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List of VMware FT (Fault Tolerant) compatible CPUs

21 April, 2009

With VMware vSphere there is a new exiting function called VMware Fault Tolerant or VMware FT. With VMware FT you can protect a VM against failure by running this VM in lockstep with an exact copy on a different host. Every interrupt in the source VM is immediately replicated to the destination VM, which is “invisble” on the network. Should the host with the source VM fail, then the destination VM will become visible on the network and the users will not experience any downtime. Also a new destination VM is created on a different (third) host and will be kept “in lockstep”.

Now when selecting new servers or in my case a whitebox for my own testlab at home, one should pay attention to the CPU that is in the system, because not all new CPUs have this feature. Below is a matrix of CPUs that can be run in lockstep with eachother.

Intel
3100		 Intel
3300		 Intel
5200		 Intel
5400		 Intel
5500		 Intel
7400		 AMD
1300		 AMD
2300		 AMD
8300
Intel 3100

O

O

O

O

X

O

X

X

X
Intel 3300

O

O

O

O

X

O

X

X

X
Intel 5200

O

O

O

O

X

O

X

X

X
Intel 5400

O

O

O

O

X

O

X

X

X
Intel 5500

X

X

X

X

O

X

X

X

X
Intel 7400

O

O

O

O

X

O

X

X

X
AMD 1300

X

X

X

X

X

X

O

O

O
AMD 2300

X

X

X

X

X

X

O

O

O
AMD 8300

X

X

X

X

X

X

O

O

O

When you look at the table you see that an Intel CPU cannot run in lockstep with an AMD CPU, which is as expected. There is one special CPU, the Intel 5500. This CPU can only use FT between other Intel 5500 CPUs. So be carefull when you want to buy this CPU. Another tip is that you should stay within 400MHZ cpu speed if you cross types within the same family.

Since I already have a whitebox with a Q6600 Intel CPU, I wanted more info on which Intel CPUs would be available for my new whitebox system. From  http://ark.intel.com/ProductCollection.aspx?familyID=594 I retrieved a list of all Intel CPUs. Next I filtered it on the Intel 31xx, 33xx, 52xx, 54xx, 55xx and 74xx. Which gave me this list:

