64 bit Editions of Windows Evaluation Guide - Technology and Trends

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� 64 bit Editions of Windows Operating System Evaluation Guide Detecting Hardware Failures The 64 bit Editions of Windows eliminate guessing about what caused a hardware failure by detecting errors and predicting hardware failures before they happen. Using the 64 bit Editions of Windows Machine Check Architecture (MCA), the CPU traps hardware errors and reports them to the Windows operating system (ex. PCI-I/O, Memory, Hardware Specific – cooling system). Hardware errors are written to the event log whether or not they are correctable. Non-correctable errors are written to the logs after restart. Application Migration and Development The 64 bit Editions of Windows offer a solid platform for creating new scalable 64 bit applications. Microsoft is fully committed to helping developers migrate from Win32-based to Win64-based applications, as well as developing new 64 bit application designs. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) working on Win64-based applications will find the same Windows programming model as the Win32 environment. This makes porting existing 32 bit Windows applications to the 64 bit environment easier. Microsoft has also provided a Software Development Kit (SDK) and Driver Development Kit (DDK) to help ISVs migrate their applications as well as develop new applications for the 64 bit Editions of Windows. Bits versus Megahertz A processor’s performance is usually associated with its clock speed, commonly measured in Megahertz (million cycles per second). The amount of data that a processor can handle per cycle is typically measured in bits (binary digits; ones and zeroes) determined by its architecture. For example, Intel’s Pentium processor has a 32 bit architecture, while Intel’s Itanium processor has a 64 bit architecture; the Itanium processor is capable of handling twice as much data per cycle as the Pentium processor. The actual processing throughput of a processor is a combination of the number of cycles per second and the amount of data per cycle. The actual performance of an application, however, depends on clock speed, architecture, and the nature of the application itself. An application running on a 32 bit system may not outperform a 64 bit system, even if the 64 bit system has a slower clock speed. For example, a 32 bit 1.2 GHz system may not perform better than a 64 bit 800 MHz system. Standard office applications such as word processing and spreadsheets may get better performance from a 32 bit Windows system if the applications were developed on the 32 bit platform and are not written to take advantage of the 64 bit Editions of Windows benefits, such as large memory support, floating point extensions and multi-processing capabilities. For applications that can take advantage of the 64 bit Editions of Windows, such as CAD, Engineering analysis and 3D imaging, the 64 bit Editions of Windows system will out-perform the 32 bit Windows system with a similar processor clock speed. Applications perform better in Native Mode than in Emulation Mode. The 64 bit Editions of Windows provide an emulation mode to provide compatibility with applications written in the 32 bit environment. This emulation requires additional resources, which causes 32 bit applications to run slower on the 64 bit Editions of Windows system than when running Native on a 32 bit Windows system. 5-4 Comparing 32 bit Windows to 64 bit Editions of Windows �
CPU and OS are only Part of the Equation Comparing 32 bit Windows to 64 bit Editions of Windows � When configuring a system for optimum performance, the processor (CPU) and operating system are not the only factors to consider. Slow system components (input/output bus, memory bus, hard drive or slow peripherals) may affect the performance of a system. It is important to know the difference between CPU, system bus and RAM memory speed. These speed differences are represented in megahertz (MHz), or millions of cycles per second. However, other variables like data paths, the number of instructions per cycle, bus speed and the type and speed of memory affect a system’s overall performance. A system may have different or matching MHz speeds running in different subsystems. For example, a PC may have a 350 MHz CPU with a 100 MHz bus running 100 MHz SDRAM. The data flowing within a Pentium 400 Megahertz CPU will run at 400 Megahertz. As data travels outside of the CPU and through the main memory bus to other devices, it will adjust to the lower bus speeds (e.g. 66 or 100MHz). A faster bus or system peripheral can reduce the data travel time, which will improve a system’s overall performance. The speed of storage devices should also be considered. Device type, rotational speed and transfer rates can also affect the performance of a system. There are different CPU speeds for different subsystems, but all the system components need to work as one unit to provide optimum performance. Why some Apps are not Faster on 64 bit All applications are not designed for or require a 64 bit Edition of Windows platform. The 64 bit Editions of Windows benefit applications that require large memory support, multiple processing and floating-point arithmetic extensions. Certain applications and services such as Microsoft Exchange and file/print, which primarily store and/or route data, do not leverage the full capabilities of the 64 bit Editions of Windows operating system. Applications that take full advantage of 64 bit Editions of Windows and the Itanium processor features experience increased performance. In some cases, however, applications will perform better when compiled as 32 bit binary because when a 32 bit application is recompiled for 64 bits, the 64 bit binary will usually be larger than the 32 bit binary. As a result, with a limited system cache size, application performance will decline due to a greater number of cache misses when running in 64 bit binary. Reference Materials � Technical article – Introducing 64 bit Editions of Windows, MSDN � White Paper – IA-64 Architecture and Itanium, WWW.Dell.com/r&d � White Paper - Microsoft® Windows® Advanced Server Limited Edition, Microsoft � Technical article – What is 64 bit computing?, http://devresource.hp.com, � Technical article – The Fuss About the Bus, http://kingston.com/tools/bits/bit21.asp � Technical article – Building the Perfect Box, Eric S. Raymond, December 1996 � 64 bit Editions of Windows Evaluation Guide 5-5
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