PC and server performance can be hugely enhanced by
64-bit processing. But what are the business benefits and how
quickly do you need to move? Sally Flood reports
More than a decade after the introduction of 32-bit computing,
the computer industry is on the verge of another seismic shift:
from 32-bit to a new generation of 64-bit PCs and servers. Yet,
although the performance benefits of 64-bit are compelling, experts
argue that it could be years before most companies complete the
move.
"In reality, very few companies actually need 64-bit computing,"
says Andy Butler, vice-president at analyst firm Gartner. "It is
only really in the last year or so that companies have started to
bump against the performance ceiling of 32-bit."
However, the industry seems to have other ideas. More than 24
manufacturers have already announced servers based on Intel's
64-bit Xeon MP processor, and AMD's 64-bit Opteron processor has
been gathering market share for almost two years. "I would
confidently predict that, within two years, most of our customers
will be operating in a 64-bit environment," says John King, UK
enterprise server manager at HP.
To understand the suppliers' confidence, it is important to
understand what is happening in the world of 64-bit computing. The
technology is hardly new. Companies such as IBM and HP have offered
64-bit servers since the late 1990s. However, these 64-bit servers
ran on expensive Risc processors and Unix operating systems, and
were restricted to high-end database management or technical
applications.
Two events look set to change the way companies use 64-bit
computing. First, Intel and AMD have released 64-bit processors
specifically designed to run in midrange environments, on servers
and desktop computers.
These processors also have the capability to run both 32- and
64-bit applications, so that companies do not have to make the leap
to 64-bit before they are ready. "With the latest chips, you have
an industry-standard way of migrating from 32- to 64-bit with no
real additional overhead," says Stephen Atkins, product manager for
IBM's pSeries of 64-bit servers.
Windows steps up a gear
Perhaps even more importantly, Microsoft has released its
long-awaited, 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, offering
customers the opportunity to run Windows on either Intel or AMD's
64-bit processors. This means that Microsoft users can take
advantage of the new 64-bit servers without changing operating
systems. Windows Server 2003 for 64-bit will dramatically improve
the performance of SQL Server and Active Directory, says Mark
Tennant, server product marketing manager at Microsoft. "With
64-bit, everything can be done very fast," says Tennant. "It is
really stepping everything up a gear."
By the end of 2006, Tennant says that all Microsoft applications
will be 64-bit ready, although the company still plans to offer a
32-bit version of Longhorn, its next version of Windows. IDC
forecasts that 20% of Windows servers sold over the next 12 months
will ship with Windows Server 2003 x64.
The announcement will also drive progress across the industry,
adds Atkins, "It means there is a driver there to persuade
application developers to create 64-bit versions of their
software," he says. "If Microsoft is going down the 64-bit route,
the industry knows there will be a market, and if they do not
create the software, people could migrate off their
platforms."
One of the first companies to make the move to a 64-bit server
infrastructure is ALG Software, an independent software company
specialising in cost management and budgeting. "Our work is
extremely data-intensive, and based on calculations and processing
numbers. It requires a lot of memory and processing power," says
Richard Barrett, ALG's vice-president of marketing. "Traditionally,
we did a lot of batch processing, where you press the button, go
home for the night and leave the computer to do the work."
However, customers have started to demand much faster
processing, sometimes expecting calculations to be performed and
adapted in virtually real time, says Barrett. "Managers in our
customer companies are used to working on the web, where you click
something and five seconds later it is there. They are starting to
expect the same from database applications."
ALG placed the first order in the UK for Dell's 64-bit Poweredge
2850 server with four Xenon processors. The server can process
calculations many times faster than the previous 32-bit servers,
Barrett says. "We can process things virtually instantly in some
cases that would have taken hours previously," he says. "We can
also use the servers to test customer models and see the effects of
minor adjustments very easily."
With 64-bit hardware and operating systems on the shelves - and
applications on the horizon - IT directors have a decision to make.
Do you choose 32-bit servers and applications to maintain
consistency in your architecture, or do you set out on the upgrade
path to 64-bit?
The first question to ask is whether the improvements offered by
64-bit technology will actually benefit your organisation. The
biggest difference between 32-bit and 64-bit processors is
something called addressable memory. Basically, this is the amount
of memory that the processor can put aside to process a particular
calculation or transaction. In a 32-bit processor, there is 4Gbytes
of addressable memory, but some 64-bit processors offer massively
increased capacity.
