HP 9000 K-Class
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1995-1998 |
| Period | Maturity (III) |
| Series | Lettered |
| CPU | 1-4 PA-7200 32-bit 1-4 PA-8000 64-bit 1-6 PA-8200 64-bit 100-240 MHz |
| Caches | 512 KB-4 MB |
| RAM | 512 MB-8 GB |
| Design | U2/UTurn |
| Drives | 6 SCSI |
| Expansion | 1 HSC 4 HP-PB 8 HP-PB (K4x0) |
| I/O | Ethernet SCSI 3 serial parallel MUX |
HP 9000 K-Class are multiprocessor PA-RISC servers from the mid- to late-1990s. They were part of the HP 9000 800 server series with many expansion, I/O and processor options.
Based on U2/UTurn architecture, K-Class used 32-bit PA-7200 and 64-bit PA-8000 processors with four-way or six-way multiprocessing, depending on the specific model. They were very powerful and compact Unix servers in the 1990s.
Typical K-Class consisted of System Processing Unit (SPU), separate system console and optional UPS bundled into a single 19″ rack. HP 9000 D-Class were technically very similar servers, smaller in size and slightly cheaper.
HP marketed also K-Class Power Deskside Models
, K260-EG, K460-EG and K460-XP, to be used as Visualize workstations with graphics adapters.
These were at the time HP’s most expandable workstations
with ultimate performance for engineering and scientific applications.
K460-XP used HP Visualize-48XP graphics adapter for heavy 3D.
The first digit in the model number after K
(1-5) indicates overall server type:
- K100: single-CPU with limited expandability
- K2x0 and K360: up to four CPUs, better expandability and memory
- K370/K380: up to six CPUs and more I/O slots
- K4x0: up to four CPUs, more I/O slots and more memory
- K5x0: up to six CPUs and a different I/O configuration
The number after K1/2/3/4/5
(00, 10, … 80) indicates design, CPUs and chipset.
- 00/10/20: PA-7200 processor and UTurn architecture
- 50/60: PA-8000 processor and U2 architecture
- 70/80: PA-8200 processor and U2 architecture
In the 1990s, K-Class servers were part of the US Navy TAC-4 program technology refreshment, in which HP supplied HP 9000 RISC Unix computers to the Navy.
| System | Model number | Introduced | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| K100, K200, K400 | HP 9000/809, HP 9000/819, HP 9000/829 | March 1995 | |
| K210, K410 | HP 9000/839, HP 9000/849 | September 1995 | |
| K220, K420 | HP 9000/859, HP 9000/869 | March 1996 | |
| K250, K450 | HP 9000/802, HP 9000/804 | August 1996 | |
| K260, K460 | HP 9000/879, HP 9000/889 | August 1996 | |
| K360 | HP 9000/? | 1998 | $36,915 |
| K370, K570 | HP 9000/898, HP 9000/899 | May 1997 | $49,915, $60,915 |
| K380, K580 | HP 9000/800 | February 1998 | $49,915, $76,995 |
Architecture
Processors
| System | CPU | Speed | L1 Cache |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP 9000 K100 | 1 PA-7200 PA-RISC 32-bit | 100 MHz | 256/256 KB off-chip, 2 KB on-chip |
| HP 9000 K200/K400 | 1-4 PA-7200 PA-RISC 32-bit | 100 MHz | 256/256 KB off-chip, 2 KB on-chip |
| HP 9000 K210/K410 | 1-4 PA-7200 PA-RISC 32-bit | 120 MHz | 256/256 KB off-chip, 2 KB on-chip |
| HP 9000 K220/K420 | 1-4 PA-7200 PA-RISC 32-bit | 120 MHz | 1/1 MB off-chip, 2 KB on-chip |
| HP 9000 K250/K450 | 1-4 PA-8000 PA-RISC 64-bit | 160 MHz | 1/1 MB off-chip |
| HP 9000 K260/K360/K460 | 1-4 PA-8000 PA-RISC 64-bit | 180 MHz | 1/1 MB off-chip |
| HP 9000 K370/K570 | 1-6 PA-8200 PA-RISC 64-bit | 200 MHz | 2/2 MB off-chip, picture CPU board |
| HP 9000 K380/K580 | 1-6 PA-8200 PA-RISC 64-bit | 240 MHz | 2/2 MB off-chip |
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Chipset
HP 9000 K-Class servers use either HP U2 or UTurn chipsets for PA-RISC computers. HP computers with Runway bus often used U2 and UTurn I/O adapters (IOA) and MMC/SMC as memory controllers to attach subsystems to the main bus. HP UTurn and U2 attach the GSC main system bus with devices and I/O via Runway to CPUs.
