ASUS Announces E8 Servers and Z10 Server Boards

Next-generationrack-optimized designs deliver extreme efficiency for datacenters, HPC, enterprise and SMB environments

ASUS today announced its next-generation E8-series servers and Z10-series server boards based on the Intel® Grantley platform and designed to deliver extreme efficiency, expandability, enhanced-usability design and complete remote management for premium performance in datacenters, high-performance computing (HPC) and enterprise, as well as small and medium business (SMB) environments.

The latest E8 servers and Z10 server boards feature premium components for premium efficiency and better-than-ever thermal solutions. Voltage-regulation (VR) efficiency is boosted to levels of up 94%, while rack-optimized designs provide extreme cooling efficiency.

Commenting on the launch of the new E8 and Z10 product series, Tom Lin, General Manager of ASUS Server Business Unit, said: “Our extensive line-up of next-generation servers and server boards, optimized for Intel's new Xeon® processor, offers extreme computing power, optimized cooling solutions, high expandability, greater storage capacity and complete remote management. ASUS is proud to deliver superior computing platforms for datacenters and both cloud and high-performance computing applications.”

Optimized layout, unobstructed airflow, maximum cooling and flexible fan controls

ASUS has designed the new E8 servers and Z10 server boards for optimum thermal performance, introducing a range of innovations to keep both the equipment and storage facilities as cool as possible.

The motherboard layout is optimized for rack-mounted configurations, with both the CPU and memory placed in a parallel arrangement directly behind the fan inlet to promote maximum cooling. E8 server internals are also free from messy cabling, proving a clear and direct airflow channel for superbly-efficient heat dissipation.

E8 servers and Z10 server boards also have flexible fan controls, with a choice of automated or manual operation. In automatic mode, the highly-accurate temperature sensor detects the CPU’s workload and adjusts the fan speeds accordingly. In manual mode, the administrator is free to decide the fan curve to meet demand.

Designed to perform, built to endure

With the new E8 servers and Z10 server boards, ASUS becomes the first server manufacturer in the world to incorporate 12K capacitors. These solid Japanese-made components are able to withstand up to 12,000 hours of temperatures as high as 105°C. And at a typical operating temperature of 65°C, our 12K capacitors have an expected lifespan of 1.2m hours — or well over a century.

The latest E8 servers and Z10 server boards are carefully engineered with Beat Thermal Chokes II, finely gold-plated for high conductivity and minimal-loss power delivery. They also include the new ASUS Digi+ Energy Processing Unit (EPU) with an all-new DRAM controller that allows ultra-precise memory tuning in addition to CPU-voltage control.

Flexible expandability and smart usability

The new E8 servers and Z10 server boards feature a new mezzanine-style design that supports host bus adapter (HBA) storage, HBA networking and Open Compute Project (OCP) mezzanine expansion card. With the optional ASUS PIKE II (Proprietary I/O Kit Expansion) card, the latest ASUS servers and server boards offer more expandability than ever before. ASUS PIKE II is the latest high-reliability SAS and PCI Express 3.0 enterprise-storage solution. With support for 12Gbit/s SAS and 6Gbit/s SATA storage devices, as well as integrated RAID data protection, PIKE II has all the speed, flexibility and dependability demanded by enterprises of all sizes.

E8 servers and Z10 server boards also include a clear port 80 display panel for simple monitoring of the entire boot process, from the early hardware-awakening stages to the launch of the operating system and beyond. A bright power lamp on the rear enables administrators to check the server’s status instantly, with no need to open the case — saving time and effort. An exclusive tool-free rail kit eases deployment for systems administrators for increased efficiency.

Complete remote server management

Remote server management plays an important role in modern datacenter environments and the new E8-series server and Z10-series server boards provide a complete solution, in the shape of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 2.0-compliant ASMB8-iKVM module and ASUS System Web-based Management (ASWM) Enterprise management tool.

Via a simple and intuitive web-based graphical user interface, administrators are able to save time and effort by using ASWM Enterprise to control equipment, including the ability to flash BIOSes and control power demands, to exploit the many efficiency benefits of one-to-many centralized management. There’s even a new screen-recording function that enables quick-and-easy remote maintenance.

E8-series server and Z10-series server boards also feature the Intel Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), providing enhanced management and reliability. BMC runs at all times when there is power to the system — even if the operating system is not running.