Home > Articles > Operating Systems, Server > Solaris

Introduction to Sun Fire Systems

Dec 6, 2002

📄 Contents

␡

⎙ Print

< Back Page 3 of 3

This chapter is from the book 

SunFire Systems Design and Configuration Guide

Learn More Buy

Performance

This section describes the performance features of the Sun Fire system hardware.

UltraSPARC III Processor

The UltraSPARC III is a high-performance implementation of the 64-bit SPARC^®V9 architecture.

Features of the UltraSPARC III CPU include:

Full binary compatibility with all UltraSPARC CPU applications
VIS instruction set for better 2D and 3D graphic processing
4-way superscalar
14-stage, non-stalling pipeline
Integrated memory controller
L1 caches: integrated instruction (32 kilobytes) and data (64 kilobytes)
L2 cache: 8 megabytes
MP scalability: Over 1000 CPUs per system
System bus: Sun Fireplane interconnect at 150 MHz
Error checking and correction (ECC) in external cache

TABLE 1-3 lists the UltraSPARC III CPU performance improvements over the UltraSPARC II CPU performance.

TABLE 1-3 UltraSPARC III CPU Performance Improvements

Item	Improvement
Clock frequency	Approximately 2X
Data cache size	4X
Instruction cache size	2X
Memory bandwidth	2 to 3X
External cache bandwidth	2X

CPU/Memory Board

The CPU/Memory board is common to all Sun Fire mid-range and high-end systems. The CPU/Memory board holds up to four processors. Each processor has an associated memory subsystem of eight DIMMs, so memory bandwidth and capacity both scale as processors are added. The memory capacity of the board is 32 gigabytes using 1-gigabyte DIMMs. The maximum memory bandwidth on a board is 9.6 gigabytes per second. The CPU/Memory board has a 4.8 gigabyte per second connection to the rest of the system.

I/O Modules

Each Sun Fire system I/O module contains two PCI controllers. Each controller provides one 66 MHz PCI bus, and one 33 MHz PCI bus. Each PCI bus contains two or more slots for PCI cards. A Sun Fire I/O Module has a 2.4 gigabyte per second connection to the rest of the system.

System Interconnect

All Sun Fire systems use the Sun Fireplane interconnect architecture, which is the coherent shared-memory protocol used by the UltraSPARC III/IV processor generation. Sun Microsystems uses an improved system interconnect with each new processor generation to keep system performance scaling with CPU performance.

The Sun Fireplane architecture is an improvement over the previous generation Ultra Port Architecture (UPA). The system clock rate is increased by fifty percent from 100 megahertz to 150 megahertz. The snoops-per-clock is doubled from one half to one. Taken together, these improvements triple the snooping bandwidth to 150 million addresses per second. The maximum data bandwidth for the Sun Fire 6800 and smaller systems is 9.6 gigabytes per second—triple that of the previous generation Sun Enterprise™ 6500/5500/4500/3500 systems.

The Sun Fireplane architecture also adds a new layer of point-to-point directory-coherency protocol, for use in systems that require more bandwidth than a single snooping bus can provide coherency for. This facility allows coherency to be maintained between multiple snooping buses, and is used in the Sun Fire 15K/12K systems. TABLE 1-4 lists the Sun Fire system interconnect specifications.

TABLE 1-4 Sun Fire System Interconnect Specifications

	Sun Fire 3800 system	Sun Fire 4810 / 4800 systems	Sun Fire 6800 system	Sun Fire 15K/12K systems
System clock	150 MHz
Coherency protocol	Snooping			Snooping on each board set, directory across centerplane
Address interconnect	1 snooping bus			18 snooping buses, 18x18 global address crossbar, 18x18 global response crossbar
CPU/Memory board internal bisection bandwidth	4.8 Gbytes/sec
CPU/Memory board external bandwidth	4.8 Gbytes/sec
I/O board external bandwidth	2.4 Gbytes/sec
Inter-board data interconnect	4 x4 crossbar	5 x 5 crossbar	10 x10 crossbar	18 3x3 crossbars, 18x18 global crossbar
Same-board bandwidth	9.6 Gbytes/sec			121 Gbytes/sec
Different-board bandwidth	4.8 Gbytes/ sec	9.6 Gbytes/sec		43/21.6 Gbytes/sec

