PTP and SyncE on Dell Next-Generation Servers
Download PDFFri, 03 Mar 2023 19:57:24 -0000
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Summary
The telecom industry is on a journey of transformation, making pitstops to disaggregate hardware and software, virtualize networks, and introduce cloudification across RAN and core domains. The introduction of 5G and ORAN has accelerated the transformation, and we now see telecom becoming a universal phenomenon and touching all aspects of life.
This telecom evolution opened a number of opportunities for CSPs to diversify their revenue streams, but it also introduced stringent technological implementations. To support higher bandwidth and mMIMO technologies in new-generation systems, solution development teams were faced with strict requirements of latency and synchronization.
In this tech note, we discuss synchronization systems in 5G and ORAN fronthaul interfaces, and next-generation Dell PowerEdge support for synchronization standards.
Note: This document may contain language from third-party content that is not under Dell Technologies’ control and is not consistent with current guidelines for Dell Technologies’ own content. When such third-party content is updated by the relevant third parties, this document will be revised accordingly.
Network synchronization
Telecom networks have always required proper and accurate synchronization for handover between different cell sites, reducing interference and increasing performance at cell edge. 2G, 3G, and 4G networks all required a certain level of synchronization, but 5G requires timing in the range of nanoseconds. This enables features such as beamforming and time-division duplexing to function accurately.
Telecom systems generally work based on the following synchronization methods:
- Frequency synchronization: Frequency synchronization ensures that the frequency of the local clock at the 5G/4G cell site is the same as the PRTC. The quality of frequency synchronization is measured in parts per billion (ppb) by the difference between the actual and desired frequency.
- Time synchronization: Time synchronization refers to the distribution of time across clocks in a network. Time synchronization is one way of achieving phase synchronization.
- Phase synchronization: Phase synchronization takes care of the timing signals occurring at the same time. It ensures that the rising edge of each clock input occurs at the same time. The quality of phase synchronization is measured in microseconds (ms) or nanoseconds (ns) by the difference between the timing of the signals.
The following table lists the telecom requirements for the frequency and phase specifications:
Table 1. Telecom technologies with standard units
Telecom technology | Frequency air interface/network | Phase/time air interface/network |
GSM | 16 ppb/50 pbb | - |
LTE-FDD | 16 ppb/50 ppb | - |
LTE-TDD | 16 ppb/50 ppb | 1500 ns |
LTE-A | 16 ppb/50 ppb | 500 ns |
5G | 16 ppb/50 ppb | 65 ns |
Methods of synchronization transmission
Different standards apply to the transmission of the synchronization signals, as outlined in the following table:
Table 2. Synchronization methods for distribution standards
Synchronization distribution standard | Time synchronization | Frequency synchronization | Phase synchronization |
PTP (IEEE 1588) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
SyncE | No | Yes | No |
GNSS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
NTP | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Fronthaul synchronization requirements for 5G in ORAN
O-RAN ALLIANCE has defined four synchronization topologies— LLS-C1 , LLS-C2 , LLS-C3 and LLS-C4—to address different deployment topologies in telecom networks. The following figure shows a typical synchronization flow diagram with synchronization from PRTC flowing to end cell sites:
Figure 1. ORAN synchronization overview
PRTC: Primary Reference Time Clock
GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System
T-GM: Telecom Grand Master Clock
Stay tuned for another tech note from Dell with more details about synchronization technologies.
In telecom systems, synchronization is delivered by various mechanisms:
- Synchronization signals are delivered from GNSS directly to each node in the network. This system is accurate, but it becomes quite costly.
- Synchronization signals are delivered from a centralized PRTC/T-GM in-band over a transport network.
- Synchronization signals are delivered by a dedicated synchronization transport network that is separate from the transport network used to carry user and control signals.
The transport network for carrying synchronization can be either the backhaul network used to carry traffic or a dedicated network for transporting synchronization signals.
