Andreas,
Speaking of servers,
zdnet.com
In terms of manageability, the Compaq ProLiant DL320 ($5,904 direct) is an excellent choice for high-density environments. But this fairly pricey box trails the others we reviewed in both performance and key hardware features.
Deploying the DL320 is simple, thanks to Compaq's SmartStart bootable CD-ROM. SmartStart guides you through the hardware configuration and helps install your operating system of choice, whether it's Caldera eServer, Linux Red Hat Turbo Linux Server, Suse, Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows NT Server, or Solaris for Intel. After installation, use SmartStart to check that various Compaq drivers are up to date. SmartStart can also install the server agents necessary for Compaq's management software.
Once the servers are running, the included utility Compaq Insight Manager XE lets you use a Web browser to view your Compaq servers as well as any other devices with IP addresses on the network. It shows a summary screen where you can check the driver versions and the status of fans and CPU temperature.
Here's the bad news: The DL320 supports only a single CPU (in this case, a Pentium III/800), whereas each of the others we tested has a slot for a second. It has only two hard drive bays (the Dell and HP models have three), and they are not hot-swappable (the Dell, HP, and IBM drives are), which means you have to shut the server down to change a faulty drive. The missing drive bay means there's not only less potential storage capacity but also limited internal RAID options. If you plan on adding an external RAID array, this is not an issue. If not, you'll have to settle for RAID Level 1, enabled by mirroring the drives (where all data exists on both, in case one goes down) rather than the faster Level 5, enabled by adding a third drive for disk striping (where the data is written to the drives simultaneously, with the third storing parity information).
Compaq does have two unique hardware enhancements. The Remote Insight Lights-Out Edition card ($511 direct) lets you control the server via a graphical, browser-based console utility. You can reboot the server either remotely or from a standard 1.44MB floppy disk in case the system is not responding. The system allows remote OS installation from a network drive and remote server ROM updates. We also like the blue LEDs located on the front and back of the server. You can turn these lights on via Insight Manager to service the machine; this way, you're able to find it quickly when you get to the server room. Believe us, unplugging the wrong server in a room filled with racks of equipment is a fairly common occurrence.
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The Dell PowerApp.web 120 ($4,196 direct), our Editors' Choice in this round up, offers excellent performance, fast deployment, and strong integration with Red Hat Linux and Windows 2000--all at an unbeatable price.
Dell has the hardware right. The 1U case can accommodate two processors (up to 1 GHz each) and up to 4GB of RAM. There's room for three hot-swappable hard drives (for a maximum of 108GB of storage), and the two 64-bit PCI slots let you add options, such as a RAID controller or Gigabit Ethernet card (as in our configuration). One potential stumbling block for buyers is the limited OS choices: Red Hat Linux 6.2 or Windows 2000. The other companies whose products we tested sell and support more, such as Solaris or SCO UnixWare.
We were impressed with the PowerApp.web's setup utilities, which are all browser-based. We first used the KickStart utility to assign the server an IP address and DNS information (an integrated DHCP server is included for those who don't already have one). We then entered in the IP address of the server and launched the Deployment wizard. Here, we configured basic server settings, such as RAID configuration, location of page files, drive quotas, and domain information. These settings can be saved to a floppy disk or distributed remotely to a rack of servers, significantly reducing installation time. Administrators can log on securely using an SSL. All told, we finished in 20 minutes.
Dell has engineered tight integration with the Windows 2000 Server. The Web Administration tool performs typical Windows management server tasks, such as adding a user, stopping a service, or reviewing event logs. The embedded Terminal Service client allows for remote control of a PowerApp.web machine. To ease management further, power buttons and keyboard/mouse ports are located both in front and on the back of the machine.
Access to internal components requires loosening two thumbscrews and sliding the server out of the rack. Once you have the chassis open, you can access the system internals easily. LEDs (located on the front of the machine) show the hard drive status, NIC activity, and server health, including CPU temperature and power-supply status, all at a glance. In case of a hardware failure, a fault light blinks red and alerts administrators using IT Assistant via e-mail or pager |