Product Name Power Price
Intel® Xeon®  E3110 (6M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 65 Watts $167
Intel® Xeon®  E5205 (6M Cache, 1.86 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 65 Watts $177
Intel® Xeon®  E3120 (6M Cache, 3.16 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 65 Watts $188
Intel® Xeon®  E5502 (4M Cache, 1.86 GHz, 4.80 GT/s Intel® QPI) 80 Watts $188
Intel® Xeon®  E5405 (12M Cache, 2.00 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $209
Intel® Xeon®  L3110 (6M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 45 Watts $224
Intel® Xeon®  X3330 (6M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 95 Watts $224
Intel® Xeon®  E5504 (4M Cache, 2.00 GHz, 4.80 GT/s Intel® QPI) 80 Watts $224
Intel® Xeon®  E5410 (12M Cache, 2.33 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $256
Intel® Xeon®  X3320 (6M Cache, 2.50 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 95 Watts $266
Intel® Xeon®  X3350 (12M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 95 Watts $266
Intel® Xeon®  X3360 (12M Cache, 2.83 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 95 Watts $266
Intel® Xeon®  E5506 (4M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 4.80 GT/s Intel® QPI) 80 Watts $266
Intel® Xeon®  X3370 (12M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 95 Watts $316
Intel® Xeon®  E5420 (12M Cache, 2.50 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $316
Intel® Xeon®  L5410 (12M Cache, 2.33 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 50 Watts $320
Intel® Xeon®  L3360 (12M Cache, 2.83 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 65 Watts $369
Intel® Xeon®  E5520 (8M Cache, 2.26 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI) 80 Watts $373
Intel® Xeon®  L5420 (12M Cache, 2.50 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 50 Watts $380
Intel® Xeon®  L5506 (4M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 4.80 GT/s Intel® QPI) 60 Watts $423
Intel® Xeon®  E5430 (12M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $455
Intel® Xeon®  E5530 (8M Cache, 2.40 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI) 80 Watts $530
Intel® Xeon®  L5520 (8M Cache, 2.26 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI) 60 Watts $530
Intel® Xeon®  L5430 (12M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 50 Watts $562
Intel® Xeon®  L5240 (6M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 40 Watts $669
Intel® Xeon®  E5440 (12M Cache, 2.83 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $690
Intel® Xeon®  E5540 (8M Cache, 2.53 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI) 80 Watts $744
Intel® Xeon®  E5462 (12M Cache, 2.80 GHz, 1600 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $797
Intel® Xeon®  X5260 (6M Cache, 3.33 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $851
Intel® Xeon®  X5450 (12M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 120 Watts $851
Intel® Xeon®  E5450 (12M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $915
Intel® Xeon®  X5472 (12M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1600 MHz FSB) 120 Watts $958
Intel® Xeon®  X5550 (8M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 6.40 GT/s Intel® QPI) 95 Watts $958
Intel® Xeon®  E5472 (12M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1600 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $1,022
Intel® Xeon®  X5270 (6M Cache, 3.50 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $1,172
Intel® Xeon®  X5272 (6M Cache, 3.40 GHz, 1600 MHz FSB) 80 Watts $1,172
Intel® Xeon®  X5460 (12M Cache, 3.16 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 120 Watts $1,172
Intel® Xeon®  X5560 (8M Cache, 2.80 GHz, 6.40 GT/s Intel® QPI) 95 Watts $1,172
Intel® Xeon®  E7420 (8M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 90 Watts $1,177
Intel® Xeon®  X5482 (12M Cache, 3.20 GHz, 1600 MHz FSB) 150 Watts $1,279
Intel® Xeon®  X5470 (12M Cache, 3.33 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 120 Watts $1,386
Intel® Xeon®  X5570 (8M Cache, 2.93 GHz, 6.40 GT/s Intel® QPI) 95 Watts $1,386
Intel® Xeon®  E7430 (12M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 90 Watts $1,391
Intel® Xeon®  X5492 (12M Cache, 3.40 GHz, 1600 MHz FSB) 150 Watts $1,493
Intel® Xeon®  W5580 (8M Cache, 3.20 GHz, 6.40 GT/s Intel® QPI) 130 Watts $1,600
Intel® Xeon®  E7440 (16M Cache, 2.40 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 90 Watts $1,980
Intel® Xeon®  L7445 (12M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 50 Watts $1,980
Intel® Xeon®  E7450 (12M Cache, 2.40 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 90 Watts $2,301
Intel® Xeon®  L7455 (12M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 65 Watts $2,729
Intel® Xeon®  X7460 (16M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 130 Watts $2,729
Intel® Xeon®  X3380 (12M Cache, 3.16 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 95 Watts N/A
Intel® Xeon®  E5220 (6M Cache, 2.33 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 65 Watts N/A
Intel® Xeon®  E5240 (6M Cache, 3.00 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 65 Watts N/A
Intel® Xeon®  L5238 (6M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 35 Watts N/A
Intel® Xeon®  L5408 (12M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) 40 Watts N/A
Intel® Xeon®  L5508 (8M Cache, 2.00 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI) 38 Watts N/A
Intel® Xeon®  L5518 (8M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI) 60 Watts N/A

The prices listed are from Intel’s website, but they will give a good indication of where to start. In my case that is looking at the cheapest :-)

AMD

For AMD I found this overview on http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_609,00.html?redir=CPPR01

All AMD CPUs listed here, support RVI according to http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_8796_15226,00.html and the power consumption of the AMD CPUs comes in three flavors, which is reflected in the CPU type:

  • SE = Performance optimized models consume 105W
  • HE = Low power CPU that consumes 55W
  • Normal usage = 75W

These are all Quad Cores from the Opteron Server family:

