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Built for virtualization

There are almost too many server options out there to consider. Performance, size, connections and configuration options all play a part in determining the best server for a particular environment. Add virtualization to the equation—and the dynamic shifting of workloads and resources that it brings—and picking the best solution becomes even more difficult.

IT teams can go through the rigorous process of weighing the attributes of each server solution to find the best fit. Or they can choose a server that was built from the ground up for virtualization and the flexibility it delivers.

“Today, memory and network bottlenecks restrict the performance and number of virtual servers a physical server can host,” says Jim Ganthier, Director of Enterprise Server and Storage Blades Marketing for HP. “With the ProLiant BL495c virtualization blade, HP engineered a way to remove those bottlenecks.”

While multi-core processors have become common for hosting virtual machines, most don’t provide sufficient memory or I/O linkages to take full advantage of their performance capabilities. Many organizations buy more servers than they need simply because they’ve run out of memory and network connections.

“IT managers are forced to compromise,” says Ganthier. “Once they run out of memory and performance slows down, they are forced to add another physical server to keep up with demand.”

The new ProLiant BL495c is the world’s first virtualization blade designed specifically to eliminate such compromises. By increasing the memory footprint, I/O connections and network throughput while giving flexibility to easily grow storage capacity, the BL495c supports more virtual machines with better overall performance than any other two-processor blade.

Ganthier offers some striking comparisons: to match the memory footprint and network connections of a single BladeSystem with 16 BL495c virtualization blades, Dell would require customers to purchase double the blades, enclosures and network infrastructure. IBM would force organizations to buy four times the hardware.

“By supporting more virtual machines per blade,” says Ganthier, “IT teams can reduce network connection costs, lower hardware acquisition costs and get a much better return on their investment in virtual machine licenses.”

The BL495c offers near limitless shared storage expansion, and it’s the first HP server blade with solid-state hard drives for faster storage performance and better energy efficiency. With these features, businesses can deploy the BL495c as a standard virtualization platform that can duplicate the features of several different two-processor servers, eliminating the need to maintain multiple platforms.

“The BL495c is the most affordable and flexible server for hosting virtual machine environments,” Ganthier suggests. “It takes the benefits of virtualization to an entirely new level. Customers can reap dramatic and proven improvements in infrastructure efficiency, manageability and business value, allowing them to confidently move forward with their virtualization efforts.”

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