Centerplane Implementation

The centerplane implementation depends upon system size. The Sun Fire 6800 and 4810/4800 systems have passive centerplanes, with switch ASICs located on the Repeater boards. The Sun Fire 6800 system uses four Repeater boards to implement a 10x10 data crossbar that connects the CPU/Memory boards and the I/O modules together. The Sun Fire 4810/4800 systems use two Repeater boards to implement a 5x5 data crossbar. The Sun Fire 3800 system uses an active centerplane. The Repeater board functionality is included on the centerplane to implement a 4x4 data crossbar.

The Sun Fire 15K/12K systems use an Expander board to implement a 3x3 switch between a CPU/Memory board, an I/O module, and the centerplane port.

The Sun Fire 15K/12K system has three 18x18 crossbars on the active centerplane to provide connections between the Expander boards. The three crossbars are separate busses for address, response, and data transfers. This method keeps address traffic from interfering with data traffic. The peak Sun Fire 15K system centerplane bandwidth is 43 gigabits per second and 21.6 gigabits per second for the Sun Fire 12K system.

System Configurations

TABLE 1-5 lists the Sun Fire system maximum configurations.

TABLE 1-5 Sun Fire System Maximum Configurations

	Sun Fire 3800 system	Sun Fire 4800 system	Sun Fire 4810 system	Sun Fire 6800 system	Sun Fire 12K system	Sun Fire 15K system
CPU/Memory boards	2	3		6	9	18
Processors	8	12		24	38/52¹	72/106¹
Number of DIMMs	64	96		192	288	576
Memory capacity(with 1 Gbyte DIMMs)	64 Gbytes	96 Gbytes		192 Gbytes	288 Gbytes	576 Gbytes
Centerplane	Active	Passive			Active
Repeater boards	0	2		4	NA
Expander boards	NA				9	18
Domains	2	2		4	9	18
I/O/MaxCPU Modules	2	2		4	9	18
PCI card types	hot-swap Compact-PCI	PCI and hot-swap CompactPCI			Hot-swap PCI
PCI slots per assembly	6	8 per PCI, 4 per cPCI			4
Max total PCI slot	12	16		32	36	72
Bulk power supplies	2	3		6		6
Power requirements	100–120 VAC or 200–240 VAC	200–240 VAC
System Controller boards	2
Redundant cooling	Yes
Redundant AC input	Yes
Enclosure	Rackmount	Deskside or Rackmount	Rackmount	Sun Fire 6800 cabinet	Sun Fire 12K cabinet	Sun Fire 15K cabinet

System Board Designations and Locations

TABLE 1-6 through TABLE 1-15 list the system board designations and locations.

TABLE 1-6 System Board Abbreviations

Abbreviation	System Board	Sun Fire System
IB[6-9]	I/O Module	6800/4810/4800/3800
FP	Filler Panel	All
IO[0-17]	I/O Board	15K/12K
MaxCPU[0-17]	Dual Processor Board	15K/12K
SB[0-17]	CPU/Memory Board	All
SC[0-1]	System Controller	All
SCPER[0-1]	System Controller Peripheral Board	15K/12K