The rest of the system design and I/O devices is made up of proven components based on prior HP 32-bit PA-RISC designs, re-using HP LASI as I/O chipset and several server-specific I/O components.
- PA-7200 HP U2 I/O adapter Runway to GSC bridge
- PA-8000/8200 HP UTurn I/O adapter Runway to GSC bridge
- HP MMC/SMC memory controllers
- HP Gecko BOA BC GSC+ Port
- HP LASI I/O chipset
- Integrated NCR 53C710 8-bit single-ended SCSI-2
- NCR 53C720 16-bit Fast-Wide high-voltage differential (HVD) SCSI-2
- Integrated Intel 82596CA 10 Mbit Ethernet controller
- HP Harmony CD/DAT quality 16-bit stereo audio
- HP Eole CAP/MUX
- Other I/O (serial, parallel)
System buses
- Runway CPU/memory
100 MHz with 800 MB peak on Kx00
120 MHz 960 MB/s on all others - GSC+ bus for general system level I/O
- HSC bus for expansion I/O
- HP-PB bus for expansion I/O
- SCSI-2 Fast-Wide high-voltage differential (HVD) bus for main storage I/O
- SCSI-2 Fast-Narrow single-ended bus for main storage I/O
Expansion
Memory
- K100 512 MB maximum RAM
- K200, K210, K220 2 GB maximum RAM
- K250, K260, K360, K370, K380, K400, K410, K420 4 GB maximum RAM
- K450, K460, K570, K580 8 GB maximum RAM
- 72-pin ECC SIMMs on special RAM boards
- Systems with a PA-8x00 need 50ns access time modules, PA-7200 models can take up to 60ns. Slower modules could work.
I/O slots
- K100, K2x0, K3x0, K5x0 Four slots for HP-PB cards
- K4x0 Eight slots for HP-PB cards
- K100, K2x0, K4x0One slot for GSC/HSC cards on the core I/O board
- K3x0 One to three slots for GSC/HSC cards
- K5x0 One to nine slots for GSC/HSC cards
- Note various slot combinations and numbers needed expansion boards
Storage
- One tray for four Fast-Wide 68-pin SCSI-2 high-voltage differential hard drives
- One vertical tray for two 5.25″ half-height drives, external accessible
I/O ports
- 68-pin HD SCSI-2 Fast-Wide high-voltage differential
- TP/RJ45 10BaseT 10 Mbit Ethernet
- Ethernet AUI 15-pin
- Two serial RS232C DB9, one for console, one for UPS
- DB25 male RS232C serial, for remote console via modem
- Parallel DB25
- Two PS/2 connectors for keyboard und mouse
- MDP-connector for a serial MUX
- Kx50/Kx60/Kx70/Kx80 Four audio jacks
Operating systems
- HP-UX, the original HP Unix shipped with it
- HP-UX 11i v1 in 32-bit or 64-bit mode, in EOE, FOE, MCOE versions
- K100, K200, K210, K400, K410 (December 2000-June 2004)
- Rest (December 2000-December 2006)
- HP-UX 11.00 in 32-bit or 64-bit mode
- HP-UX 10.20 32-bit, server version
- HP-UX 11i v1 in 32-bit or 64-bit mode, in EOE, FOE, MCOE versions
- PA-RISC Linux, main Linux port to PA-RISC
- OpenBSD, open-source Unix-like, ported to PA-RISC (K100, K200, K210, K220, K400, K410, K420)
