Amd Dual Dynamic Power Management; Test Methodology - HP ProLiant DL585 G5 Performance Manual

AMD Dual Dynamic Power Management

Without compromising performance, AMD Dual Dynamic Power Management functionality allows
each processor to maximize the power-saving benefits of Enhanced AMD PowerNow! by reducing
idle power consumption and enabling per-processor power management in multi-socket systems to
further reduce power consumption.
By powering core and memory controller voltage planes independently, AMD Dual Dynamic Power
Management can enhance both performance and power management.
Benefits include:
• Increased performance
The memory controller is able to run at a higher frequency, helping to reduce memory latency and
thus improving application performance.
• Improved power management
By operating independently from the memory controller, the cores in a Quad-Core AMD Opteron
processor can exploit the power savings offered by Enhanced AMD PowerNow! more often,
resulting in reduced power and cooling bills. In addition, the processor reduces power to the
northbridge 2 when memory is not in use, while continuing to provide full power to the cores.
The following sections of this paper describe the testing performed by HP to characterize the
performance and scalability of an HP ProLiant DL585 G5 server in a 64-bit HP SBC environment.
Note:
A 64-bit HP SBC environment eliminates the kernel memory constraints that
can limit server scalability in a 32-bit HP SBC environment. For more
information, refer to Appendix A – Using Microsoft Windows Server 2003
x64 Editions.

Test methodology

HP continues to upgrade existing HP ProLiant servers and introduce new servers to meet particular
business needs. To help customers select the appropriate server for their particular HP SBC
environment, HP publishes this and other performance characterizations so that you can compare
individual server performance and scalability.
This section describes how HP determined the optimal number of users supported by a 4P HP ProLiant
DL585 G5 server equipped with the Quad-Core AMD Opteron Processor Model 8360 HE
GHz) – henceforth referred to as the HP ProLiant DL585 G5 server – in a 64-bit test harness.
Important:
As with any laboratory testing, the performance metrics quoted in this
paper are idealized. In a production environment, these metrics may be
impacted by a variety of factors.
HP recommends proof-of-concept testing in a non-production environment
using the actual target application as a matter of best practice for all
application deployments. Testing the actual target application in a
test/staging environment identical to, but isolated from, the production
environment is the most effective way to characterize system behavior.
2 Or memory controller hub (MCH)
HE processors are higher power, frequency-optimized devices.
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