SOLUTION BRIEF

SOLUTION BRIEF

Supermicro X13 BigTwin® Multi-Node Server and Hyper Server

Executive Summary
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Solution Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Virtualized Infrastructure Benchmark - VMmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Virtualized Infrastructure Benchmark Deployment . . . . . . . . . . 4
Performance of the Solution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Gen over Gen Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape,businesses constantly seek ways to stay ahead of the curve.
The key to success relies on agility and swiftly bringing
products and services to market. However, this demands arobust and flexible IT infrastructure that can adapt to thedynamic needs of modern enterprises. A critical question iswhether the current infrastructure has the agility to keep pacewith evolving business requirements.

Supermicro X13 Servers Provide the Best Performance with 5th
Gen Intel Xeon 6548+ Processors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Conclusion and Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8© 2024 Copyright Super Micro Computer, Inc. All rights reserved

May 20241

To overcome physical infrastructure constraints, industries are increasingly turning to virtualization, which offers remarkableflexibility and optimized resource utilization. Virtualization enables businesses to enhance resource efficiency, lower
operational costs, and improve scalability. However, capitalizing on these benefits requires robust, versatile, and energyefficient systems tailored for virtualized environments.
Supermicro provides an extensive array of virtualization-ready systems designed to meet diverse business needs. Supermicro'sproduct range includes compact rack-mount servers ideal for smaller setups, as well as multi-node configurations suited for themost demanding tasks. For specialized requirements, Supermicro offers systems equipped with GPUs for graphics-heavy
applications and PetaScale systems for extensive data processing tasks.
Our latest Supermicro X13 systems are engineered to deliver exceptional performance with increased Thermal Design Power(TDP), enabling them to manage more intensive workloads while ensuring enhanced power efficiency. This capability leads toa more cost-effective Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and a substantial enhancement in IT capabilities, making Supermicro’ssolutions an optimal choice for modern virtualized infrastructures.
The Supermicro X13 systems simplify deployment across virtualized environments, from core infrastructure to software-definedstorage (SDS). This translates to significant advantages – greater agility, enhanced efficiency, and a sharper competitive edgein the digital era. By choosing Supermicro, customers are not just upgrading; they are investing in a future-proof foundation for
their virtualized business.
Supermicro understands the critical role of a robust and adaptable virtualized environment. That's why Supermicro offers acomprehensive portfolio of next-generation systems specifically designed to integrate seamlessly and thrive within virtualized
infrastructure. These solutions ensure seamless adoption of the latest technologies, empowering customers to stay ahead of
the curve without encountering compatibility roadblocks.

Solution Architecture
Virtualization has become a foundation for most data centers, and VMware leads the way in performance and innovationthrough new architectures for virtual infrastructures. Supermicro shares the same commitment to provide top-performancesystems to support virtual environments. Supermicro has achieved this by consistently delivering advanced systems built withthe latest technologies and committing to being the first to market. By leveraging the virtualized technology, customers canenjoy the benefits of the infrastructure deployment in the isolated VM (Virtual Machine) to fulfill business needs like theconceptual sketch below.

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May 20242Figure 1 – High-Level Architecture of a Virtualized Infrastructure

Supermicro diligently tests and certifies our extensive server portfolio with VMware, ensuring consistent presence on theVMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). This certification assures enterprises that Supermicro servers will perform toexpectations. Our hardware is designed for seamless integration with the latest VMware technologies, maximizing performanceand reducing compatibility issues.
In partnership with VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), Supermicro's X13 servers deliver a comprehensive hyperconverged
infrastructure (HCI) solution tailored for modernizing data centers and deploying contemporary, container-based applications.
VCF unifies components such as vSphere for compute, vSAN for storage, and NSX for networking into a standardized,automated, and validated framework. This integration simplifies the management of essential software-defined infrastructureresources.
This powerful combination provides a consistent infrastructure and operations model that is adaptable to on-premises, edge,or public cloud deployments. With exceptional performance, density, and flexibility, the Supermicro X13 portfolio stands out as
the premier choice for virtualized environments.
For our VMmark benchmarks, the Supermicro X13 system was selected, which was validated and tested on the VMware
compatibility website. Currently, Supermicro has 15+ SKUs validated for vSAN ESA ReadyNode Configurations. This extensive
selection of validated systems enables users to achieve:•High Flexibility - For users seeking flexible system configuration, the Supermicro X13 Hyper delivers exceptional
scalability. It accommodates up to 8 PCIe cards and 24 NVMe storage drives within a single system.

