#intelxeonscalableprocessors

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5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors Boost SQL Server 2022

5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors

While speed and scalability have always been essential to databases, contemporary databases also need to serve AI and ML applications at higher performance levels. Real-time decision-making, which is now far more widespread, should be made possible by databases together with increasingly faster searches. Databases and the infrastructure that powers them are usually the first business goals that need to be modernized in order to support analytics. The substantial speed benefits of utilizing 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors to run SQL Server 2022 will be demonstrated in this post.

OLTP/OLAP Performance Improvements with 5th gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors

The HammerDB benchmark uses New Orders per minute (NOPM) throughput to quantify OLTP. Figure 1 illustrates performance gains of up to 48.1% NOPM Online Analytical Processing when comparing 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors to 4th Gen Intel Xeon processors, while displays up to 50.6% faster queries.

The enhanced CPU efficiency of the 5th gen Intel Xeon processors, demonstrated by its 83% OLTP and 75% OLAP utilization, is another advantage. When compared to the 5th generation of Intel Xeon processors, the prior generation requires 16% more CPU resources for the OLTP workload and 13% more for the OLAP workload.

The Value of Faster Backups

Faster backups improve uptime, simplify data administration, and enhance security, among other things. Up to 2.72x and 3.42 quicker backups for idle and peak loads, respectively, are possible when running SQL Server 2022 Enterprise Edition on an Intel Xeon Platinum processor when using Intel QAT.

The reason for the longest Intel QAT values for 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors is because the Gold version includes less backup cores than the Platinum model, which provides some perspective for the comparisons.

With an emphasis on attaining near-real-time latencies, optimizing query speed, and delivering the full potential of scalable warehouse systems, SQL Server 2022 offers a number of new features. It’s even better when it runs on 5th gen Intel Xeon Processors.

Solution snapshot for SQL Server 2022 running on 4th generation Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs. performance, security, and current data platform that lead the industry.

SQL Server 2022

The performance and dependability of 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, which are well known, can greatly increase your SQL Server 2022 database.

The following tutorial will examine crucial elements and tactics to maximize your setup:

Hardware Points to Consider

Choose a processor: Choose Intel Xeon with many cores and fast clock speeds. Choose models with Intel Turbo Boost and Intel Hyper-Threading Technology for greater performance.

Memory: Have enough RAM for your database size and workload. Sufficient RAM enhances query performance and lowers disk I/O.

Storage: To reduce I/O bottlenecks, choose high-performance storage options like SSDs or fast HDDs with RAID setups.

Modification of Software

Database Design: Make sure your query execution plans, indexes, and database schema are optimized. To guarantee effective data access, evaluate and improve your design on a regular basis.

Configuration Settings: Match your workload and hardware capabilities with the SQL Server 2022 configuration options, such as maximum worker threads, maximum server RAM, and I/O priority.

Query tuning: To find performance bottlenecks and improve queries, use programs like Management Studio or SQL Server Profiler. Think about methods such as parameterization, indexing, and query hints.

Features Exclusive to Intel

Use Intel Turbo Boost Technology to dynamically raise clock speeds for high-demanding tasks.

With Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, you may run many threads on a single core, which improves performance.

Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT): Enhance database performance by speeding up encryption and compression/decompression operations.

Optimization of Workload

Workload balancing: To prevent resource congestion, divide workloads among several instances or servers.

Partitioning: To improve efficiency and management, split up huge tables into smaller sections.

Indexing: To expedite the retrieval of data, create the proper indexes. Columnstore indexes are a good option for workloads involving analysis.

Observation and Adjustment

Performance monitoring: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and pinpoint areas for improvement with tools like SQL Server Performance Monitor.

Frequent Tuning: Keep an eye on and adjust your database on a regular basis to accommodate shifting hardware requirements and workloads.

SQL Server 2022 Pricing

SQL Server 2022 cost depends on edition and licensing model. SQL Server 2022 has three main editions:

SQL Server 2022 Standard

Description: For small to medium organizations with minimal database functions for data and application management.

Licensing

Cost per core: ~$3,586.

Server + CAL (Client Access License): ~$931 per server, ~$209 per CAL.

Basic data management, analytics, reporting, integration, and little virtualization.

SQL Server 2022 Enterprise

Designed for large companies with significant workloads, extensive features, and scalability and performance needs.

