Dell EMC PowerEdge servers with the latest Intel Xeon CPUs in combination with Intel Optane memory can lower the TCO for SAP HANA environments and increase the overall memory capacity within a machine.
Intel Optane memory on SAP HANA enables up to 15 TB of data to be stored within one four-socket server beyond the physical capabilities of DRAM. SAP HANA supports persistent memory (PMEM) in App Direct mode, but not in Memory mode.
Memory limits are as follows:
Note: PMEM works only with SAP HANA certified Cascade Lake servers.
Currently, SAP HANA supports three operating system versions with PMEM:
For more information about Intel Optane memory, see SAP Note 2700084: FAQ: SAP HANA Persistent Memory (access requires login credentials).
All Cascade Lake CPUs with Xeon Gold or higher are compatible with Intel Optane memory. The specific processor needs depend on the total memory size (Intel Optane + DRAM). The CPU supports a specific memory size.
The following tables describe the minimum CPU requirements. Depending on performance needs, you might prefer a higher version, for example, Intel Xeon Platinum.
Table 5. Minimum CPU memory requirements
Processor type |
Memory limit |
No suffix in processor type |
1 TB per socket (4 TB maximum) |
M suffix in processor type |
2 TB per socket (8 TB maximum) |
L suffix in processor type |
4.5 TB per socket (18 TB maximum) |
Intel Optane for SAP HANA can be used in two-socket or four-socket systems, as described in the following tables:
Table 6. Systems with PMEM and two sockets populated
DRAM (size) |
PMEM (size) |
Ratio (DRAM: PMEM)/(total system capacity) |
Minimum CPU model |
12 x 32 GB (384 GB) |
12 x 128 GB (1,536 GB) |
1:4 (1,920 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with no suffix |
12 x 64 GB (768 GB) |
12 x 128 GB (1,536 GB) |
1:2 (2,304 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with M suffix |
12 x 64 GB (768 GB) |
12 x 256 GB (3,072 GB) |
1:4 (3,840 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with M suffix |
12 x 128 GB (1,536 GB) |
12 x 128 GB (1,536 GB) |
1:1 (3,072 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with M suffix |
12 x 128 GB (1,536 GB) |
12 x 256 GB (3,072 GB) |
1:2 (4,608 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with L suffix |
12 x 128 GB (1,536 GB) |
12 x 512 GB (6,144 GB) |
1:4 (7,680 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with L suffix |
Table 7. Systems with PMEM and four sockets populated
DRAM (size) |
PMEM (size) |
Ratio (DRAM, PMEM)/(total system capacity) |
Minimum CPU model |
24 x 32 GB (768 GB) |
24 x 128 GB (3,072 GB) |
1:4 (3,840 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with no suffix |
24 x 64 GB (1,536 GB) |
24 x 128 GB (3,072 GB) |
1:2 (4,608 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with M suffix |
24 x 64 GB (1,536 GB) |
24 x 256 GB (6,144 GB) |
1:4 (7,680 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with M suffix |
24 x 128 GB (3,072 GB) |
24 x 128 GB (3,072 GB) |
1:1 (6,144 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with M suffix |
24 x 128 GB (3,072 GB) |
24 x 256 GB (6,144 GB) |
1:2 (9,216 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with L suffix |
24 x 128 GB (3,072 GB) |
24 x 512 GB (12,288 GB) |
1:4 (15,360 GB) |
Intel Xeon Gold CPU with L suffix |
You can use any internal storage or certified Dell EMC SAP HANA external storage. For more information, see the disk sizing requirements for scale-up systems in SAP HANA TDI-Storage Requirements.
Scale-out systems are more complex, as described in the following table:
Table 8. Recommended storage sizes for scale-out systems
Volume |
Size |
/hana/data |
1.2 x anticipated net data size on disk or 1 x total main memory (DRAM + PMEM) |
/hana/log |
512 GB |
/hana/shared |
1 TB |