In 5G and ORAN, gNBs need frequency, phase, and time synchronization. The following two protocols are used for transporting synchronization signals over a packet-based network:
- Precision Time Protocol (PTP)
- Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE)
The same packed-based transport network can be used to carry users and control plane traffic.
PTP
PTP, defined by the IEEE 1588 standard, was developed to provide accurate distribution of time and frequency over a packet-based network. A PTP synchronization system is composed of PTP-aware devices and non-PTP-aware devices.
The following table describes the clock types in PTP:
Table 3. Types of clocks in PTP
Clock type | Definition | Usage |
Telecom grandmaster (T-GM ) | The master clock at the start of a PTP domain. It is typically located at the core network. | At the beginning of the network to provide timing signals to network. |
Telecom boundary clock (T-BC) | Clock that can act both as a slave and master clock. It takes the sync signal from the master, adjusts for the delay, and generates a new master synchronization signal to pass downstream to the next device. | When the synchronization signal needs to travel through multiple nodes across a long distance. |
Telecom transparent clock (T-TC) | Clock that timestamps a synchronization packet message and sends it forward to the secondary device. It enables the secondary device to calculate the delay of the network. | For scenarios where timing signals are passing through switches. |
Telecom time slave clock (T-TSC) | The end device that receives the synchronization signal. | In telecom, the end node that receives the synchronization signals. |
The following figure illustrates how various types of clocks in PTP interact with each other:
Figure 2. Types of clocks in PTP
In 5G and ORAN, PTP generally works with two types of timing profiles, G8275.1 and G8275.2 . As shown in the following figure, G8725.1 is the profile where all devices are PTP-aware devices, and G8275.2 is the profile where are all devices can be, but might not be, PTP-aware devices. Figure 3. G8275.1 and G8275.2 timing profiles
Why do ORAN and 5G need two PTP profiles? One reason is the use case and implementation perspective of the CSP, as outlined in the following table:
Table 4. PTP telecom profiles
PTP Telecom Profile | Description | Usage |
G8275.1 (full timing support) |
|
|
G8275.2 (partial timing support) |
|
|
SyncE
SyncE is a synchronization technology that enables the transfer of synchronization signals at the physical layer. It is used to provide accurate and stable frequency synchronization between the different components of a network architecture. Over the fronthaul interface in ORAN and 5G, both SyncE and PTP are used together to provide nanosecond-level synchronization accuracy. SyncE can deliver frequency synchronization, but it cannot deliver phase and time synchronization. It functions independently of the network load and supports the transfer of sync signals where all the interfaces on the intermediate path must support SyncE.
Why fronthaul synchronization requires both PTP and SyncE
In ORAN, for topology architectures LLS-C1, LLS-C2, and LLS-C3, both SyncE and PTP are used on the fronthaul interface between DU and RU or in the mid-haul interface between CU and DU. When PTP itself can cater to frequency, time, and phase synchronization, why do we need SyncE along with PTP?
The answer is that using both PTP and SyncE delivers these advantages:
- Higher accuracy: SyncE is a physical layer protocol that can deliver a stable and consistent frequency. Combining the stability of SyncE for frequency synchronization with the precision of PTP for time and phase synchronization provides for a very accurate clock.
- High availability: When a PTP clock fails, the node can fall back to the SyncE frequency clock and advance the time more accurately and for longer, rather than relying only upon the internal oscillator. Also, when the PTP clock source fails, locking to a new PTP source can occur quickly when SyncE is already in use. Without SyncE, PTP can take more time to identify the actual time and lock to a new clock source.
Implementation of PTP and SyncE in next-generation PowerEdge servers for telecom applications
Next-generation Dell PowerEdge servers come with Intel NIC cards such as Westport Channel and Logan Beach. All these NIC cards are timing aware and can be used to provide synchronization to downstream nodes. Because these servers can be positioned both as CU and DU, and support LLS-C1 , LLS-C2, and LLS-C3 deployment, support of SyncE and PTP makes these servers an apt choice for RAM and edge deployments.
