When installing processors with mixed stepping levels in a server, which of the following guidelines must be followed? (Select TWO).

Question

Options

• AThe processors must have different frequencies set to operate.
• BThe processor with the highest feature set must be the bootstrap processor.
• CThe processors must have different cache sizes set to operate.
• DThe processors must have the same cache size set.
• EThe processor with the lowest feature set must be the bootstrap processor.

• B
  2% (1)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  95% (40)

Explanation

Processor 'stepping' refers to the revision level of a CPU design. When mixing steppings in a multi-processor server, two rules apply: (1) All processors must present the same cache size to the system - if cache sizes differ, the BIOS/firmware requires them all to be configured down to match the smallest cache, ensuring consistency. (2) The processor with the lowest feature set (oldest stepping) must be designated as the bootstrap processor (BSP) - the BSP initializes the system, and using the lowest-featured CPU as the BSP ensures no instructions or features are called during boot that the BSP itself cannot execute. Running different frequencies or different cache sizes independently are not valid configurations for mixed-stepping setups.

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