Abstract

Intel Corp. commissioned The Tolly Group to evaluate its TIGPR2U Carrier Grade Server with two 2.4-GHx Xeon processors. The Intel TIGPR2U is a rack-mountable, high performance server intended for use in telecommunications networks. Intel also requested that The Tolly Group test the performance of a Sun Microsystems, Inc. Netra 20 Server with two 900-MHz processors. Both devices were subjected to a series of tests designed to gauge the capability of each server while performing a variety of common in-memory database transactions that included populate, scan, lookup, update, delete and insert. The Tolly Group conducted database transaction rate tests on both servers using the Solid Information Technology Corp. FlowEngine data management application.

Summary of Test Report:

Intel Corporation commissioned The Tolly Group to benchmark its TIGPR2 Carrier Grade Server (CGS), equipped with dual 2.4 GHz Xeon processors, against the Sun Microsystems Netra 20 server with dual 900 MHz UltraSPARC III processors. The evaluation focused on measuring transaction rates in common in-memory database operations, including populate, scan, lookup, update, delete, and insert tasks using Solid Information Technology’s FlowEngine software, which simulates database workloads typical of carrier-grade network deployments.

Test results demonstrated that the Intel TIGPR2 CGS significantly outperformed the Sun Netra 20 in all tested scenarios, delivering between 72% and 103% higher performance. Specifically, the TIGPR2 achieved a maximum of 57,809 rows per second in table scans, 10,111 lookups per second, and 3,484 inserts per second, substantially exceeding the Netra 20’s results. Moreover, the TIGPR2 provided this superior performance in a 2U rack form factor, half the size of the Sun Netra 20’s 4U chassis, offering both space efficiency and higher processing power per rack unit.

The report concludes that the Intel TIGPR2 is well-suited for carrier-grade network environments requiring high transaction throughput and space-efficient hardware. With superior Ethernet connectivity (dual Gigabit ports vs. Sun’s single Fast Ethernet port), more expansion slots, and a compact form factor, the TIGPR2 provides network architects with a scalable, high-performance platform that meets the rigorous demands of telecommunications and high-availability network infrastructures.

Key Performance Metrics – Intel TIGPR2 Carrier Grade Server

• Performance Gains Over Sun Netra 20:

  • Populate database table: 73% faster (3,298 rows/sec vs. 1,904).

  • Full table scan (1M rows): 97% faster (57,809 rows/sec vs. 29,368).

  • Primary key lookup (3M rows): 103% faster (10,111 lookups/sec vs. 4,979).

  • Secondary column update (600K rows): 73% faster (2,697 updates/sec vs. 1,560).

  • Delete row (100K rows): 79% faster (5,590 deletions/sec vs. 3,115).

  • Insert single row (50K rows): 72% faster (3,484 inserts/sec vs. 2,030).

• Form Factor & Connectivity:

  • 2U chassis (half the size of Sun Netra 20’s 4U).

  • Dual 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports (vs. Sun’s single 10/100 port).

  • 6 expansion slots (vs. 4 on Netra 20).

• System Configuration:

  • Dual 2.4 GHz Intel Xeon processors.

  • NEBS-3 certified telecom chassis.

  • Supports IPMI 1.5, ACPI, and telecom alarm features.

  • Integrated dual-channel Ultra320 SCSI and Intel server management suite.