•High-Density Choice - If higher compute density is a priority, the X13 BigTwin system is a great candidate that packs 2
to 4 powerful nodes into a compact 2U chassis while giving high-compute density with two powerful nodes, and eachnode with 12 NVMe storage drives in a 2U2N system.

© 2024 Copyright Super Micro Computer, Inc. All rights reserved

May 20243•Budget and Balance Choice - If customers are planning to begin deploying their virtualized infrastructure withbudgetary consideration, X13 CloudDC is a great starting kit. It is a single processor with flexible IO options and 10 NVMestorage drives in a 1U system.

Virtualized Infrastructure Benchmark - VMmark
The introduction of a virtualization layer between hardware and software adds a potential performance overhead. Therefore,
rigorous testing of performance and scalability is essential in virtualized environments. VMmark is a valuable tool provided byVMware and offers a standardized way to aggregate the standard workloads into a tile to benchmark the performance of avirtualized infrastructure. The standard “Tile” and “Score” based benchmark allows for apples-to-apples comparisons between
hardware configurations and vendors, making it easier to choose the right system. The VMmark benchmark creates 19 VMs(Virtual Machines) in a “Tile,” and each tile contains different standard workloads, including Web – Static x 8 VMs, Web- Elasticx 6 VMs, e-Commerce x 4 VMs, and an idle VM. During the test, VMmark adds tiles until the processor gets saturated. Thebenchmark Supermicro, with its extensive portfolio of systems, leverages VMmark benchmark results to help customers selectthe perfect solution based on their specific workload and performance needs.

Figure 2 – VMmark Benchmark Mechanism Overview

Virtualized Infrastructure Benchmark Deployment
To simulate the customer's use cases in the virtualized infrastructure deployment and leverage the VMmark benchmark tool toevaluate the performance of the X13 cluster. The reference architecture below uses the Supermicro X13 BigTwin as the System
Under Test (SUT) to demonstrate the deployment setup of the VMmark benchmark. The key encompasses the following:•Windows Management Host: Facilitates the tester's working environment for interaction with the virtualizedinfrastructure.

© 2024 Copyright Super Micro Computer, Inc. All rights reservedMay 20244

•

NFS Storage: Stores the Virtual Machine (VM) deployment package during test initialization and VM backup packages
during VMware vMotion test cases•

SUT: Comprising target test systems (E.g., X13 BigTwin in the diagram) equipped with VMware ESXi and vCenter,
providing essential functionalities for the virtualized infrastructure environment•

Clients: Systems utilized to simulate client users, generating standard workload (such as web browsing, adding
products to shopping cart to the SUT cluster

Figure 3 – Supermicro VMmark Reference Architecture

Performance of the Solution
The standardized VMmark benchmark test reveals significant improvements in both performance and Total Cost of Ownership(TCO) of the Supermicro X13 BigTwin system. The Supermicro X13 BigTwin system performed 82% better compared to X11
systems, with an overall VMmark score of 18.12 @ 17 tiles. This means that in a compact 2U system with two nodes, users canhost 340 VMs that will perform 55% faster than previous generations. This result translates to better performance per dollar.
The Supermicro X13 BigTwin system can significantly improve resource utilization and optimize the data center footprint bypacking more virtual machines (VMs) onto fewer, more powerful nodes. These advancements deliver substantial cost reductionsin hardware, power consumption, and potentially vSAN licensing for deployments. Additionally, the increased performanceenables faster application response times and improved overall user experience for applications running on vSAN.
By leveraging the VMmark benchmark tool to evaluate the virtualized infrastructure performance of X13 (with 5th Gen Intel XeonProcessors) and X11 (with 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Processors), there are several outcomes on X13 can be expected:

