K-class vs. V-class

[Victor_5]

We are trying to replace the current k-class with v-class, I know v-class is the largest class in hp family, what is the major difference between k-class and v-class from administration side?

[Sridhar Bhaskarla · Accepted solution]

Well, by default you will have a nice console (a 7xx workstation) for V-class. The bootup sequence will look strange. Once it comes on-line, you won't see any difference. It is all PCI. Must faster backplane/scalability/IO bandwidths etc., etc.,

Here is some good info on V-class

http://www.cilea.it/servizi/b/hpserver/V_Product_Overview.htm

-Sri

[Michael Tully]

Hi,

I am not sure why you think that the 'V' class
is the answer. Suggest you have a look at the
new 'S' class or 'rp8400' for a comparison.

http://www.hp.com/techservers/products/pa-risc/ rp8400/overview.html

and for all servers
http://www.hp.com/products1/unixservers/

-Michael

[Sachin Patel]

Or N class for comparision.

N-class is outporforming V-class and cheaper then V

Sachin

[Uday_S_Ankolekar]

Hi,

If budget is a concern then I would go for N-Class.
Performance wise; price wise; "space" wise! N class much better.

-USA..

[Rodney Hills]

Isn't the N-class based on the IA-64 chip? and wouldn't that mean all the binaries compiled on the Software Porting Archive would not be usable?


-- Rod Hills

[Roger Baptiste]

Hi,

If Speed is the motivation behind the move, i would prefer N-class over V-class.
N outperforms V in performance. The difference
between K and N(applies to V) is the architecture , bus (pci).

I am not even sure whether anybody is going for *new* purchase of V-class anymore.

You can also check up
Keystone server (RP8400?).
It is supposed to be even faster than N and can take in 16 Cpus. I should be testing one soon.

HTH
raj

[Animesh Chakraborty]

Hi,
Are you getting 2nd hand V class server at PC's
price ?Then you can buy it.
Else as suggested by other buy N class/rp8400/rp8700.
What I don't like about V-class is the shape.It takes lot of floor space.

[Steven Sim Kok Leong]

Hi,

Some points to note:

1) You must run HP-UX 11.00 in 64-bit mode on V-classes whereas you can run either 32-bit or 64-bit HP-UX 11.00 on K-classes. Thus, if you have applications that somehow or other supports ONLY 32-bit HP-UX 11.00, you can't use the V-classes.

$ grep V2200 /etc/.supported_bits
9000/800/V2200 64
$ grep K /etc/.supported_bits
9000/802/K250 32/64
9000/879/K260 32/64
9000/879/K260-EG 32/64
9000/889/K460-EG 32/64
9000/889/K460-XP 32/64
9000/898/K370 32/64
9000/804/K450 32/64
9000/889/K460 32/64
9000/899/K570 32/64
9000/800/K380 32/64
9000/800/K580 32/64
9000/800/K360 32/64

2) V2200 has 4 noisy fans behind. V2500 has 6 noisy fans behind. Very noisy and very windy. I never like working on the servers located right behind the V-classes. If you don't want to catch a cold, don't situate consoles behind V-classes.

3) The V-classes have to be opened on all 4 sides for maintenance. Thus the footprint is must larger than a K-class (you only need to open the front and behind). Take note of that in your site-prep.

4) The V-classes come with a free workstation as the console. Though not recommended by HP, I always use it for other purposes such as using it as an Ignite-UX server etc. :P

5) For the V-class, because of the fans sucking the air in from the front, you need to clean the filters regularly. The filters accumulate dust very quickly with the fans.

Hope this helps. Regards.

Steven Sim Kok Leong
Brainbench MVP for Unix Admin
http://www.brainbench.com

[Victor_5]

Thanks, Steven, your input is very useful.

Shawn

[Lai Nee Shyang_1]

Hi Shawn,

I fully concur with Stevens' points. The V-class are huge and bulky. U need quite big area for clearance during maintenance and also for ventilation. I heard it is possible to stack 2 V-Class together, but I've not seen that done before. My company has 3 of these giants.

I guess the the strong point of the V-class is its' scalability. One of my V-Class has 18 CPUs, all 20 PCI slots occupy. Therefore, if you are looking at something highly scalable, probaly this a good machine to consider.

But, I personally feel that HP is ditching the V-Class and moving on to the SuperDomes. I don't see the HP-Sale pple pushing V-Class sales nowadays.So in aspects of investment protection, it may not be ideal to get a V-Class now. This is my personal opinon, just for your references.

Cheers..

Lai

[Alexander M. Ermes]

Hi there.
Just my two cents.
We run a V2500 here as a server for Oracle Applications. We bought it because of the scalability and the number of PCI slots.
If you do not need ( and will not in the future ), go for a rp8400. If you need a lot of PCI slots and large scalability, go for the Superdome. The V-class will be out of support in June 2006 ( date from HP ). The support costs will rise skyhigh in the time until then.
Remember, with the SD you have hardware partitioning, 24x7 as base support, virtual training, your own project engineer until the system does, what it is supposed to do.
If you try now, you also should be able to get a nice discount from these guys. Put money in a V-class is not a good idea as substance of this. I have gone through all of this and i am trying to convince my superiors, that buying a Superdome will be an investment in the future.
Rgds
Alexander M. Ermes