If you would just like to view our full range of Proliant Gen9 servers, visit our shop, otherwise... read on!

Back in August, Hewlett Packard unveiled the new portfolio of HP ProLiant Generation 9 (Gen9) servers which it plans to phase in over the next 18 months. With the first wave of DL360 Gen9 and DL380 Gen9 products currently on order and due in 6-8 weeks, we thought we’d take an advance peek into what the new range has to offer.

In total there’ll be seven Gen9 server models launched which HP claim will offer better performance improved capacity and efficiency and lower running costs. Powered by the new Intel Xeon E5-2600v3 processor range, Gen9 servers will feature three times more computing capacity than their Gen8 counterparts and can handle four times the workload.

The launch marks a shift in strategy by HP in line with their Compute vision whereby data centre resources such as servers, storage and networking are pooled and provisioned dynamically. Think of it as an intelligent, real-time orchestration of infrastructure geared towards changing business demands. The role of the traditional server must be reimagined in the context of the software defined data centre of the future. It’s no longer about siloed, discrete servers that are functionally defined and purpose built with limited ability to adapt to changing business requirements. A business needs to be able to define, change and expand resources without being constrained by hardware. Current IT hardware is inefficient, slow and dependent on manual intervention. It has not been able to keep pace with incessant demand. The Gen9 server range is designed to meet such modern workload demands in the world of mobility, cloud, big data and security.

What’s new with Gen9 servers?

The Gen9 line-up is far more than a slightly revamped set of boxes with faster processors. HP claims this is set to be the biggest refresh in the history of computing and promises to deliver a huge amount of innovation in the next few years.

Bold claims indeed!

The Gen9 portfolio is designed to help clients accelerate IT delivery, lower power consumption and reduce costs. Optimised for cloud and converged or software defined environments, their key differentiators include:

• 3x more compute capacity over Gen8s driven by new processors, DDR4 SmartMemory, 12 Gb/s Smart Array controllers and PCIe Workload Accelerators.
• Improved performance thanks to enablers such as HP SmartCache, FlexFabric Adapters, PCIe accelerators and various HP VirtualConnect enhancements.
• Faster setup, monitoring & management via innovative embedded management tools including UEFI BIOS, HP SUM and RESTful APIs for hybrid cloud deployments.
• Lower total cost of ownership (TCO) through converged infrastructure cost efficiencies, improved power & cooling management and superior IT admin productivity.

Gen9 server models

The Gen9 product family spans four architectures (blade, rack, tower and scale-out) and retains the naming conventions used on previous ProLiant generations although some models are being rebranded to allow HP to compete more effectively at the lower ‘value’ end of the market. Here’s a summary of the model transitions:

• All Entry Rack and Tower servers will have a two digit series number or 10 series product following the Family (ML, DL) denotation For example, DL300e servers will transition to DL100 series
• All existing Performance Rack and Tower servers will retain their naming conventions (300 and 500 series respectively). For example DL300p servers will transition to DL300 series.
• The MicroServer naming conventions will remain the same
• The BladeSystem Servers will remain the same

Core Rack Servers:

• HP ProLiant DL360e Gen8 > HP ProLiant DL160 Gen9
• HP ProLiant DL380e Gen8 > HP ProLiant DL180 Gen9
• HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8 > HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9
• HP ProLiant DL380p Gen8 > HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9

Core Tower Servers:

• HP ProLiant ML350p Gen8 > HP ProLiant ML350 Gen9

HP BladeSystem:

• HP ProLiant BL460c Gen8 > HP ProLiant BL460c Gen9 (no name change)

So, are Gen8 servers now end of life?

Far from it - Gen9 models will gradually be phased as part of a multi-year roadmap but until then sales and support of Gen8 servers will continue and we're already seeing plenty of Gen8 bargains ahead of the Gen9 stock starting to filter through. For many users (particularly at the lower end of the market) the performance gains from switching to Gen9 servers are either not required or justified by the price premium and buying a Gen8 model makes more sense.

Gen9 servers – a cloud ready platform

To sum up, here’s a quote from Antonio Neri, Senior Vice President & General Manager for HP Servers & Networking:

““The rise of mobile, cloud, social and big data is driving the need for a new approach to the data center and its processing engine—the server—to enable successful business outcomes..Today, we’re setting the stage for the next quarter century with HP ProLiant Gen9 Servers and compute, which combines the best of traditional IT and cloud environments to enable a truly software-defined enterprise.”

Gen9 servers are now in stock. Browse our range of Gen9 servers in our shop.