Conclusion
Dell Technologies continues to provide best-in-class features and specifications for its constantly evolving PowerEdge server portfolio for telecom. The PowerEdge XR8000 (430 mm depth) and XR5610 (463 mm depth) provide scalability and flexibility, with the latest technologies for PCIe, storage, memory, I/O, and even node-chassis infrastructure in a dense (SA1) form factor. With support for PTP and SyncE technologies, these next-generation PowerEdge servers provide essential infrastructure support at the edge.
Related Documents
Optimizing Performance Per Watt with Dell PowerEdge XR Servers
Thu, 14 Mar 2024 16:48:00 -0000
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Executive Summary
With power and cooling costs accounting for increasingly large portions of IT budgets, IT departments looking to minimize total cost of ownership (TCO) are making power efficiency a priority when choosing server hardware. This white paper will examine the power efficiency of Dell Edge servers in the multi-node, 2U form factor, a form factor that is one of the most popular in many Edge and Telecom use cases because of the balance it strikes between density and expandability. This white paper will present and analyze power efficiency results for several Dell current-generation PowerEdge XR servers and also illustrate how those results compare on various parameters with a prior-generation Dell Edge server.
The environmental conditions for telecom edge computing are typically vastly different than those at centralized data centers. Telecom edge computing sites might, at best, consist of little more than a telecommunications closet with minimal or no HVAC. Thus, ruggedized, front-access servers are ideal for such deployments. The Dell PowerEdge servers checks all of the boxes.
Dell Technologies commissioned Tolly to evaluate the power efficiency of Dell’s XR8000, XR4000, XR5610, and XR11 servers using the industry standard Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) SPECPower benchmark and compare those to each other. The SPECPower benchmark measures server-side Java (SSJ) throughput and system power consumption. The benchmark calculates SSJ operations per watt of system power consumed. All analysis was based on public data submitted to the SPEC and published on their website.[1]
The Dell PowerEdge XR8000, XR4000, XR5610, and XR11 are all highly-capable edge servers but offer customers different options with respect to form factor, CPU specifications, and power efficiency/cost. The following summary tables provide insights into the value each offers from a different perspective of performance, cost, and energy usage.
The first table, below, summarizes the raw performance results calculated by SPECPower. As one would expect, the newer systems deliver higher performance per watt the older systems. The XR5610[2] and XR11 were measured on 32 cores where the other two systems were measured on 64 cores.
Table 1. SPECPower - Performance/Watt
The second table, below, analyzes results on a “per core” basis as the various Dell systems have either 32 or 64 cores. The XR4000 results are 26% higher than the XR11 results, the XR8000 results are 42% higher than the XR11, and the XR5610 results are 62% higher than the XR11 roughly tracking the results shown in the previous table for the entire systems.
Table 2. SPECPower - Performance/CPU Core
The third table, below, calculates watts consumed per CPU core without reference to performance.The XR4000 and the XR11 results are within 2% of each other. The XR8000 results are13% better than the XR11 and the XR5610 results are 7% better than the XR11. Note that the XR11 is powered by an Intel 3rd Gen Xeon SP CPU while the XR4000 is powered by an Intel Xeon-D CPU.
Table 3. SPECPower - Watts/CPU Core
The fourth table, below, factored in the cost of the CPU into the perf/watt equation. Thus, lower cost CPUs will have higher values in this table when the raw performance is the same as higher cost CPUs. The XR4000 results are 120% better than the XR11 results, the XR8000 results are 110% better than the XR11, and the XR5610 results are 104% better than the XR11.
Table 4. SPECPower - Perf/Watts/CPU Cost
The fifth table, below, provides links to details of each of the CPUs evaluated.