TABLE 1-7 Sun Fire 6800 System Board Locations

Front
SC0	SB0	SB1	SB2	SB3	SB4	SB5
SC1	SB0	SB1	SB2	SB3	SB4	SB5

TABLE 1-7 Sun Fire 6800 System Board Locations

Rear
IB9	RP2	RP3	RP0	RP1	IB8
IB7	RP2	RP3	RP0	RP1	IB6

TABLE 1-9 Sun Fire 4810 System Board Locations

Front
IB8	SC1	RP0	RP1	RP0	RP2	RP4
IB6	SC0	RP0	RP1	RP0	RP2	RP4

TABLE 1-10 Sun Fire 4800 System Board Locations

Rear
IB8	SC1	RP0	RP1	RP0	RP2	RP4
IB6	SC0	RP0	RP1	RP0	RP2	RP4

TABLE 1-11 Sun Fire 3800 System Board Locations

Front
SC1
SB2
SC0
SB0
IB6	IB8

TABLE 1-12 Sun Fire 15K System Board Locations

Front
SB8	SB7	SB6	SB5	SB4	SB3	SB2	SB1	SB0	SC0
IO8 / Max CPU	IO7 / Max CPU	IO6 / Max CPU	IO5 / Max CPU	IO4 / Max CPU	IO3 / Max CPU	IO2 / Max CPU	IO1 / Max CPU	IO0 / Max CPU	SCPER0

TABLE 1-13 Sun Fire 15K System Board Locations

Rear
SB17	SB16	SB15	SB14	SB13	SB12	SB11	SB10	SB9	SC1
IO17 / Max CPU	IO16 / Max CPU	IO15 / Max CPU	IO14 / Max CPU	IO13 / Max CPU	IO12 / Max CPU	IO11 / Max CPU	IO10 / Max CPU	IO9 / Max CPU	SCPER1

TABLE 1-14 Sun Fire 12K System Board Locations

Front
SB8	SB7	SB6	SB5	SB4	SB3	SB2	SB1	SB0	SC0
IO8 / Max CPU	IO7 / Max CPU	IO6 / Max CPU	IO5 / Max CPU	IO4 / Max CPU	IO3 / Max CPU	IO2 / Max CPU	IO1 / Max CPU	IO0 / Max CPU	SCPER0

TABLE 1-15 Sun Fire 12K System Board Locations

Rear
FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	SC1
FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	FP	SCPER1

System Dimensions and Footprints

FIGURE 1-5 shows the dimensions and footprints of the Sun Fire 4810/4800/3800 systems. FIGURE 1-6 shows the dimensions and footprints of the Sun Fire 15K/6800 systems.

FIGURE 1-5 Sun Fire 4810/4800/3800 Systems Footprints and Dimensions

FIGURE 1-6 Sun Fire 15K/6800 Systems Footprints and Dimensions

< Back Page 3 of 3

🔖 Save To Your Account

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Privacy Notice

Overview

Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information

To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information

Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security

Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children

This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing

Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information

If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out

Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information

Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents

California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure

Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

As required by law.
With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links

This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact

Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020

Email Address

Introduction to Sun Fire Systems

This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book 

Performance

UltraSPARC III Processor

TABLE 1-3 UltraSPARC III CPU Performance Improvements

CPU/Memory Board

I/O Modules

System Interconnect

TABLE 1-4 Sun Fire System Interconnect Specifications

Centerplane Implementation

System Configurations

TABLE 1-5 Sun Fire System Maximum Configurations

System Board Designations and Locations

TABLE 1-6 System Board Abbreviations

TABLE 1-7 Sun Fire 6800 System Board Locations

TABLE 1-7 Sun Fire 6800 System Board Locations

TABLE 1-9 Sun Fire 4810 System Board Locations

TABLE 1-10 Sun Fire 4800 System Board Locations

TABLE 1-11 Sun Fire 3800 System Board Locations

TABLE 1-12 Sun Fire 15K System Board Locations

TABLE 1-13 Sun Fire 15K System Board Locations

TABLE 1-14 Sun Fire 12K System Board Locations

TABLE 1-15 Sun Fire 12K System Board Locations

System Dimensions and Footprints

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

Overview

Collection and Use of Information

Questions and Inquiries

Online Store

Surveys

Contests and Drawings

Newsletters

Service Announcements

Customer Service

Other Collection and Use of Information

Application and System Logs

Web Analytics

Cookies and Related Technologies

Do Not Track

Security

Children

Marketing

Correcting/Updating Personal Information

Choice/Opt-out

Sale of Personal Information

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents

Sharing and Disclosure

Links

Requests and Contact

Changes to this Privacy Notice