IBM PureFlex System and IBM Flex System Products and Technology

222 IBM PureFlex System and IBM Flex System Products and Technology

The four processors in the IBM Flex System p460 Compute Node are connected in a

cross-bar formation as shown in Figure 5-51.

Figure 5-51 IBM Flex System p460 Compute Node processor connectivity

5.5.6 Processor

The IBM POWER7 processor represents a leap forward in technology and associated

computing capability. The multi-core architecture of the POWER7 processor is matched with

a wide range of related technologies to deliver leading throughput, efficiency, scalability, and

RAS.

Although the processor is an important component in servers, many elements and facilities

must be balanced across a server to deliver maximum throughput. The design philosophy for

POWER7 processor-based systems is system-wide balance, in which the POWER7

processor plays an important role.

Table 5-55 defines the processor options for the p460.

Table 5-55 Processor options for the p460

POWER7

Processor

0

POWER7

Processor

1

POWER7

Processor

2

POWER7

Processor

3

4 bytes

each

Feature

code

Cores per

POWER7

processor

Number of

POWER7

processors

Total

cores

Core

frequency

L3 cache size per

POWE7 processor

EPR2 4 4 16 3.3 GHz 16 MB

EPR4 8 4 32 3.2 GHz 32 MB

EPR6 8 4 32 3.55 GHz 32 MB