ONE processor quad core...or TWO processors dual core?

[ElGarufo]

Hi people..

we are going to buy another server to esx...what could be better for perfomance...one procesor quad core...or two processors dual core?

i think 2 processors dual core, but is there any document or white paper about this??

thank you

[AntonVZhbankov]

No difference really. But ESX license will cost you twice - as it is socket based, not core based.

[azn2kew]

ESX license per socket, so when deploying ESX hosts, purchase the most cores if possible to save you licensing fee. I would go with single socket quad cores other dual socket quad cores if this is possible if you're planning to hosts more virtual machines.

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Regards,

Stefan Nguyen

iGeek Systems Inc.

VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Consultant

[epping]

two socket dual core is the one to go for in terms of performance, the big thing though is memory - depending on the board how much memory can the socket access - i would go for lower cost smaller DIMMs and spread them over 2 sockets

[Ken_Cline · Accepted solution]

In most environments, you will not notice any performance difference at all. You are presenting an equal number of cores to the vmkernel for scheduling purposes. Where you MAY see a difference is if there is a significant difference in cache size between the two platforms. ESX loves RAM, and the faster it can get to it, the better.

I think if I were making the choice today, I would go with the single quad core in a two-socket system. That way, I could simply drop in an additional CPU with associated RAM and get a great capacity boost. Most ESX environments are not CPU constrained (in fact, they frequently run below 50% utilization), so you're going to be better off spending your time and money on improving the performance of other aspects of your environment (i.e. your storage subsystem, your network subsystem, etc.) than trying to maximize CPU performance.

Ken Cline

Technical Director, Virtualization

Wells Landers

VMware Communities User Moderator

[weinstein5]

I do not think vmware sells single socket license they always come in pairs - a single socket multicore will work but is not the preferred setup -

[azn2kew]

I would go with Ken's suggestion for better expandability for future growth when you added more RAM and another quad core socket runs rock solid. Here's a note about license:

"Effective immediately, customers may install VMware ESX and VI licenses on single processor, physical hosts that are included on our Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). This includes servers with two sockets that are populated with a single processor. Each processor may contain up to four cores. Please note that licenses of VMware ESX and VI are still sold in minimum increments of two processors. With this announcement, VMware is clarifying that a two processor license grant may now be split and used on two, single processor, physical hosts."

If you found this information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful". Thanks!!!

Regards,

Stefan Nguyen

iGeek Systems Inc.

VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Consultant

[mreferre]

Given that you would install a couple of low end systems (i.e. 2P capables with 1 socket populated) with VI3 anyway... buying a 1 x 2-socket VI3 license is OK.

Massimo.

[JoJoGabor]

You may want to consider the occurence of a processor failing. If all cores are on one socket and that fails the server is unusable until you get a replacement.

What would happen in this case - would ESX need to be reinstalled/rebooted or would it just run fine???

[weinstein5]

You would just need to replace the failed processor - BTW if you did lose a processor in a dual socket the esx would crash -

[mreferre]

There are at least another couple of dozens of single point of failures on a single Intel system other than the single processor (hence my assumption that most likely two systems are typically always deployed) so I wouldn't be too much worried about this.

The tone of this thread seems to be pretty much price/perf oriented ..... and as such I wouldn't be too much concerned about the detail of the failure of a processor (which I have rarely seen by the way other than a few dead-on-arrival circumstances).

Massimo.

[azn2kew]

So how critical for virtual machines availability for your company? If it is critical than utilize dual socket quad cores 32+ RAM to maximize their performance and more VMs hosted. Other than that, if its for testings than saving money is the way to go with single quad socket and add more socket if needed when expandable.

If you found this information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful". Thanks!!!

Regards,

Stefan Nguyen

iGeek Systems Inc.

VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Consultant

[AntonVZhbankov]

Since there are two single-socket hosts, 2-processor license fits perfectly.

[AntonVZhbankov]

Since there are two single-socket hosts, 2-processor license fits perfectly.

[Ken_Cline]

So how critical for virtual machines availability for your company? If it is critical than utilize dual socket quad cores 32+ RAM to maximize their performance and more VMs hosted. Other than that, if its for testings than saving money is the way to go with single quad socket and add more socket if needed when expandable.

Stefan, sorry, but I don't see how your recommendation addresses availability. In fact, I'd submit that by increasing the density on a single platform, you're increasing your exposure by putting more eggs in one basket. If availability is your concern, you need to look at multiple systems with multiple layers of fault tolerance built into each as well as redundancy in the underlying infrastructure.

Ken Cline

Technical Director, Virtualization

Wells Landers

VMware Communities User Moderator