Processor (Quad Core) Price US
AMD Opteron 1352 $112
AMD Opteron 1354 $141
AMD Opteron 1356 $171
AMD Opteron 2376 $174
AMD Opteron 2346 HE $209
AMD Opteron 2344 HE $209
AMD Opteron 2378 $255
AMD Opteron 2350 $255
AMD Opteron 2374 HE $255
AMD Opteron 2347 HE $255
AMD Opteron 2352 $316
AMD Opteron 2376 HE $316
AMD Opteron 2372 HE $316
AMD Opteron 2350 HE $316
AMD Opteron 2380 $377
AMD Opteron 2379 HE $450
AMD Opteron 2354 $455
AMD Opteron 2382 $523
AMD Opteron 8346 HE $523
AMD Opteron 2381 HE $575
AMD Opteron 2356 $690
AMD Opteron 2384 $698
AMD Opteron 8347 HE $698
AMD Opteron 2358 SE $873
AMD Opteron 2387 $873
AMD Opteron 8350 $873
AMD Opteron 8374 HE $873
AMD Opteron 8350 HE $873
AMD Opteron 2389 $989
AMD Opteron 8378 $989
AMD Opteron 8376 HE $989
AMD Opteron 2393 SE $1,165
AMD Opteron 2386 SE $1,165
AMD Opteron 2360 SE $1,165
AMD Opteron 8380 $1,165
AMD Opteron 8354 $1,165
AMD Opteron 8379 HE $1,165
AMD Opteron 8382 $1,514
AMD Opteron 8356 $1,514
AMD Opteron 8381 HE $1,514
AMD Opteron 8358 SE $1,865
AMD Opteron 8384 $1,865
AMD Opteron 8360 SE $2,149
AMD Opteron 8387 $2,149
AMD Opteron 8393 SE $2,649
AMD Opteron 8386 SE $2,649
AMD Opteron 8389 $2,649

(Please let me know if you find errors in this or have extra info, I will update a.s.a.p.)

by Gabrie van Zanten

  • Andrew Miller

    I find it interesting that the 5100/5300 families aren’t listed….any thoughts?

  • http://www.boche.net/blog/ Jason Boche

    Great post Gabrie. Also glad that some of my processors are on the list. 50%.

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  • http://www.yellow-bricks.com Duncan

    would be nice to includes watts as well for the AMD series… and if they support RVI or not?

  • Pingback: List of VMware FT compatible CPUs « ICT-Freak.nl

  • http://www.yellow-bricks.com Duncan

    Thanks mr gabeman!

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  • http://www.vladan.fr Vladan

    One gets lost with all the processors releases all the time…. -:). Great job, so we are able to find what we need. I might have one proc. compatible..

  • Pingback: VMware Fault Tolerance & CPUs | VMGuru.nl - I choose (a virtual) life!

  • http://www.hypervisor.fr NiTRo

    Guys, don’t forget those prices are per 1000 cpus ;)

  • http://virtualizationconsultant.blogspot.com Paul Wegiel

    Hi Gabe,
    Were you able to test whether Intel Q6600 chips support FT between each other? they do not appear on your list of FT supported CPUs…

  • http://www.GabesVirtualWorld.com Gabe

    @Paul Wegiel

    On my Q6600 FT is not possible. When I connect to the ESX host running on it with the CPU Host Info tool from Richard Garsthagen ( http://www.run-virtual.com/?page_id=155 ) it tells me, there is no FT feature.

    Gabrie

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  • Brad Clark

    I can’t believe the E5300 series are not supported. So much for being able to use this feature on my servers.

  • drjens

    Hi Guys,
    today my new CPUs arrived and I could confirm that my Intel E6300 CPU works fine and supports Fault Tolerance !

  • drjens

    Hi Guys,
    today my new CPUs arrived and I could confirm that my Intel E6300 CPU works fine and supports Fault Tolerance !

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Arun-Raju/100001922465856 Arun Raju

    It would be much appreciated if Core i7 and Phenom II X4 or X6 product lines are included in a separate table for folks like me in India where buying HP/Dell/IBM servers through eBay would cost a fortune.

    I prefer assembling whiteboxes with either Intel Xeon/Core i7 or AMD Pheom II/ Opteron CPUs with compatible motherboards.

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