April 21, 1999, Issue: 2806
Section: Product Leaders
Network Servers -- Petite Performer
Angela M. Pugh
When network architects need to ease the load on overburdened servers, they
generally have one choice-add more boxes. That's easier said than done when
the data center is already scarce on space. Compaq Computer Corp. says it can
crank up capacity without overcrowding: Its Proliant 6400R packs four
500-MHz Pentium III Xeons into a server only seven inches tall. Better yet, up
to 10 servers can be housed in a single chassis.
But Compaq (Houston) didn't just squeeze the fat out of its four-way server.
The 6400R is pretty lean on storage, which means that it typically needs to be
tied to an external subsystem. And thus far the diminutive device only works
with the vendor's own external storage, so this is a package deal for now.
What's more, eight-processor servers are slated to show this summer, and the
Proliant 6400R can't be upgraded.
Size Matters
The Proliant 6400R is one of the first of a new class of miniature, rack-mounted
servers. Each unit offers six 64-bit PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) slots
and can be loaded with one to four Pentium III Xeons, 4 Gbytes of RAM, and
four internal hard drives. Internal throughput is 3.2 Gbyte/s per processor. It
supports most common operating systems, including Windows NT, Netware,
Sun Solaris, OS/2, Linux, and Banyan Vines.
The 6400R is aimed at corporate data centers and remote offices running
demanding business apps like databases and groupware. As noted, it needs
external storage and back-up if it's going to be slotted into a mission-critical
setting. Alternatively, the server's internal disk drives can be used to run an OS
and single application at a small site.
Paul Stein, manager of technology services of Olsten Health Services (Overland
Park, Kan.) is currently beta-testing fully loaded Proliant 6400Rs "for our
branch office operations and our main data center." Olsten currently runs about
50 servers to support as many as 10,000 end-users; roughly 20 to 30 of its
servers are at remote sites.
When deployed in a data center, the 6400R is linked on one side to an
800-Mbit/s Fibre Channel connection to a storage subsystem (see the figure).
One the other side, it's connected to a switch via a redundant Ethernet link.
Configuration and setup are handled by Smart Start, a CD-based utility that's
installed on each server. Day-to-day management is courtesy of Compaq's In
Sight Manager console; agents are automatically downloaded by the Smart Start
utility onto each server.
Battle of the Giants
The 6400R isn't the only four-way server out there. Dell Computer Corp.
(Round Rock, Texas) sells the Poweredge 6350; Data General Corp.
(Westboro, Mass.), the Aviion AV 3704R. But Compaq is the only four-way
with hot-swappable PCI cards, which can be replaced without bringing the
entire server down. Further, the Dell unit holds three drives to Compaq's four.
The Data General unit can be loaded with six disk drives and two tape drives.
Thus, it doesn't need an external subsystem.
The Proliant 6400R, which starts shipping this month, costs a bit more than its
competitors. Configured with two Pentium III Xeons, level 2 cache, 512 Mbytes
of RAM, a pair of 9-Gbyte hard drives, and management software, the Proliant
lists for $16,760. Additional processors cost $4,320 apiece. Dell's Poweredge
6350 costs $14,540 for the same configuration; additional processors are $3,860.
Data General's product costs $16,700 plus $3,900 for each extra processor.
Circle No. 344
Product Summary
Proliant 6400R
Compaq Computer Corp., Houston, 281-370-0670; www.compaq.com
Pros: Speed and size
Cons: Can't be upgraded |
