X86 or RISC? Server selection should consider 12 points

With IBM and Intel released POWER7 and Nehalem-EX processors respectively in the first quarter of this year, the two camps of RISC minicomputer and X86 server are more powerful. . One party said that my system is the most reliable and the performance is the most powerful. The other party said that my system is not worse than you, and the price is still high.

The public opinion is reasonable, the woman said that the woman is reasonable, then how should the user choose? This is indeed a shameful thing. Let's listen to the users' own voices! Not long ago, IT168 server and ChinaUnix technology community jointly held an online discussion: "Who are you choosing between X86 server and RISC minicomputer?", more than 100 CUer participated The debate has attracted thousands of netizens to watch.

A post stirs up a thousand waves! After the debate has subsided, a little summary, I found that netizens are also talking about each other, no one. However, although there is no unified answer, but back to the first thought, this should be the original face of things! Now we have some of the views of the people, actually related to performance, cost performance, reliability, after-sales service, applicable areas, software Twelve aspects such as compatibility, software and hardware integration, scalability, technology maturity, ease of use, industry prospects, historical factors, etc.

1.Performance

Overall X86 The performance of the server is still different from that of the RISC minicomputer. However, the performance of the PC server has improved rapidly in recent years. This gap is getting smaller and smaller, and it depends on the application field. In some aspects, it even surpasses RISC. . In addition, it should be noted that the performance of the server should also be based on the application load. Different application workloads have different emphasis on system performance. For example, some applications require high frequency, some require large memory, and some I/O access. Frequently, and for different application loads, X86 and minicomputers will also behave differently.

2. Value for money

In general, X86 servers have much lower expenditures on hardware, software, post-maintenance, upgrades, etc. than minicomputers, and have huge advantages. But for some core critical applications that require 7x24 hours of full-load operation, the risk of downtime is high, so if you use a more stable and reliable RSIC server, the risk is much less.

3. Reliability

In general, RISC+UNIX is more stable than x86+Linux or Windows. The RISC server is very different from the X86 server in hardware architecture design. It uses a lot of redundancy technology and high-availability technology, so the reliability is higher and the cost is higher. The hardware quality level of X86 servers is uneven, high and low, and hardware work is slightly worse. However, the reliability of X86 servers is also increasing. In addition, it is worth mentioning that there are many factors affecting reliability, except for the hardware itself, which is related to the operating system, personnel level, and management level.

4. After-sales service

One of the most important reasons why many users choose expensive RISC minicomputers is because IBM, HP, etc. can upgrade the one-stop whole set of vendor-level services, users. If there is a problem with the system, you can find one directly. The small machine manufacturer itself does have a strong technical support team. For x86+Linux users, the services of many open source systems are not keeping up.

5.Applicable fields

RISC minicomputers are mainly for core critical applications that can not be shut down for 7*24 hours. Often the requirements for business availability will reach 5-9, especially the core. Database, operator billing platform, bank core business system, securities trading system, etc. X86 servers are used in a wide range of applications and applications. For high availability environments, you can also use X86 clusters instead. Overall, the scope of application of minicomputers is getting smaller and smaller, and the scope of X86 is expanding. The server shipment data of IDC statistics in the past decade has also proved this trend.

6. Software Compatibility

X86 server supports Linux, Windows, Solaris and other operating systems, and there are many software vendors. The number of supported applications is far more than RISC+UNIX. It can be more flexible to adapt to various environmental changes, and migration is relatively easy. Minicomputers often have better support and fit for their own software, but they are easily tied by one vendor and have higher migration costs. In addition, IBM's POWER, HP's Itanium has also begun to hold Linux, and even Windows systems.

7.Software and hardware integration level

Since the X86 server is an industrial standard product, the whole machine is assembled by standard components such as CPU, memory, hard disk, and board. There are also many software vendors, which are mutually restrictive, and the tightness of the combination of software and hardware will be plagued, and a large number of compatibility certification tests are required. Small machine manufacturers, such as IBM from the CPU, server machine, operating system, middleware, database and even the upper application software is a research and development, design, testing, production, assembly, so can provide a stable package solution, the service is also One vendor provides support. Therefore, choosing a minicomputer is actually a choice of a total solution, including hardware, operating system, and possibly development platforms and other applications.

8. Scalability

The minicomputer server can be extended to more than 8 CPUs, and it is difficult for X86 servers to do this. In the past, only a few vendors such as IBM, HP, Dawning, and UNISYS can do it. However, with the release of Nehalem-EX (Xeon 7500), more and more manufacturers will launch more than 8 servers. However, in the horizontal expansion of Linux clusters, such as in the field of high-performance computing and Web services, the advantages of cheap X86 clusters are very strong, as evidenced by the global high-performance computer TOP500 and the domestic TOP100 list.

9.Technology Maturity

Many technologies in the server field are derived from minicomputers such as virtualization technology, key component redundancy technology, fault detection technology, etc. The technical maturity is obviously high. The X86 high-end server started late, but the X86 server has developed rapidly in recent years. In particular, IBM, HP and other vendors that have both small and X86 server services often port the technology on the small machine to the server. Intel has also begun to add more RAS features to the Xeon processor. For example, there are more than 20 RAS features in Nehalem-EX, some of which are also ported from the Itanium platform. As a result, the technology maturity of X86 servers is constantly increasing to meet the needs of more critical applications in the past.

10.Ease of use

As an industrial standardization product, X86 server has shipped more than 95% of the total server market, and supports Linux and Windows. System software, so the level of technical talents and management and maintenance personnel is not too high, and maintenance management is also easier. The RISC minicomputer is often required to be specially trained because it is closed to one manufacturer and has higher requirements for technicians.

11. Industry Prospects

X86 servers have a wide ecosystem, a large number of various software and hardware manufacturers, users are also very large, the entire industry has a strong vitality. The manufacturers of RISC minicomputers are fighting each other. IBM, HP, and Sun are all in one family. The hardware and operating systems are relatively closed, so the vitality is not as good as X86. Moreover, Sun's acquisition by Oracle and the slow development of HP's Itanium also bring instability to the healthy development of the overall industry.

12. Historical factors

RISC and X86 are not incompatible with each other, in reality they can coexist. In reality, some business systems are combined choices, such as peripheral applications using PC servers and core databases using RISC minicomputers. Many users have many legacy systems in their IT systems, and most of them can only continue with the previous architecture. Even if there is a migration, it is gradually carried out. For example, the database server continues to use the UNIX system, and the application server starts to switch to the X86 platform based on Linux or Windows system.

Summary

In short, combined with the opinions of most netizens, choosing RISC or X86 is not a sentence or two. Generally, it is determined by business application needs and budget. For units that are “not bad money”, RISC minicomputers will be considered for key businesses where budgets permit, as RISC has unparalleled advantages in terms of reliability and maturity. However, for most enterprise applications, cost performance is still the most critical determinant. After all, X86 has great advantages in overall cost, and X86 is in terms of performance and reliability. The gap in RISC has become smaller and smaller.

But system selection needs to be considered comprehensively. It is often not just technology and money. It is related to business needs, development efficiency, construction period, target users, maintenance costs, personnel levels, etc. Generalized. For example, in terms of reliability, in addition to the technology of the product itself, it is closely related to the level of personnel and management. Choosing windows or Unix is ​​often limited by existing developers and existing software; Business continuity, high availability, etc. have different requirements...

I believe that at least in the short term, the battle between X86 and RISC will continue, no one can kill anyone!