HPE Introduces New Nonstop Compute Servers

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has expanded its range of Nonstop Compute servers with the introduction of the HPE Nonstop Compute NS5 X5 and HPE Nonstop Compute NS9 X5 models. These new developments, available since June 2, are specifically designed for running mission-critical applications and modernizing workloads in modern data centers. Use cases include payment processing, fraud detection, and intelligent manufacturing execution systems (MES).

The new servers from HPE are equipped with Intel Xeon processors, which enable a performance increase of up to 15 percent. The entry-level model, the NS5 X5, uses Intel Xeon Bronze 3400 processors, while the flagship NS9 X5 operates with Intel Xeon Gold 6400 processors. Both models, the NS5 X5 and the NS9 X5, now offer a doubled memory capacity of up to 8 TB. The internal transfer bandwidth has also been doubled to ensure faster transaction processing. In combination with improved Fibre Channel connectivity, more transactions per second can thus be processed.
Accompanying the hardware updates, the operating system has also been renewed. In addition to new features, there is also support for multi-factor authentication (MFA). This helps companies meet important compliance requirements such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the SOC 2 audit procedure.
The NS9 X5 can be clustered with the two previous generations of HPE Nonstop Compute solutions. New servers can thus be seamlessly integrated into existing configurations that span multiple generations to scale operations as needed without interruption.
The new solutions can either be purchased as standalone systems or obtained through HPE GreenLake in an “as-a-service” consumption model.

What are Nonstop Servers and what advantages do they offer?

Nonstop servers are a special category of computer systems designed for extremely high availability and fault tolerance. They were originally introduced in 1976 by Tandem Computers Inc. and are now further developed and offered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).

Core Features and Benefits

Nonstop solutions are considered industry-leading in terms of uptime. According to IDC, HPE Nonstop solutions are rated as AL4, which means uptime of 99.999% or even 99.9999%. For IT disaster recovery, a backup server is often used at a remote location. Standard products like HPE’s Remote Database Facility (RDF) ensure that data is kept in sync between the production and backup servers to ensure a quick transition and minimal to no data loss in case of a disaster.
Nonstop systems are designed to eliminate single points of failure by having nearly all components redundant. If a primary component fails, the system automatically switches to a backup component without interruption.
The foundation of these systems is the NonStop OS, a message-based operating system specially developed for fault tolerance. It works with so-called process pairs, where backup processes on redundant CPUs take control if a primary process or CPU fails. During these transitions, data integrity is fully maintained, so no transactions or data are lost or corrupted. The operating system continuously monitors the status of all components and controls the switchover when necessary to maintain operation.
The systems are based on a massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture and offer linear scalability. Each CPU runs its own copy of the operating system, and the systems can be expanded to over 4000 CPUs. A “shared-nothing” architecture is used, where no resources are shared. The systems are optimized for transaction processing.
Despite their complexity, Nonstop systems require comparatively little support and system administration effort due to their integrated hardware/software stack and a single system image, even for extensive configurations.