Sun Fire V480 Detailed View

Overview
The Sun Fire V480 server, based on the award-winning binary compatible UltraSPARC processor, is positioned at the high-end of Sun's powerful line of servers for enterprise network computing. This next-generation, entry-level server delivers outstanding compute density and remarkable performance, and provides exceptional reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features, in a cost-effective package.

The Sun Fire V480 server brings multiprocessing power, Fibre Channel disk drives, up to 32 GB of memory, and two 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet ports into a highly modular, rack-optimized (5 RU) design.

The Sun Fire V480 server can be configured with two or four 900 MHz processors. It also features two internal, 36 GB Fibre Channel hard drives and six PCI slots connected to two high-performance PCI I/O buses. The Sun Fireplane interconnect provides high-bandwidth interconnectivity with minimal latency and maximum throughput for any combination of compute-intensive or I/O-intensive applications.

The Sun Fire V480 server is a general-purpose server ideal for a wide range of applications and industries. It offers the flexibility to scale processing power while maximizing data center space. The Sun Fire V480 server can provide increasing levels of high performance on a Solaris Operating Environment platform that delivers binary compatibility--meaning applications developed under previous versions of the Solaris Operating Environment will remain fully compatible.

Sun Fire V480 Server Systems
The Sun Fire V480 server comes with the following standard components:

• DVD-ROM drive
• Two power supplies, providing N+1 redundancy
• Two integrated 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet ports
• FC-AL disk controller
• Two USB ports
• One RJ45 serial port
• Four-post rackmount kit with cable management arm
• Solaris 8 (2/02) Operating Environment license
• Three-year, second-day, onsite hardware warranty

The following standard configurations are available:

• Two 900 MHz processors, 4 GB memory, and two 36 GB hard drives
• Four 900 MHz processors, 16 GB memory, and two 36 GB hard drives
• Four 900 MHz processors, 32 GB memory, and two 36 GB hard drives

Product Family Placement
The Sun Fire V480 server is positioned in the middle of the entry-level server family from Sun, which includes:

• Two-processor Sun Fire 280R, Sun Enterprise 220R, and Sun Enterprise 250 servers 

• Four-processor Sun Enterprise 420R and Sun Enterprise 450 servers 

• Eight-processor Sun Fire V880 server

The following table compares some of the features of Sun Fire servers:

Enabling Technology

UltraSPARC III Cu Processor
The Sun Fire V480 server is based upon Sun's third-generation 64-bit microprocessor with 100% binary compatibility and the SPARC V9 architecture. UltraSPARC III Cu processors provide optimal multiprocessor performance, high availability, and scalability for mission-critical and high-performance systems that make the net work.

Sun Fireplane Interconnect
The Sun Fireplane interconnect is a crossbar switch with four ports, one for each of the two dual-processor memory modules and two for the PCI I/O subsystem. All ports operate simultaneously. The total aggregate bandwidth is 9.6 GBps of sustained throughput, minimizing latency and maximizing throughput.

PCI Subsystem Architecture
There are a total of six 64-bit PCI slots (two at 66 MHz and four at 33 MHz), which allow for high-performance networking or connectivity to external storage devices.

Automatic System Recovery
Automatic System Recovery identifies and removes failed components in the event of a system failure. As a result, service is restored to the extent possible, as quickly as possible.

Remote System Control (RSC) and System Service Processor (SSP)
The Sun Fire V480 server has RSC and SSP features that enable complete console access, monitoring, and control from a remote location via any client device on the network, a serial line, or modem.

FC-AL (Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop) Storage Controller
Fibre Channel is an industry-standard, high-speed, serial data transfer that provides powerful networking capabilities and allows switches and hubs to increase availability and bandwidth between systems and storage controllers.

Key Features

High Performance
The Sun Fire V480 server features high-performance UltraSPARC III Cu processors with 8 MB of external cache for exceptional processing power. Two- or four-way multiprocessing is available through dual-processor memory modules. Additionally, the Sun Fireplane interconnect, integrated I/O subsystems, and two 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet interfaces provide high levels of throughput.

Flexibility
The Sun Fire V480 server provides the flexibility required for maximum system growth and expansion potential. Customers can start with a single dual-processor board and add a second CPU board later as needs grow. The Sun Fire server supports up to 32 GB memory and two 36 GB or 73 GB hard drives. Network expansion capability is available through six PCI bus slots.

The Sun Fire V480 server's small footprint (5 RU high, 17.5-inch wide, and 24-inch depth) makes it ideal for deployment in crowded data centers where space is at a premium.

Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability
The Sun Fire V480 server offers exceptional reliability, availability, and serviceability features that include:

• Hot-pluggable disk drivesHot-swappable power supplies
• Front and back system and component LEDs
• Front-to-back cooling
• Automatic System Recovery (ASR)
• Remote System Control (RSC)
• Sun Cluster software
• Alternate multipathing support to external storage and networks for increased availability

Cost Effective 
The Sun Fire V480 server reaches a new level in performance versus price. Customers can cost-effectively scale their network architecture to meet business needs. And because the Solaris and SPARC platform is an open-standards platform that provides compatibility, manageability, security, and massive scalability, network investments will be protected and network infrastructures can adapt to new trends.