Licensing

Cost per core: ~$13,748.

High-availability, in-memory performance, business intelligence, machine learning, and infinite virtualization.

SQL Server 2022 Express

Use: Free, lightweight edition for tiny applications, learning, and testing.

License: Free.

Features: Basic capability, 10 GB databases, restricted memory and CPU.

Models for licensing

Per Core: Recommended for big, high-demand situations with processor core-based licensing.

Server + CAL (Client Access License): For smaller environments, each server needs a license and each connecting user/device needs a CAL.

In brief

Faster databases can help firms meet their technical and business objectives because they are the main engines for analytics and transactions. Greater business continuity may result from those databases’ faster backups.

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New Amazon EC2 C7i & C7i-flex Instances: Power & Flexibility

Amazon EC2 C7i and C7i-flex instances

Utilizing 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, compute-optimized instances The C7i-flex and EC2 C7i instances on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) are next-generation compute-optimized instances with a 2:1 RAM to vCPU ratio. They are powered by specialized 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors (code called Sapphire Rapids).

These unique processor-powered EC2 instances are exclusive to AWS and deliver up to 15% greater performance than equivalent Intel processors used by other cloud providers. They are the best performing comparable Intel processors in the cloud.

For most compute-intensive tasks, the simplest approach to obtain price performance gains is with C7i-flex instances. When compared to C6i instances, they provide price performance that is up to 19% better. C7i-flex instances are an excellent initial option for applications that don’t use all of the computing resources because they come in the most common sizes, ranging from large to 8xlarge, with up to 32 vCPUs and 64 GiB of RAM.

The most popular compute-intensive workloads, such as web and application servers, databases, caches, Apache Kafka, and Elasticsearch, may be effortlessly operated on C7i-flex instances.

For workloads requiring bigger instance sizes (up to 192 vCPUs and 384 GiB memory) or persistently high CPU utilization, EC2 C7i instances offer advantages in terms of pricing and performance. Batch processing, distributed analytics, high performance computing (HPC), ad serving, highly scalable multiplayer gaming, and video encoding are among the workloads that EC2 C7i instances excel at. In comparison to C6i instances, C7i instances offer up to 15% better pricing performance.

Utilizing new Amazon EC2 Flex instances, reduce costs

A lot of users don’t use an EC2 instance’s entire compute capacity. As a result, those clients are paying for services that they do not require. For most compute-intensive tasks, the simplest option to obtain enhanced pricing performance is with Amazon EC2 C7i-flex instances. The majority of the time, Amazon EC2 Flex instances can scale up to full computing performance, making optimal use of compute resources. The goal of flex instances is to maximize both performance and cost.

Advantages

Reduced expenses

For most compute-intensive tasks, the simplest approach to optimize costs is with C7i-flex instances. When compared to C6i instances, they provide price performance that is up to 19% better. In terms of price performance, EC2 C7i instances outperform C6i instances by 15%. Additional larger instance sizes offered by C7i allow for consolidation and the execution of workloads that are more demanding and greater in size.

Adaptability and discretion

The most extensive and varied range of EC2 instances available on AWS is now enhanced by C7i-flex and EC2 C7i instances. Large to 8xlarge are the five most popular sizes offered by C7i-flex. Eleven sizes (two bare-metal sizes, c7i.metal-24xl and c7i.metal-48xl) with different vCPU, memory, networking, and storage capacities are offered by C7i.

Optimum efficiency using resources

Built on the AWS Nitro System, which consists of a lightweight hypervisor combined with specialized hardware, are the C7i-flex and EC2 C7i instances. Nitro improves overall performance and security by providing your instances with nearly all of the host hardware’s computation and memory resources. When it comes to workloads, EC2 instances based on the Nitro System can give throughput performance that is over 15% higher than other cloud providers using the same CPU.

Features

Driven by Intel Xeon Scalable Processors of the 4th Generation

Custom 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors with an all-core turbo frequency of 3.2 GHz (max core turbo frequency of 3.8 GHz) power the C7i-flex and EC2 C7i instances. These specialized CPUs provide the best performance among similar Intel processors and are exclusively offered on AWS. Support for Intel Total Memory Encryption (TME) always-on memory encryption is included in both cases.

Superior performance interfaces

Compared to C6i instances, DDR5 memory, which is used by C7i-flex and EC2 C7i instances, offers more bandwidth. Up to 12.5 Gbps of networking bandwidth and up to 10 Gbps of bandwidth for Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) are supported by C7i-flex instances.

