Huawei KunLun servers

2017: The certificate of SAP is received

On May 18, 2017 the Huawei company announced certification of the KunLun server by SAP company for mass use.

For the SAP HANA platform performance and reliability matters. The Huawei KunLun system provides performance at the level of 16 TB and is scaled. It accelerates import of data at calculations in RAM, saving magazines of databases on the solid-state SSD drives ES3000. Original connecting chips of the controller of nodes of Huawei are focused on process optimization and, according to the statement of vendor, increase resources of the central processor and carry out data exchange for nanoseconds^[1].

The Huawei KunLun server for the SAP HANA platform integrates a set of the advanced technologies developed by Huawei, SUSE and SAP. For example, the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system for SAP applications improves processing of processes and optimizes computing resources of architecture of KunLun NUMA. This architecture, in turn, became a basis for the SAP HANA database using opportunities of scalability of KunLun. SAP HANA defines arrangement of data in memory and appoints the next central processor for calculations.

Our partnership began in 2012, and joint strategy appeared in 2014, bringing cooperation to level. These relations stimulate evolution of the systems of Huawei for SAP HANA: starting with the first, started in 2013, and finishing with the present solution on the basis of KunLun with a performance of 16 TB issued in 2017. As the international technology partner of SAP Huawei company always aims at open cooperation and joint development of new technologies. We still create the products and solutions bringing benefit to each client. Wang Zhen, vice president of Huawei company for release of a line of IT products

2016: Huawei KunLun

For November, 2016 the line of high-end of the Huawei KunLun servers is provided by three modifications:

• KunLun 9008,
• KunLun 9016 и
• KunLun 9032

with 8, 16 and 32 processors respectively. In servers E7-4800/8800v3 series Intel Xeon processors are used.

The KunLun servers, first of all, are intended for work of the high-loaded databases, in-memory of solutions, creation of high-performance HPC of systems or virtualization platforms.

Servers support the bases for data, including Oracle DB/IBM DB 2/SQL Server, SAP HANA, the mezhplatformny software, different operating systems, including Red Hat Linux, SUSE of Linux and Windows Server.

The senior model of a line - Huawei KunLun 9032 - was provided in March, 2016. At the time of the announcement in Huawei called it first-ever 32-soketnoy x86 server for crucial calculations.

Huawei KunLun 9032 (2016) server

Servers are positioned as an alternative, first of all, to RISC machines.

Work of many enterprises is slowed down because of the traditional complex closed systems. They do not provide competitive advantage, and prevent implementation of innovations and growth of business. KunLun is based on the open platform which meets the most strict requirements. Zheng Ilei, the president of Huawei company on release of a line of IT products

Servers with RISC architecture are often used, for example, for the high-loaded applications in banks. Huawei notes that the financial sector — one of key for their company.

Sales in Russia

Any partners having in staff of specialists of required qualification can sell servers of Huawei. In promotion of Huawei Kunlun in the Russian market Croc which brought to Russia the server in April, soon after the world announcement differs in the greatest activity.

At the end of October, 2016 Croc held public testing of 16-processor version of the Huawei Kunlun server in comparison with the popular IBM Power 795 server based on not the newest processor - Power 7. The choice of such server from IBM representatives explained Croc with the fact that Power 7 is used by many Russian companies, the majority of which thinks of transition either to Power 8, or to x86 platform.

In a number of the tests which are carried out Croc, Huawei Kunlun was bypassed by IBM Power 795. In addition, in Croc said that its advantages is lower cost of the equipment and support. Three years' support of Huawei Kunlun costs on average three times cheaper, than support of Power 795, counted in the company.

The employee Croc - the former partner of IBM - tells about advantages of servers of Huawei.

Staff of Huawei told TAdviser that Kunlun cost in the minimum configuration begins approximately from $400 thousand while the cost of IBM Power 795 – about $1 million.

As of fall of Huawei Kunlun it is involved in several pilot projects in Russia. Servers are interesting first of all to the financial sector, representatives of Huawei told TAdviser. Key motive, according to them, this desire to save also on acquisition of servers, and on their support and also on DBMS.

The testing period preceding purchase of similar servers by the customer can be rather long, note in Huawei. It is connected with the fact that migration of databases from one platform on another is required that can take certain time. The first commercial projects in the company are expected in 2017.

At the native market in China by Huawei Kunlun it was presented in March, 2016, and there is already a number of commercial projects in banks, the representative of Huawei told.

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