HP Targets Telcos with the HP Integrity NonStop CG BladeSystem

Blade servers are plug-in boards for a rackmount chassis’ backplane that are self-contained computer servers. Since each backplane has many slots, many blades can be plugged in, thus allowing for high density computing/information processing.

 

Every computer requires memory to read input commands and data, a processor to perform commands manipulating that data, and backing storage to store the results. In the blade scenario, supporting components are moved out of the blade computer to the blade enclosure (as in the case of the DC power supply), virtualized (iSCSI storage, remote console over IP) or eliminated entirely (e.g. serial ports). The blade itself becomes a simple, streamlined computer on a plug-in board, making it quite small and less expensive to manufacture than a complete “box.”

 

A blade enclosure, generally a rackmount box (a minimum size of 1U or rack unit, 19-inches wide and 1.75-inches tall) that can house multiple blade servers, provides services such as power, cooling, networking, various interconnects and management. Together these form the blade system. Racks themselves can be up to about 42U in height, and it is not uncommon to achieve densities of 128 discrete servers per rack.

 

And now, HP today expanded its portfolio of carrier-grade systems with a blade platform designed to help service providers reduce costs and efficiently expand capacity. Targeting service as a foundation for wireless and wired networks, the HP Integrity NonStop NB50000c-cg Carrier-grade (CG) BladeSystem delivers the kind of 24/7 availability, extreme scalability and high performance as found in the HP NonStop systems family. (First introduced in 1987, HP NonStop servers were perhaps the first commercial platform to host mission-critical applications that were offloaded from the switch, the core engine in a telecom network. Today, HP servers are widely deployed in the telecom network at key off-switch nodes, or Service Control Points — SCPs). At the same time, it provides the modular flexibility and efficiency of the HP c-Class BladeSystem platform.

 

To satisfy the strict reliability and ruggedized requirements of telcos, HP has spent the time and money for NEBS Level 3 rack certification — a telecom industry standard that ensures hardware platforms provide high levels of reliability in all conditions. Also the NEBS-certified power supply puts out 36 to -72 volt direct current tailored for central office use.

 

The HP Integrity NonStop CG BladeSystem provides greater performance over its predecessors and occupies less physical space, an important factor in crowded telecom central offices (COs) and data centers. Compared to the HP Integrity NonStop NS5000CG server, it delivers twice the performance in half the physical footprint. Compared to equivalent HP NonStop S-Series carrier-grade servers, it offers up to four times the processing capacity in half the footprint.

 

The new system’s blade architecture provides customers a lower initial cost for comparable NonStop server processing power — with the flexibility to scale up as the business requires. Over the long term, its smaller footprint, reduced power consumption and more efficient cooling combine to deliver a lower total cost of ownership.

 

Built to meet stringent global telecom requirements, the service availability and scalability of the HP Integrity NonStop CG BladeSystem make it suitable for use in a wide variety of network applications, including the HP OpenCall Home Location Register (HLR). This solution supports more than 200 million mobile subscribers worldwide.

 

Additionally, the platform supports many Intelligent Network applications, including network enablers for both text and multimedia messaging as well as location services. Business and operations support systems (BSS and OSS) also can be hosted on the HP Integrity NonStop CG Platform. To support advanced services, the platform is ready for networks that include Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technologies, such as the HP OpenCall Home Subscriber Server, which handles core mobility functions.

 

The HP Integrity NonStop CG BladeSystem also has a commercial, enterprise-class counterpart that is optimized for IT applications. As telephony and enterprise environments converge, a common foundation that can support both telephony and IT needs provides valuable flexibility for service providers.

 

Essentially, with the HP Integrity NonStop CG BladeSystem, HP has migrated the attributes of telecom mainframe-class systems to bladed architectures. This builds on the 2007 launch of the HP BladeSystem CG Platform, which uses Intel (News - Alert) Xeon series processors and the Linux operating system.

 

The HP Integrity NonStop CG BladeSystem features a new telecom-specific input/output (I/O) infrastructure that leverages standards-based processing engines called Cluster I/O Modules (CLIMs). By offloading specific processing tasks from the host HP NonStop server, the CLIMs increase performance and reduce I/O and storage processing costs. The new platform ships with three carrier-grade CLIMs: 1) an IP CG CLIM for system networking protocols, IPSec and Ethernet connectivity; 2) a Storage CG CLIM for various HP storage disks and arrays; and 3) Telecom CLIM that handles the M3UA layer for Signaling System 7 messages over a digital, IP-based system. More CLIMs will follow in 2009.

 

The HP Integrity NonStop CG BladeSystem is supported by many management tools and applications, including HP Systems Insight Manager.

 

The HP Integrity NonStop CG BladeSystem is now available worldwide.