Up to 50 Gbps of networking bandwidth and 40 Gbps of bandwidth to Amazon EBS are supported by EC2 C7i instances. Furthermore, EC2 C7i allows you to attach up to 128 EBS volumes to an instance, as opposed to C6i’s limit of 28 EBS volume attachments. Elastic Fabric Adapter (EFA) in the metal-48xl and 48xlarge sizes is also supported by EC2 C7i instances.

Fresh accelerators

There are four new integrated accelerators in Intel Xeon Scalable processors of the 4th generation. For applications like CPU-based machine learning, Advance Matrix Extensions (AMX), which are available on both C7i-flex and EC2 C7i instances, speed up matrix multiplication operations.

Available exclusively on EC2 C7i bare metal sizes, Data Streaming Accelerator (DSA), In-Memory Analytics Accelerator (IAA), and Quick Assist Technology (QAT) facilitate effective data offloading and acceleration, enhancing performance for databases, encryption and compression, and queue management workloads.

Constructed Using the Nitro Framework

The AWS Nitro System may be put together in a variety of ways, giving AWS the flexibility to quickly and flexibly construct EC2 instance types with an ever-expanding range of networking, storage, compute, and memory capabilities. The overall performance of the system is improved by Nitro Cards, which offload and speed I/O for functions.

The great majority of apps do not constantly operate at 100% CPU utilization. Consider a web application as an example. It seldom ever uses a server’s compute at full capacity, usually alternating between times of high and low demand.Image credit to AWS

Using the Amazon EC2 M7i-flex instances, first introduced in August, is one simple and affordable approach to run such workloads. With the extra benefit of providing you with better price/performance if you don’t always need full compute capacity, these less expensive versions of the Amazon EC2 M7i instances offer the same next-generation specs for general purpose computing in the most popular sizes. They are therefore an excellent first option if you want to lower your operating costs without sacrificing performance standards.

Because customers responded so favourably to this flexibility, they are now providing Amazon EC2 C7i-flex instances, which offer comparable price/performance benefits as well as lower prices for applications that require a lot of computation. These are less expensive versions of the Amazon EC2 C7i instances that provide a minimum CPU performance with a 95% capacity to scale up to the maximum compute performance.

Which is better, C7i-flex or C7i?

The compute-optimized C7i-flex and C7i instances are driven by exclusive 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors that are exclusively offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Compared to comparable x86-based Intel CPUs utilized by other cloud providers, they offer up to 15% higher performance.

They are perfect for running applications including web and application servers, databases, caches, Apache Kafka, and Elasticsearch. They both use DDR5 memory and have a 2:1 memory to vCPU ratio.

Why then would you choose to use one over the other? Here are three factors to take into account while choosing the best option for you.

Pattern of usage

When you don’t need to use all of the computational resources, EC2 flex instances are an excellent choice.

An efficient use of compute resources can result in five percent lower pricing and five percent better price performance. For compute-intensive workloads, C7i-flex instances should be the first option because they are generally a fantastic fit for the majority of applications.

Instead, you ought to use EC2 C7i instances if your application necessitates constant high CPU consumption. Workloads include batch processing, distributed analytics, ad serving, high performance computing (HPC), highly scalable multiplayer gaming, and video encoding are perhaps better suited for them.

Sizes of instances

C7i-flex instances come in the most popular sizes, up to a maximum of 8xlarge, and are utilized by most workloads.

The huge C7i instances, which come in 12xlarge, 16xlarge, 24xlarge, 48xlarge, and two bare metal alternatives with metal-24xl and metal-48xl sizes, are worth looking into if you require greater specs.

Bandwidth on a network

Depending on your needs, you might need to use one of the larger C7i instances because larger capacities also offer higher network and Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) bandwidths. With a network bandwidth of up to 12.5 Gbps and an Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) capacity of up to 10 Gbps, C7i-flex instances should be adequate for the majority of workloads.

Knowledgeable Regions: To find out whether C7i-flex instances are offered in the regions of your choice, see AWS Services by Region.

Purchase options: On-Demand, Savings Plan, Reserved Instance, and Spot form are available for C7i-Flex and EC2 C7i instances. Additionally, dedicated hosts and dedicated instances for C7i are offered.

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