Table 5. Dell PowerEdge Server Systems - Intel CPU Detail Links
System | CPU | Intel Reference Link |
Dell PowerEdge XR8000 (XR8620T) & Dell PowerEdge 5610 | Intel Xeon Gold 6421N, 1.80 GHz | |
Dell PowerEdge XR4000 | Intel Xeon D-2776NT, 2.10 GHz | |
Dell PowerEdge XR11 | Intel Xeon Gold 6338N, 2.2 GHz |
Competitive Positioning
Based on the publicly available data from spec.org/power, we can see high capacity data intensive workload targeted HPE and Supermicro servers. Although these are not direct competitors to Dell PowerEdge XR servers, it is worthwhile to note that the perf/watt/CPU$ for XR8000 is better than both HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 (Intel Xeon Platinum 8480+ 2.0 GHz), HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen 1 (Intel Xeon Platinum 8480+ 2.0 GHz), as well as the Supermicro SYS-621C-TN12R (Intel Xeon Platinum 8490H 1.90GHz).
Dell XR servers provide solutions for various edge workloads in a short form factor, edge optimized with power efficiency consideration taken into account.
Air Cooling
Dell created Multi-Vector Cooling (MVC) to maximize the potential of air cooling. It includes control algorithms, thermal and power sensors, component mapped fan zoning and airflow channeling shrouds to balance and intelligently direct airflow across the systems’ components.
New high-performance fans and heatsinks, as well as special airflow-optimized configurations, ensure even high-power CPUs are supported without throttling.
For more information, go to https://www.dell.com/en-us/blog/better-ways-to-cool-your-poweredge-servers, read this “Direct from Development” (DfD) note https://infohub.delltechnologies.com/p/understanding-thermal-design-and-capabilities-for-the-poweredge-xr8000-server, or view a video on the topic at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rHEXJsX75Y&ab_channel=DellTechnologies.
Telecom Edge Computing
Wireless telecom providers world-wide have at least two things in common: seemingly endless growth, and the rapid migration from specialized, proprietary radio access network (RAN) hardware to scalable, software-based vRAN solutions. Over two dozen system operators and nearly 300 related companies and academic institutions are part of the Open RAN Alliance (O-RAN) working together to bring an open solution to the industry.[3]
The telecom edge, thus, needs ruggedized servers built to resist demanding environmental conditions while delivering significant compute power with cost-efficient use of electric power.
Dell, an acknowledged information technology leader, builds servers that are designed for both the processing requirements and physical deployment requirements of edge servers with a particular focus on telecom applications. In particular, the Dell PowerEdge XR8000 and Dell PowerEdge XR4000 edge servers provides a powerful and flexible selection of configurations focused on the particular needs of the telecom edge.[4]
- Built to withstand extreme heat & dust; operating temperature range from -5 to 55C
- Efficient use of electric power
- Suitable for shock and vibration of factory floors & construction site
- Can be deployed in distributed telecom and other extreme environments
- Short depth (355mm), small form factor
- Ruggedized; tested for NEBS and MIL-STD
- Multi-node capable
PowerEdge XR4000: Scalability and Flexibility with HCI Capabilities
The Dell PowerEdge XR4000 Edge Server is part of Dell’s family of purpose-built, ruggedized servers. The PowerEdge XR4000 is built for environments like telecom edge deployment or factory floors where the servers could be subjected to demanding conditions including high temperatures, dust, shock and vibrations.
The high-performance, multinode XR4000 server was purpose built to address the demands of today’s retail, manufacturing and defense customers. It was designed around a unique chassis and compute sled(s) concept. The actual computer resides in modular 1U or 2U sled form factors. The only shared component between the sleds is power. The server is also designed to support hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI).
The XR4000 is available in two 14" depth “rackable” and “stackable” chassis form factors. The optional nano server sled replaces the need for a virtual witness node. The in-chassis witness node allows for native, two-node vSAN clusters in the stackable server chassis.
The servers are small form factor, short depth units that can be deployed alone or in multi-node configurations.
