Introduction To The Architecture; Requirements - HP ProLiant DL590/64 Manual

Deployment of Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Itanium™ Processor on ProLiant DL590/64 Servers

Introduction to the Architecture

The Intel® Itanium™ architecture, upon which the ProLiant DL590/64 is built, is a dramatic
departure from the IA-32 architecture. The Intel® Itanium™ processor and platforms are capable
of using 64-bits of directly addressable memory and can execute Intel® Itanium™ instructions.
Apart from the processor enhancements, the supporting elements of the ProLiant DL590/64
platform provide a host of new features that make the ProLiant DL590/64 different from other
members of the ProLiant family of servers. The following list highlights some of the more
significant differences:
Standard Basic I/O Services (BIOS) has been replaced with Extensible Firmware Interface
(EFI)
EFI boot manager functions replace the old BIOS menu functions
EFI partition(s) on disks, CD-ROMs or floppies provide a means of storing components
that support the EFI environment
ROM is more intelligent in the selection of settings and defaults, reducing the effort and
attention required by the system operator during initial setup
Master Boot Record (MBR) boot devices have been replaced with GUID Partition Table
(GPT) devices

Requirements

Compaq worked with Red Hat during the development phase of Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Itanium
Processor to test daily software builds, to tune the OS, to build support for hardware features, and
to provide continuous feedback and fixes.
Designed to support 64-bit operating systems, the ProLiant DL590/64 server is the ideal platform
to support Red Hat Linux 7.2 for Itanium Processor. Default hardware configurations of the
ProLiant DL590/64 server models and information about software supporting the Red Hat Linux
7.2 for Itanium Processor operating system are detailed in the following sections.
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