Entry-level application choice: Sunway promotes flexible server solutions
Compared to personal computer products, servers require higher levels of system stability and reliability due to their application environment. Therefore, since the inception of servers, various targeted designs have been implemented for the components of the machine to ensure high stability during long-term use. Meanwhile, due to increased design and material costs, server prices have remained consistently high, posing a significant challenge for some enterprise users, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are just starting out.
In recent years, with the continuous maturity of server technology and markets, custom-built servers have started to attract more attention from SME customers. Compared to branded servers, custom servers have obvious advantages in cost. Generally speaking, the price of a custom-built server with the same configuration is less than three-quarters of a branded server. Additionally, in terms of configuration, custom servers offer greater flexibility. Although many branded servers now offer products specifically designed for SME users, compared to the vast number of enterprises with diverse application needs, the "SME" features of branded SME servers still lack sufficient relevance.
Recently, Sunway International, China's largest server accessories supplier, officially launched a highly flexible server customization solution aimed at SME users. This provides a new approach for the informatization construction of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as start-up companies. The solution is built on the platform of Intel Xeon E3 processors and ASUS P8 single-socket motherboards. Apart from these two core components, other parts can be flexibly selected by users based on their own needs. For users with unclear requirements and rapid growth, Sunway International has formed a dedicated service team to provide evaluation services, helping users build the most suitable server models, which has received positive feedback from numerous users.
Mr. Zhang is the head of the B2C website under a large foreign trade company in Guangzhou. Since the company operates mainly through OEM production and supplemented by its own brand sales, for commercial reasons, the company decided to separate the website office from the headquarters. This means that the website needs to purchase a set of information systems separately as a trading platform, but the cost the company can pay for this is very limited. To achieve the best balance between investment cost and application effect, Mr. Zhang decided to focus on the custom server offered by Sunway.
After multiple communications and repeated evaluations, under the suggestion of Sunway's engineers, Mr. Zhang finally decided to base the website information platform construction plan on the "ASUS P8 motherboard + Xeon E3 processor" customized solution offered by Sunway. The specific configuration is as follows.
**ASUS P8B-X**
The ASUS P8B-X is a high-cost-performance server motherboard specially designed by ASUS for SME applications such as e-commerce, OA, and finance. It is an important member of the ASUS P8 series server motherboard family. The main feature of this motherboard is its targeted design for entry-level users, offering high usability while keeping usage and maintenance costs low. Since its launch, it has been recognized by users from different industries, which is also one of the key reasons why Mr. Zhang trusted this solution.
The ASUS P8B-X uses the C202 chipset, supporting Intel E3 series processors with excellent data processing capabilities, more than enough to handle general computing applications in e-commerce. In addition, the motherboard integrates 4 DIMM slots, supporting DDR3 ECC UDIMM memory of capacities 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB, with a total memory capacity up to 32GB, doubling the maximum 16GB capacity of the previous generation product. In this solution, considering the actual needs of the user, Sunway engineers equipped it with 4GB of memory to ensure the efficient and smooth operation of the website business. In terms of data storage, the motherboard also has 6 SATA disk interfaces and an embedded SATA RAID array controller, allowing users to achieve stable and reliable data protection at a lower cost without additional investment. Additionally, in terms of networking, the ASUS P8B-X comes with 2 server-grade Gigabit network cards, supporting load balancing and port redundancy functions, ensuring the stable operation and continuity of the e-commerce website.
In terms of the processor, the solution adopts the Intel Xeon E3-1200 processor specifically designed for entry-level enterprise users. This processor uses the SNB architecture, mature 32nm process technology, and adds the AVX instruction set, offering faster calculation speed and higher efficiency, fully meeting the daily computing needs of enterprises while reducing the cost of building the enterprise information platform. If needed, users can conveniently upgrade to higher-end processors.
After the implementation of the solution, the system runs stably without any downtime issues, providing good support for the user’s website business operations. Mr. Zhang revealed that the company is relatively satisfied with the construction of this website information platform. Whether in terms of system stability or return on investment, it far exceeds expectations. He mentioned that if other departments within the company need to upgrade or expand their information systems, they will also consider this solution.
[Link](http://www.xwkj.com/zuyong.asp)