The XR4000 used for this test was an XR4520c 2U compute sled. See table below for key specifications.
Table 6. Dell PowerEdge XR4520 Compute Sled Key Specifications
PowerEdge XR8000: Flexible, Innovative, Sled-based RAN-Optimized Server
The Dell PowerEdge XR8000 Edge Server is the newest addition Dell’s family of purpose-built, ruggedized servers. The PowerEdge XR4000 is built for environments like telecom edge environments where the servers could be subjected to demanding conditions including high temperatures, dust, shock and vibrations.
The short-depth XR8000 server, which comes in a sledded server architecture (with 1U and 2U single-socket form factors), is optimized for total cost of ownership (TCO) and performance in O-RAN (radio access network) applications. It is RAN optimized with integrated networking and 1/0 PTP/SyncE support. And its front-accessible design radically simplifies sled serviceability in the field.
The XR8000 offers options for multiple sled form factors with up to four nodes per chassis that can work together or independently. The 2U half-width sled configuration accommodates general purpose compute at the edge / far edge, while the 1U half-width sled configuration is ideal for dense compute and network edge-optimized workloads.
Table 7. Dell PowerEdge XR8620 Compute Sled Key Specifications
The XR8000 delivers extended tolerance to heat and cold with enhanced heatsinks and optimized airflow design. The system supports Sapphire Rapids SP and Edge Enhanced (EE) processors with Intel vRAN Boost, on-chip acceleration and includes both DC and AC power supply options and five total power supply unit (PSU) variants
PowerEdge XR5610: All-Purpose, Rugged 1U Edge Server
The Dell PowerEdge XR8000 Edge Server is a new addition Dell’s family of purpose-built, ruggedized servers. As with the PowerEdge XR8000 and PowerEdge XR4000, the PowerEdge XR5610 is built for environments where the servers could be subjected to demanding conditions including high temperatures, dust, shock and vibrations. The XR5610 is the upgraded successor to the XR11 that is also covered in this report.
The PowerEdge XR5610 is a 1U, single-socket server designed for target workloads in networking and communication, enterprise edge, military, and defense. It is well suited for 5G vRAN and ORAN telecom workloads, as well as military and defense deployments and retail AI including video monitoring, IoT device aggregation and PoS analytics. The design specification supports continuous operation in extreme temperatures ranging from -5C to 55C. The design is ruggedized, compliant, and compact.
The server features a filtered smart bezel for dust reduction and the server has undergone MIL810H and NEBS Level 3 testing for handling shocks and vibrations.
Table 8. Dell PowerEdge XR5610 Key Specifications
SPECPower Workload & Results
The Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC), according to their website, “is a non-profit corporation formed to establish, maintain and endorse standardized benchmarks and tools to evaluate performance and energy efficiency for the newest generation of computing systems. SPEC develops benchmark suites and also reviews and publishes submitted results from our member organizations and other benchmark licensees.”
SPEC has established benchmarks, to date, in some nine different areas. In addition to power, the focus of this report, the benchmarks include Machine Learning, High Performance Computing, Virtualization, and more.
Server vendors run the benchmark tests in their own labs according to the SPEC benchmark specifications. Vendors may use the results internally and/or they can submit the results to SPEC for review and publication. Once published, the results are freely available and can be used by others in public reports so long as that use complies with the SPEC “Fair Use Policy” for the given benchmark.
SPECPower_ssj2008 Benchmark
As evidenced by its name, the SPECPower benchmark was issued in 2008. The workload, represented in the name by “ssj,” is “Server Side Java (SSJ).“ The benchmark drives the load on the target server while also measuring the power consumption of the server.
While the benchmark allows for different java virtual machines (JVM) to be used in the benchmark, the Oracle JVM is used almost exclusively for the tests. The results document CPU and memory configurations of the systems and reports “submeasurements” of SSL operations at 100% CPU, average watts consumed at 100%, and average watts at idle. The result reported is the overall SSJ operations divided by the watts consumed.
