

Intel® Xeon® E5-2680 (2.70GHz/8-core/20MB/130W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2670 (2.60GHz/8-core/20MB/115W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2665 (2.40GHz/8-core/20MB/115W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2660 (2.20GHz/8-core/20MB/95W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2650 (2.0GHz/8-core/20MB/95W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2650L (1.80GHz/8-core/20MB/70W) Processor

Six-Core Processors

Intel® Xeon® E5-2667 (2.90GHz/6-core/15MB/130W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2640 (2.50GHz/6-core/15MB/95W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2630 (2.30GHz/6-core/15MB/95W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2630L (2.0GHz/6-core/15MB/60W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2620 (2.0GHz/6-core/15MB/95W) Processor

Quad-Core Processors

Intel® Xeon® E5-2609 (2.40GHz/4-core/10MB/80W) Processor
Intel® Xeon® E5-2603 (1.80GHz/4-core/10MB/80W) Processor

Dual-Core Processors

Intel® Xeon® E5-2637 (3.0GHz/2-core/5MB/80W) Processor

One interesting thing I saw today when trying to get find out more  information was that you need both processers installed to use both PCIe 3.0 slots. Just something to keep in mind.

Memory

New HP SmartMemory is qualified to run at speeds up to 25 percent faster than industry standards but there is a catch. HP memory from previous generation servers are not qualified to run with Gen 8 Blade.  The HP SmartMemory has to pass testing by HP before meeting qualification. The best part about the new architecture is not having to guess if the amount of memory you put in the server will reduce the overall speed. It use to be if you filled all three DIMMs per channel performance would drop. The ProLiant BL460c Gen8 has four memory controllers per processor socket so that memory speed and capacity is not affected as more memory are added. When using the correct combination of processors and DIMMs, the server supports operating all 16 DIMMs at 1600MHz providing up to 256 GB for maximum memory speed or 1333MHz providing up to 512 GB for maximum memory capacity.

Standard (Pre-configured Models)
64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3 1600MHz RDIMMs at 1.5V
32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 1600MHz RDIMMs at 1.5V
32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 1333MHz RDIMMs at 1.35V
16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1333MHz RDIMMs at 1.35V

Maximum (LRDIMM)
512GB (16 x 32GB) up to 1333MHz at 1.35V
Maximum (RDIMM)
256GB (16 x 16GB) up to 1600MHz at 1.5V
256GB (16 x 16GB) up to 1333MHz at 1.35V
Maximum (UDIMM)
128GB (16 x 8GB) up to 1333MHz at 1.35V

The maximum RAM capacity is only based on 16 GB DIMMS but 32 GB will follow soon. There was even a non HP announcement today about 64GB DDR3 LRDIMM’s.

Cloud Management

The new management capabilities for Gen 8 have seem to come along away. In the end all the server vendors are playing with Intel , so this area is probably where the most vendors will differentiate themselves . My favourite new feature is the HP Active Health System.
All configurations change are logged, failed parts are tracked so they don’t get but back in and all the Active Health information can be sent to support automatically so I don’t have to stay on the phone with support.

The cloud based management is based on HP Insight Online. The portal gives you access to monitor your servers, warranty and contracts, service tickets and allows for replacement parts to be proactively ordered. You can give your partners access your portal for remote management and but it looks like automatic (direct-to-expert) support will cost you some additional dollars.

It’s also worth noting that HP changed their drives to better report and show drive failures. The old hard drives will not work in the new
blades.

As more information is released I plan to write about the impact for VDI on my blog at ITbloodpressure.com.

Dwayne is the newest Contributor to BladesMadeSimple.com and is the author of IT Blood Pressure (http://itbloodpressure.com/) where he provides tips on Virtual Desktops and gives advice on best practices in the IT industry with a particular focus in Healthcare.  In his day job, Dwayne is an Infrastructure Specialist in the Healthcare and Energy Sector in Western Canada.