Huawei and SUSE Collaborate to Deliver a Mission Critical Server, Setting a New Standard for Reliability

October 11, 2017


Built on KunLun servers with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, it will lead the way as a Mission Critical Server that supports memory module hot swap

PRAGUE, Czechia (SUSECON 2017)

At SUSECON 2017, Huawei and SUSE today announced a broadening of their partnership, as the companies will collaborate to build a more reliable Mission Critical Server, setting a new standard for reliability. It will lead the way as a Mission Critical Server that supports memory module hot swap, helping customers slash unplanned maintenance time while keeping their production systems up and running.

The solution will run on Huawei’s 16-/32-socket (one socket means one processor) KunLun Mission Critical Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. It strengthens both companies’ lineup of enterprise mission-critical offerings and underscores their commitment to building highly reliable, high-performing mission-critical solutions for global enterprise customers.

As a pioneer in the open source software industry, SUSE’s enterprise Linux expertise delivers unrivaled RAS assurance for the x86 platform. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server running on KunLun builds on the SUSE enterprise-class Linux OS kernels and synergizes with the bottom-layer firmware provided by KunLun. This combination enables efficient coordination between the Linux kernel ACPI driver module, the memory hot swap module, and the kernel memory management subsystem. In addition, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server works seamlessly with the optimized KunLun BIOS process, together constituting a highly automated, reliable hot swap solution secured from kernels all the way through to user-mode tools. This will allow users of validated applications to physically add or remove core components such as memory modules online without shutting down the system, thereby keeping the mission-critical services up and running all the time.

The Huawei KunLun Mission Critical Server is specifically engineered for critical workloads such as enterprise database, decision support, and business processing. Supporting 8, 16, or 32 Intel® processors with up to 32 TB in-memory computing, the KunLun server is capable of effortlessly processing massive amounts of data even in large-scale in-memory database systems. KunLun adopts Huawei’s innovative reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS 2.0) technologies to achieve a 3,000 percent improvement in reliability. Such technologies include kPar physical partitioning, memory module hot swap, and Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA). In addition, Huawei's partnership with other partners has produced various solutions addressing disaster recovery (DR), high availability (HA), and backup. These solutions ensure high reliability coupled with intelligent fault detection and recovery in KunLun servers, minimizing server downtime.

“Huawei is teaming up with SUSE to jointly launch the in-memory computing hot swap solution built on the Huawei 16-/32-socket KunLun Mission Critical Server and the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server RAS enhanced feature package. This solution will ensure continuous, stable running of enterprise business-critical applications and reduce unplanned downtime. Supporting memory online maintenance, it reduces unplanned system outage caused by memory faults to almost zero, thereby boosting the reliability of enterprise critical applications,” said Qiu Long, president of the Huawei IT Server Product Line.

“SUSE values our joint innovation with Huawei,” said Ralf Flaxa, SUSE president of Engineering. “Having support and coordination from the bottom-layer hardware structural design and BIOS software sides is integral to SUSE’s innovations around the OS RAS features. The appliance based on the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server RAS enhanced feature package and the Huawei KunLun Mission Critical Server embodies the results of our joint innovation, and it will deliver unparalleled reliability to large enterprise customers.”

Current solutions jointly developed by Huawei and SUSE have been recognized and trusted by customers globally. SUSE Linux Enterprise running on Huawei servers are in widespread use across various industries including retail, manufacturing, energy, hi-tech, and finance.

About SUSE

SUSE, a pioneer in open source software, provides reliable, software-defined infrastructure and application delivery solutions that give enterprises greater control and flexibility. More than 20 years of engineering excellence, exceptional service and an unrivaled partner ecosystem power the products and support that help our customers manage complexity, reduce cost, and confidently deliver mission-critical services. The lasting relationships we build allow us to adapt and deliver the smarter innovation they need to succeed – today and tomorrow. For more information, visit suse.com.

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solution provider. Our aim is to enrich life and improve efficiency through a better connected world, acting as a responsible corporate citizen, innovative enabler for the information society, and collaborative contributor to the industry. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Huawei’s 180,000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers by providing competitive ICT solutions, products, and services. Our innovative ICT solutions, products and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world’s population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees. For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com.

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