Looks like its rubber meets the road time:
OR
"THE EMPIRE SPITS UP":
from the Inquirer:
HP takes pop at Dell server strategy
Sheesh,,, and Sheesh again
By Eva Glass, 22/05/2002 08:43:45 BST
AN HP CUSTOMER who wanted to buy a top end X86 dual server from HP has been told that it will likely be the third quarter before it can ship 2.2GHz dual Pentium 4 Xeons.
He was offered 1.4GHz Pentium III Xeon systems by the new giant of the PC industry. But when the customer asked him why he should buy this old technology when Dell was already selling dual 2.2GHz Pentium 4 Xeons, HPQ decided to send him the following document.
Sheesh!
Dell PowerEdge 2650 Announcement
On May 13, 2002 Dell introduced a refresh to their 2U 2-processor Intel-based server in the PowerEdge series called the PowerEdge 2650. The PowerEdge 2650 is described as a server that delivers a combination of performance, availability, and configuration flexibility for a variety of departmental and Internet and infrastructure workloads.
The PowerEdge 2650 supports up to two Intel Xeon processors at 1.8GHz up to 2.4GHz with 512KB Level 2 cache and features a 400MHz front side bus. The PowerEdge 2650 utilizes the ServerWorks Grand Champion-LE (GC-LE) chipset and supports up to 6GB of 200MHz, 2-way interleaved DDR with advanced ECC memory. It also provides support for 3 PCI-X slots (1 x 64-bit/133MHZ and 2 x 64-bit/100MHz).
Significant features of the PowerEdge 2650 are its use of embedded gigabit Ethernet to enhance network performance and optional embedded RAID for improved data redundancy. If all available drive bays are utilized, up to 365GB (5 x 73GB) of internal storage can be supported via 5 1" hot-plug SCSI drives. The PowerEdge 2650 also offers optional hot-plug redundant power supply and cooling, and optional support for external storage via Fibre Channel and SCSI expansion. In addition, it ships with the Embedded Remote Assistant (ERA), which “provides remote management capabilities regardless of the state of the server.”
Warranty and Support
The PowerEdge 2650 comes standard in North America with limited warranty, three years of Next Business Day (NBD), Parts Replacement, and one year NBD On-Site Labor Service. Service may be provided by a third-party. A technician will be dispatched, if necessary, following phone-based troubleshooting. To receive NBD service, Dell must notify the service provider before 5 p.m. customer time. Availability varies. Warranty options offered include upgrades to 5x10 and 7x24, parts and labor, same day 4-hour response.
What this means for the customer: The actual support received from these warranties is questionable. Customers have to write to Dell at Dell, USA, L.P., One Dell Way, Round Rock, TX 78682, and request a complete copy of all the stipulations put on the warranty to fully understand it. Dell procedure requires a number of phone calls initially to trouble shoot over the phone. The next step is typically to send a less-than-qualified technician to the site (if the customer is located in predetermined Dell service boundaries), who will then pass the job on to a more qualified engineer. According to customer reports, Dell technically can put a person on site next day but the first “technician” is more of an evaluator than a true technician in most cases.
NOTE: The information contained herein is based on preliminary accounts compiled from www.dell.com, which includes details found on product pages as well as Dell-issued press releases. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the content; however, Dell’s own source material has proven somewhat contradictory, so caution is advised.
Target Market
§ ISPs
§ Corporate Data Centers
§ Remote sites
Availability and Pricing:
(Note: This pricing information and description is from the Dell Online Store web site.)
Part No. 265240 $4548
PowerEdge 2650 rackmount (2U) with 1 x Pentium Xeon 2.4GHz processor, 512KB L2 cache, 512MB, DDR Memory, 200MHz x 2 x 256MB DIMMs, 2 x 18GB Ultra3 SCSI 15,000rpm disk drive, PERC3 DI, 128MB controller with battery-backed cache, dual on-board NICs, Gigabit controller, 2 x 500W power supply (RAID required to enable hot-plug capability, 1.44MB floppy disk drive, 24 x IDE internal CD-ROM, no keyboard, monitor, or mouse. No cables, no factory-installed OS.
With two processors, (sku 311-1758), the price is $5747.
Availability:
Ordering – May 2002
Delivering – June 2002
Strengths of the PowerEdge 2650
The Dell PowerEdge 2650 has the ServerWorks GC-LE Chipset that supports 5 PCI buses, three of which are PCI-X, two of which are memory channels.
The PowerEdge 2650 has a 2U, rack-mount form factor.
The PowerEdge 2650 has a 2 embedded 10/100/1000 NICs.
The PowerEdge 2650 has the opportunity to add a battery-backed write-cache and split the internal drives onto separate channels.
The GC-LE chipset enables 2-way interleaved memory for better system performance.
The PowerEdge 2650 has a slotless remote accessibility interface.