It is important to note that the test is run at 10 different loads from 10% to 100% in increments of 10% load. Only the 100% results are displayed in the SPECPower results table but the SPECPower “result” value is an average of all ten tests.
Raw Results
All results referenced in this report are available to the general public on the SPEC site at: https://www.spec.org/power_ssj2008/results. The information in the following tables is excerpted from the public results. The table, below, contains the submeasurements and the final result for each system discussed in the paper. All other results in this paper are calculated using the the SPECPower raw results below.
Table 9. SPEC SPECPower_ssj2008 Results
Server Specifications
The table, below, contains the server system specifications as shown on the SPEC results website. All systems were tested using Oracle Corporation’s JVM.
Table 10. Server System Specifications
System BIOS Settings
The tests used Dells recommended BIOS settings for power efficiency. The Dell PowerEdge XR8000 and Dell PowerEdge XR4000 systems both used the following BIOS settings.
Table 11. Server System BIOS Settings
XR Series Price/Power Efficiency Claims
The charts below visualize the tabular results presented in the Executive Summary section earlier in this report.
Performance/Watt (Performance-to-Power-Ratio)
Performance/CPU Core
Watt/CPU Core
Performance/Watt/CPU Cost
About Tolly
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Tolly Report #223124
August 2023
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[2] At publication time the XR5610 results were being prepared for submission to SPEC and should appear later in Q3 2023.
Abstract: A Path to Virtualization at the Edge
Thu, 14 Mar 2024 16:47:31 -0000
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Picking the right edge-computing option from the Dell™ PowerEdge™ XR family of servers.
The Ever-Growing Importance of Edge Computing
Data at the edge is rich with information. For the most actionable insights, especially with power-hungry workloads like data analytics and AI/ML, modern organizations capture and analyze data when and where it’s generated—even when that location is in an unforgiving environment far from the data center, such as an oil rig in the North Sea.
Prowess Consulting investigated some of the latest-generation edge-computing servers from Dell Technologies to see how they meet the challenge of keeping up with performance needs in the most hostile environments. We looked at inter- and intra-generational differences, compared specs and VMmark® results, and considered potential use cases.
We found that, for organizations looking for the ideal edge server, the Dell™ PowerEdge™ XR7620 server delivers high performance, including excellent virtualization capabilities and VMware vSAN™ performance, whereas PowerEdge XR4000 series servers deliver excellent density and deployment flexibility.
The Unforgiving Edge
Workloads like data analytics and AI/ML, which process data at the edge, drive the need for high performance. And a host of environmental and logistical challenges arise when you move that high performance to the edge. For example, a factory that combines Internet of Things (IoT) and digital twin technologies to automate resource allocation and optimize efficiency through analytics and AI will need servers on the factory floor to generate and capture actionable data. And that means exposure to heat, vibration, dust, and more.
How your organization addresses these considerations of performance and durability inherent to edge computing is key. Regardless of your solution, maximizing performance and safeguarding against harsh environments is critical.
The PowerEdge XR7620 Server: A Generational Update
Figure 1 provides a quick visual reference for the servers discussed in this abstract.
Figure 1. Venn diagram of the Dell™ PowerEdge™ XE2420, XR7620, and XR4000 series servers
PowerEdge XR7620 Server vs. PowerEdge XE2420 Server
Prowess Consulting examined the performance difference between the PowerEdge XR7620 server and its previous generation, the PowerEdge XE2420 server.