Gen over Gen Improvement© 2024 Copyright Super Micro Computer, Inc. All rights reservedMay 20245Here, the Supermicro X13 BigTwin was chosen, and the Supermicro X11 BigTwin in the Gen over Gen comparison was used todemonstrate the performance of three generations of servers.
•X13 delivers 82% improvement in overall VMmark score. This performance gain translates to significantly faster,smoother performance for each virtual machine. Thanks to its advanced architecture, X13 clusters can support 114
more VMs than the previous generation. That's a total of 323 VMs, enabling users to consolidate workloads andmaximize resource utilization.

Figure 4 - Performance Improvement Compared to Previous Generation•

The Supermicro X13 systems deliver up to 47% higher VMmark performance per dollar compared to the previousgeneration. With 5th Gen Intel Xeon Processors, X13 delivers higher performance at a lower cost.

Figure 5 - Performance per Dollar Compared to Previous Generations© 2024 Copyright Super Micro Computer, Inc. All rights reservedMay 2024

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Supermicro X13 Servers Provide the best performance with 5th Gen Intel Xeon 6548Y+
By using 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors in the Supermicro X13 Hyper system, it can support up to 19 tiles combination workloads
and reach an overall score of 21.01 in the virtualized infrastructure benchmark, which is the best performance with 5th Gen Intel
Xeon 6548Y+ processor as of the data on Apr. 28, 2024 and the official VMware - VMmark benchmark result website.

Figure 6 - Highest Performance Score with 5th Gen Intel Xeon 6548Y+ Processor

Conclusion and Summary
Supermicro offers a robust selection of X13 servers validated for VMware environments, giving users peace of mind thatSupermicro hardware will seamlessly integrate with the latest VMware technologies and perform optimally. This validation isachieved through Supermicro's testing and certification processes, guaranteeing their presence on the VMware Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL). By choosing Supermicro, users can minimize compatibility concerns and focus on maximizing theperformance of virtualized workloads.
Within the Supermicro X13 portfolio, Supermicro offers a range of servers designed to fit customers' specific needs. Ifmaximizing flexibility in system configuration is a priority, the X13 Hyper system is the ideal choice. It can accommodate up to8 PCIe cards and 24 NVMe storage drives in a single system, allowing users to change the configuration to their exact
requirements. On the other hand, if high compute density is a priority, the X13 BigTwin system is the perfect solution. This spacesaving 2U chassis packs two to four powerful nodes, each capable of housing 12 NVMe storage drives, delivering exceptional
processing power in a compact design. Finally, for those starting their virtualized infrastructure journey, budget is a key
consideration, and the Supermicro X13 CloudDC server offers a compelling solution. This single-processor system provides
flexible IO options and ample storage capacity with 10 NVMe drives in a 1U form factor, making it an ideal entry point.

© 2024 Copyright Super Micro Computer, Inc. All rights reservedMay 2024

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Validated for VMware environments, Supermicro's X13 server lineup offers a powerful and versatile range of solutions to address
performance, density, and budget requirements.

References
Supermicro BigTwin: https://www.supermicro.com/en/products/system/bigtwin/2u/sys-221bt-dntr
Supermicro Hyper: https://www.supermicro.com/en/products/system/hyper/2u/sys-221h-tnr
VMmark report of SYS-2029BT-HNR: https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/vmmark/202404-02-Supermicro-SYS-221BT-DNTR-EMR.pdf
VMmark report of SYS-221H-TNR: https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/vmmark/2024-0402-Supermicro-SYS-221H-TNR.pdf
VMware VMmark: https://www.vmware.com/products/vmmark/results3x.0.html

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For more information: www.supermicro.com© 2024 Copyright Super Micro Computer, Inc. All rights reservedMay 20248