Weaknesses of the PowerEdge 2650
The Dell PowerEdge 2650 is a deep rack server, designed for Dell’s 1000 mm deep racks. In fact, with a rack-mountable chassis of 3.375" (8.5725cm) H x 19.00" (48.26cm) W x 27.50" (69.85cm) D, the PowerEdge 2650 is over 2" deeper than the DL380 G2.
The PowerEdge 2650 has 500-watt power supplies versus the 400-watt power supplies of the ProLiant DL380G2. Considering the DL380 G2 rarely comes close to 400 watts, the measurable power consumption difference is likely to be even greater, meaning that many customers would not be able to take advantage of this product’s performance/density combination.
The 2U machine does not support Sun Solaris or SCO UnixWare while the ProLiant DL380 G2 supports Windows 2000/NT, Linux, Novell Netware AS WELL AS Sun Solaris and SCO UnixWare.
This is a new product for Dell. Historically PowerEdge Servers have tremendous problems after the deployment of new products in both the hardware and software resulting from inadequate testing. Dell depends on customer complains to prompt patches and change the faulty design.
Dell’s PowerEdge 2650 has limited expandability. The 2650 only has a maximum of 5 drives, resulting in a limited amount of internal storage and uptime. The ProLiant DL380 G2 has a maximum of 6 drives.
Historically, the mechanicals on the PowerEdge servers tend to be sub-optimal. (For example, there are no full-length slots available in the PowerEdge 1550 if there are 2 processors installed). As a result, there is a good chance that the customer would have to sacrifice something to implement the battery-backed write cache. More information here as we have a chance to take a look first-hand.
The Embedded Remote Access (ERA) is inferior to the Remote Lights Out Edition (RILOE) Card. The ERA has no seamless graphical remote console access. The graphical access requires drivers and is available only when OS is running. ERA is not supported on NetWare and Linux. ERA does not offer customizable accounts, has weak security, and no SSL for HTTP port and data stream encryption in remote console.
Customers must purchase the memory and battery to enable the PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller (PERC 3/Di, embedded) at a cost of $299. The “embedded” controller solution on the PowerEdge 2650 is not transportable, and therefore, would not help in the event of a system board failure.
Likely Points Where Dell Will Try to Differentiate
Dell Marketing Bullet
The PowerEdge 2650 is available at speeds of up to 2.4GHz, as opposed to the ProLiant DL380 G2’s maximum speed of 1.4GHz, which is sure to give it a performance edge.
HP Comment
Our preliminary testing has shown that the performance of the 2.2GHz Xeon processors used in the PowerEdge 2650 is similar to that of the 1.4GHz processors used in the ProLiant DL380 G2. Due to the price increase for the Xeon technology, the price performance of this system does not compare favorably with the DL380 G2. In fact, current benchmarks show that the DL380 G2 1.4GHz performance is similar to that of the PowerEdge 2650 2.0 GHz. Further performance information will be available in the coming weeks.
Dell
ServerWorks GC-LE chipset supports 3 64-bit PCI-X slots, 1 running at 133MHz and 2 running at 100MHz-, enhancing I/O performance.
HP
This is a short-term advantage. The more advanced feature sets of the future ProLiant DL380’s will eclipse the brief Dell advantage and provide HP with a long-term advantage that will be difficult to match.
Dell
RILOE does not have an on-card battery
HP
On-card battery is unreliable as it provides only 30-minute access and is prone to frequent failures. RILOE ships with an AC-adapter that provides 24X7 reliable access to server.
Dell
We now have a battery-backed cache with the Dell PowerEdge 2650, just like the ProLiant DL380 G2.
HP
Dell’s battery-backed cache has limitations. Dell’s solution will only protect the data in a power failure or hard boot. If there is a system board failure, then they will have data corruption. The Dell solution has batteries that are non-transportable, have only 48 hours of charge, and a life of 3 years.
The ProLiant DL380 G2 has a battery-backed cache that can protect data for up to 4 days with 72 hours of transportable charge.
Dell
The PowerEdge 2650 has a 2 embedded 10/100/1000 NICs. HP
The ProLiant DL380 G2 has 2 embedded 10/100 NICs, and Gbit capability can be added via one of Compaq’s award winning PCI-based NIC solutions.
How we win against the PowerEdge 2650:
Easily. The DL380 G2 enables much higher levels of uptime than any other dense 2-way server in the industry. In addition, HP PCI-X slots (great for redundant SAN connectivity), 6 drive universal bays, standard Smart Array 5i Plus controller with optional portable battery-backed write cache, add even more advantages.
A standard simplex/duplex backplane, environmental benefits (the PowerEdge 2650 has a 500 watt power supply, as opposed to the 400 watt power supply used in the ProLiant DL380 G2; also, the ProLiant DL380 G2 has a depth of 25.62" versus 27.62" in the PowerEdge2650), Insight Manager, SmartStart, iLO Standard and Advanced functionality help make the ProLiant DL380 G2 truly the most versatile dense 2-way rack server.
DOC. NO. 16S1-0502A-WWEN, May 2002
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Technical information in this document is subject to change
without notice. ©Hewlett-Packard Company 2002 |