The 4th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors powering the PowerEdge XR7620 server provide several benefits over the 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors powering the PowerEdge XE2420 server. These benefits include:
- 1.53x average generation-on-generation performance improvement[1]
- Up to 1.60x higher input/output operations per second (IOPS) and up to 37% latency reduction for large-packet sequential reads using integrated Intel® Data Streaming Accelerator (Intel® DSA) versus the prior generation[2]
- Up to 95% fewer cores and 2x higher level-1 compression throughput using integrated Intel® QuickAssist Technology (Intel® QAT) versus the prior generation[3]
This improved performance between generations can also been seen by comparing VMware vSAN deployments. The PowerEdge XE2420 server and the PowerEdge XR7620 server can both implement two-node vSAN deployments. However, as noted previously, the PowerEdge XR7620 server will be more performant with those deployments. This higher level of performance doesn’t just come from the upgraded processor, either. The 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors in the PowerEdge XR7620 server are optimized to take full advantage of the new features and software improvements in VMware vSphere® 8, including GPU- and CPU-based acceleration.
VMmark® Examination of PowerEdge XR7620 and PowerEdge XR4000 Series Servers
The PowerEdge XR7620 server is part of the PowerEdge XR family of servers, all of which are built to handle the most extreme environments while still delivering performance and reliability. We wanted to examine the PowerEdge XR7620 server alongside its “younger siblings,” the PowerEdge XR4000 series servers, and investigate the intra-generational differences in the PowerEdge XR family. (While not discussed in this study, the PowerEdge XR8000 series servers provide excellent flexibility and stability, and would be the “elder sibling” in the family.)
The VMmark results show the PowerEdge XR7620 server can achieve more performance across more tiles (fourteen versus four). These results also illustrate what can be achieved at the edge with a full, dual-socket server using the latest-generation processors in a short depth, 2U ruggedized chassis at the edge. While the PowerEdge XR7620 server’s overall performance wins are expected, what’s missing is how performant at the edge the PowerEdge XR4000 series servers are. Given the smaller size and shorter form factor overall, the PowerEdge XR4000 series servers are very performant relative to size, and they are an excellent option when a smaller, denser, more flexible deployment is called for. Moreover, their redundancy allows for more hardware failures, making them resilient and durable.
VMware vSAN is widely deployed as a virtualization software and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution, so we compared vSAN deployments inter-generationally as well. While both servers take advantage of vSAN, the PowerEdge XR7620 server will offer more overall performance, whereas PowerEdge XR4000 series servers offer the highest density in the smallest form factor.
There is, however, another significant benefit to the upgraded PowerEdge XR7620 server: power savings and sustainability. As shown in our technical research study, the PowerEdge XR7620 server offers double the cores of the PowerEdge XR4510c server tested, for less than double the wattage, resulting in a smaller power draw when the PowerEdge XR7620 is deployed at the edge. The reduced power consumption can also potentially lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and help meet your business’s sustainability goals.
Finding an Edge Within the PowerEdge XR Family
Our research concludes that the Dell PowerEdge XR family of servers is a great option for organizations looking for reliable, high-performing servers in ruggedized, short-depth form factors designed specifically for edge computing. Among the range of PowerEdge XR family servers examined by Prowess Consulting, the PowerEdge XR7620 server represents a solid upgrade from the previous generation, and it is the performance-focused offering in the new PowerEdge XR family of servers. PowerEdge XR4000 series servers are the high-density, performant option when durability and space constraints are primary concerns.
Learn More
For full research results and configuration details, see the technical research report at https://infohub.delltechnologies.com/p/a-path-to-virtualization-at-the-edge.
For more information on the Dell PowerEdge XR7620 server, see “Dell’s PowerEdge XR7620 for Telecom/Edge Compute” and the PowerEdge XR7620 server product page.
For more information on the new offerings in the PowerEdge XR family, see “Dell PowerEdge Gets Edgy with XR8000, XR7620, and XR5610 Servers.
[1] Intel. Performance Index (4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, G1). Accessed May 2023. www.intel.com/PerformanceIndex.
[2] Intel. Performance Index (4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, N18). Accessed May 2023. www.intel.com/PerformanceIndex.
[3] Intel. Performance Index (4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, N16). Accessed May 2023. www.intel.com/PerformanceIndex.