- NetBSD, open-source Unix-like, ported to PA-RISC (K100, K200, K210, K220, K400, K410, K420)
Dimensions
| System | Height | Width | Depth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stand-alone | 635mm | 432mm | 698mm | 59kg |
| Packaged | 870mm | 889mm | 775mm | 77kg |
Benchmarks
| System | SPEC95 int |
SPEC95 fp |
SPECrate95, int | SPECrate95, fp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP 9000 K400 | 4.92 | 6.80 4P: 10.9 |
44.3 2P:87.9 4P:174 |
61.2 2P:117 4P:198 |
| HP 9000 K410 | 5.92 | 8.15 4P: 13.0 |
53.3 2P:106 4P:210 |
73.4 2P:140 4P:238 |
| HP 9000 K420 | 6.41 | 9.11 4P: 14.7 |
57.7 2P:114 4P:228 |
82.0 2P:157 4P:412 |
| HP 9000 Kx50 | 10.7 | 18.8 | 96 2P:189 4P:375 |
169 2P:279 4P:383 |
| HP 9000 K460 | 11.8 | 20.2 | 107 2P:212 4P:418 |
182 2P:418 4P:398 |
| HP 9000 K570 | 14.6 | 23.0 | 132 2P:261 4P:519 6P:767 |
207 2P:322 4P:434 6P:489 |
| HP 9000 K580 | 17.4 | 28.5 | 157 2P:312 4P:610 6P:902 |
257 2P:398 4P:532 6P:604 |
Comparison to SPEC benchmark data from other contemporary Unix workstations:
| System | CPU | SPEC95 int |
SPEC95 fp |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEC Alphastation 500 | DEC Alpha 21164 500MHz | 15.0 | 20.4 |
| SGI Origin 2000 | MIPS R10000 250MHz 4MB | 14.7 | 24.5 |
| Sun Ultra 5 333 | Sun UltraSPARC IIi 333MHz | 14.1 | 18.3 |
| Siemens SCENIC 1000 | Intel Pentium II 333MHz | 13.0 | 9.43 |
| IBM RS/6000 43P 150 | PowerPC 604e 250 MHz | 11.1 | 8.78 |
| SGI O2 | MIPS R10000 196MHz | 10.1 | 8.77 |
| Intel Alder | Intel Pentium Pro 200MHz | 8.09 | 6.75 |
| Sun Ultra 2 1170 | Sun UltraSPARC 167MHz | 6.34 | 9.33 |
| DEC Alphastation 255 | DEC Alpha 21064A 233MHz | 4.27 | 5.09 |
| Siemens PCE-5S | Intel Pentium 100MHz | 4.04 | 2.35 |
| IBM RS/6000 43P | PowerPC 604 100 MHz | 3.59 | 3.20 |
Documentation
- Service Manual HP 9000 K-Class Enterprise Servers and HP 3000 Model 9x9KS (PDF, 2.1 MB) parisc linux
- K-Class Installation Guide (HP 9000/Kxx0) (PDF) parisc linux
- K-Class Installation Guide (HP 3000/9x9KS) (PDF) parisc linux
- K-Class Owner’s Guide (PDF) parisc linux
- Symmetric Multiprocessing Workstations and Servers System-Designed for High Performance and Low Cost (.pdf) William R. Bryg, Kenneth K. Chan, and Nicholas S. Fiduccia (February 1996: Hewlett-Packard Journal) archive.org
- J/K-Class Memory System description (PDF, HP Journal 2/96) archive.org
- HP VISUALIZE Workstations Power Deskside Models K260-EG and K460-EG, HP Technical Computing archive.org, Hewlett-Packard Company (1997: mirror accessed January 2024)
- HP VISUALIZE Workstation Power Deskside Model K460-XP, HP Technical Computing archive.org, Hewlett-Packard Company (1997: mirror accessed January 2024)
- HP 9000 SERVER PRODUCT LINE, 1999 Prices, HP Professional June 1999 archive.org