HP Releases Moonshot-Based Hosted Desktop Solution, New Moonshot Modules

HP Moonshot ProLiant m300 server cartridge

Hewlett-Packard on Monday expanded its HP Moonshot server line with a new solution for efficiently running multiple hosted desktops.

The company also released two new modular server cartridges to the market based on new Atom and AMD processors, introduced a new upcoming module with eight digital signal processor cores, and unveiled new 15-cartridge starter packs to help customers and partners more easily start adopting the technology.

The new hosted desktop solution and starter packs, as well as new cartridges, show how far the HP Moonshot platform has grown since it was first introduced about two years ago, said John Gromala, senior director of hyperscale product marketing at HP.

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"We're now at the point where we're taking the underlying capabilities of Moonshot and making it possible to grow quickly over time," Gromala said.

HP on Monday said that two of its Moonshot server cartridges are now available starting this week.

The first is the HP ProLiant m300, a server cartridge based on the Intel Intel Atom C2000 "Avoton" processor.

Each ProLiant m300 has an Atom Avoton processor with eight cores, a 500-GB hard drive, and 32 GBs of memory. They support the Microsoft Windows Server and other operating systems, are targeted mainly at web server applications, Gromala said.

HP also released its ProLiant m700 cartridges, which includes four AMD Opteron-based mini servers, each with an integrated 32-GB SSD and 8 GB of RAM. The result, Gromala said, is 180 servers in a 4.3-U chassis with a built-in 180-port switch and an option for a redundant switch.

The ProLiant m700 is the base on which HP has built its first application-specific Moonshot server.

That solution, the Converged System 100 for Hosted Desktops, combines 45 ProLiant m700 server cartridges with integrated graphics prepackaged to run 180 hosted desktops. It has a list price of $137,999, or well under $1,000 per hosted desktop, Gromala said.

The Converged System 100 for Hosted Desktops will meet some very important requirements for customers and solution providers looking for a virtual desktop infrastructure alternative, said Dan Molina, CTO at Nth Generation, a San Diego-based solution provider and longtime HP partner.

"It's very appealing to anyone looking for a hosted desktop solution," Molina said. "The virtual desktop business is growing, but VDI in general is not yet ready. But this system offers the right infrastructure."

NEXT: Understanding The Converged System 100 for Hosted Desktops

Implementing a VDI solution requires a serious amount of back-end infrastructure, including servers and storage, and can be very complex, Molina said.

One of the biggest issues is the "VDI boot storm," which is the huge strain on server resources when multiple users turn their virtual desktops on at the same time, he said.

"All that booting up, scanning, antivirus and other functions is a big strain on the system," he said. "We believe Moonshot will handle it. With the Converged System 100 for Hosted Desktops, each hosted desktop has its own server node. HP is providing 180 hosted desktops in 4.3 U. That's saving expensive data center space and power, and cutting the need for expensive external storage."

HP also unveiled new starter packs of Moonshot server cartridges as a way to help ease partners' and customers' entry into the HP Moonshot infrastructure.

The first package, the 15 HP ProLiant m300 server cartridges, each with a 500-GB hard drive and 32 GB of memory along with a chassis and a single switch has a list price of under $25,000.

The second package is the 15 HP ProLiant m700 quad-server cartridges, along with a chassis and a single switch, with a list price of under $37,000. Each of the 60 individual servers in the bundle comes with a 32-GB SSD and 8 GB of memory.

The third package is one of HP's original Intel Centerton Atom-based Moonshot cartridges with chassis for a list price of under $15,000.

HP also unveiled a new cartridge, the ProLiant m800, which features an ARM processor and eight digital signal processor (DSP) cores, from Texas Instruments. Gromala said the ProLiant m800 was custom-designed for use in the telco market, or in other fields where DSPs are commonly used, including media transcoding or oil and gas.

The ProLiant m800 this week is available in the HP Discovery Labs for potential clients looking to build and test applications prior to its release sometime next year, he said.

HP recognized that channel-focused sales of its Moonshot servers is still in the early stages.

NEXT: Looking To The Future Of HP Moonshot

"We're working on programs with the channel to offer training," Gromala said. "We think the starter kits with help increases the breadth of channel partners we can work with. And the Converged System 100 for Hosted Desktops is ideal for channel partners with a hosted desktop practice."

Molina said Nth has several customers interested in the Moonshot technology who may sign on as beta customers.

"With these new cartridges out, we're getting closer to selling it," he said. "But Moonshot is really aimed at larger enterprises. The whole point of Moonshot is, these are application-defined servers. We still need the applications. And we still need to take them through testing."

However, Molina said, HP is on the right path with the new offerings and with its plans for the future.

"HP has plans to come out with new ARM, Intel and AMD cartridges, and to accelerate the pace of its releases," he said. "We'll see them do more to work with larger applications."

PUBLISHED DEC. 9, 2013