HP D7171A - NetServer - LPr Applications page 4

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File-and-print servers are still the most frequent application for HP NetServers in general, and
specifically, for the HP NetServer LPr. This application requires the level of processing power
and memory that the LPr provides and operation is further aided by the built-in management
features.
Web Server (Internet/Intranet) static and dynamic
A static web server stores text and graphics files, the basic elements of web pages. Page
requests result in the files being sent to the requesting client. Very little processing power is
required to serve static web pages. A dynamic server creates most web pages "on-the-fly" from
page descriptions stored on the server, assembles the page, on-the-fly, and then delivers them
to the client. The dynamic server requires more CPU power than the static version given each
page is built on-demand and the page objects may be stored in a relational database. Both
static and dynamic web servers need a high-speed network to maximize the benefit of the CPU
power. A dual processor system with over 512MB of RAM for page caching is usually adequate
to handle page requests of a volume in the high hundreds per second on a dynamic server and
in the low thousands per second on a static server.
HP has tested the HP NetServer LPr with the SPECWeb96 standard benchmark, which
simulates a server with a static web site responding to a client's request for pages. The
benchmark measures the number of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) operations per second.
Any given web page requires at least two http operations, one to establish a connection and the
other operation to transmit the content to the requesting client. If a typical Web page contains
text and two graphics objects (requiring four http operations to fulfill the client browser request)
our measurements show that single dual processor HP NetServer LPr can deliver up to 40
million pages per 24 hour day. A full rack of 20 servers could deliver over a billion pages per
day (given that many requests could get to the servers).
Hewlett-Packard uses the HP NetServer LPr as a web server for the HP NetServer external
web site (www.hp.com/go/netserver) with more than 1,000 pages of dynamic content rich in
graphics. The site experiences more than 11 million hits or about 250,000 visits per month. The
HP NetServer LPr operates at reasonable capacity levels (<30% average CPU usage) with a
dual processor configuration, 640 MB of RAM using HP NetServer RS/12 SCSI external
storage.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are major users of the HP NetServer LPr. The servers
themselves are so economical that an ISP can dedicate one to each customer, yet because 20
servers can be stacked in a 2-meter rack, they are very efficient in their use of precious floor
space.
The Linux operating system has made significant inroads with ISPs as the basis for web, mail
and infrastructure servers. Linux meets the cost, performance and reliability needs of many
Internet service providers. HP supports Red Hat® Linux on the HP NetServer LPr and many
customers have already successfully deployed Linux on the LPr.
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