Suitable case for 64-bit
This additional memory will be most useful for companies that
run applications which process a lot of data quickly, says Butler.
The most obvious areas where this type of performance is in demand
are database management and web servers, although other
applications could also benefit from 64-bit. "There could be a case
for using 64-bit if applications rely heavily on shared memory,
such as ERP systems, or for intensive workstation applications such
as computer-aided design or video editing," Butler says.
Hardware is only one aspect of 64-bit computing: companies will
also need to consider whether they are ready to roll out 64-bit
operating systems and applications. Because the new AMD and Intel
chips are dual purpose, it will be possible to run 32-bit Windows
operating systems - Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows
2000, for example - and their familiar 32-bit applications for
years.
These systems must be tested carefully to ensure they will run
properly in a 64-bit environment. There may be some
incompatibilities, particularly where applications have 32-bit,
kernel-mode components such as device drivers, Butler warns.
Microsoft says that Windows XP x64 will not support Dos, 16-bit, or
Posix applications, along with some older networking protocols. The
company advises IT departments to check existing applications for
compatibility, performance and reliability on Windows x64 before
deploying new 64-bit servers.
Cast-iron guarantees needed
Vendors are also readying hundreds of 64-bit server
applications, including 64-bit versions of IBM DB/2, SAP R/3 and
Citrix Metaframe. Companies rolling out these applications must
seek cast-iron guarantees from vendors that new applications will
run in a 64-bit environment without any modification, says
Atkins.
Although an x64 operating system should run 32-bit applications
without any problems, there may be some incompatibilities. Certain
applications will need to be tweaked to run in x64
environments.
For organisations that are likely to benefit from 64-bit
technology, Gartner's advice is to take a slow and steady approach
to upgrading. "There is absolutely no benefit in ripping out an
existing 32-bit system and replacing it," says Butler. "Instead, we
would advise IT directors to look for 64-bit readiness in all new
hardware and software systems as part of the regular refresh
cycle."
Butler advises IT departments to invest in 64-bit hardware and
operating systems even if they have no immediate plans to use
64-bit applications.
"There is no particular price premium for 64-bit, although you
will pay a bit more for the other improvements in the processors,
like dual-core processing," he says. "But what it does mean is you
will spend less when you do finally make the move, perhaps in four
or five years' time."
Case study: Multiyork enjoys 64-bit without the cost of
Unix
Furniture manufacturer and retailer Multiyork invested in
Windows Server 2003 and HP Itanium Servers in 2003, but the company
already had its eye on cutting edge 64-bit technology.
For many years, Multiyork had relied on a proprietary
application for sales and ordering. However, in 2003 the company
decided to invest in a new ERP system from SAP to process all
customer orders centrally. The SAP system runs on the 64-bit
edition of Windows Server 2003 for Itanium servers.
The HP server runs the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003
operating system, along with 64-bit versions of SQL Server and SAP.
The 64-bit version of SAP was developed specifically for Multiyork,
so the company temporarily used a 32-bit version of the software at
the start of the project. Once the 64-bit application was complete,
the data was migrated from the 32-bit system without any
problems.
The key benefit of 64-bit is that Multiyork can enjoy the faster
64-bit performance without investing in Unix, says David
McAllister, IT manager at Multiyork . "We did already have some
Unix, but we could see Microsoft was more cost-effective going
forward," he says. The system offers not only 64-bit processing,
but massive scalability and large amounts of addressable
memory.
Glossary
64-bit processing
A 64-bit processor
provides higher performance than 32-bit architecture by handling
twice as many bits of information in the same clock cycle. This may
be necessary to run memory and data intensive applications such as
computer-aided design applications and databases.
IA-64
A 64-bit processor architecture
developed at Intel that is the foundation for Intel's 64-bit
microprocessors. The Itanium was the first in Intel's line of IA-64
processors.
Xeon
A Pentium microprocessor from Intel
for use in midrange enterprise servers and workstations. Many Xeon
processors can be used on a single server motherboard from Intel,
allowing great scalability. The Xeon MP also offers 64-bit
capability.
Risc
A reduced instruction set computer
is a microprocessor that is designed to perform a smaller number of
computer instructions so that it can operate at a higher speed. A
Risc processor usually performs many millions of instructions per
second more than other sorts of processors.