NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: NEAL WEINBERG ON PRODUCT REVIEWS
08/19/04
Today's focus:  HP blade server

Dear [EMAIL PROTECTED],

In this issue:

* The Reviewmeister tests HP blade servers
* Links related to Product Reviews
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus:  HP blade server

By Neal Weinberg

The HP blade chassis we tested takes up 6U worth of space.  A 
dual redundant configuration requires two 208V AC 30 amp feeds; 
one power distribution unit can power several full blade chassis 
and/or other gear, depending on configuration. Up to three may 
be needed for a maximum 42U configuration; the power 
distribution units are connected together via a back-of-rack 
bus. HP recommends 208V AC 3-phase power and "Telco-48VDC power" 
can be used in lieu of 208V AC.

HP makes several blades - we tested the BL20p G2 and BL30p 
blades. The BL20p G2 are full-height, compared to the 
half-height BL30p. Both blades contained dual 3 GHz Intel Xeon 
CPUs with 2G-bytes of DRAM and an onboard hard drive. Both 
blades can be connected through optional dual-channel fibre 
channel boards to a SAN. Except for a slightly better disk I/O 
performance on the BL30p, we found the blades performed 
identically.

The enclosure we tested contained two Gigabit Ethernet switches, 
along with SAN switches. Blades within the chassis are networked 
together via the GBE switches through the chassis backplane. We 
found the switches don't produce a bottleneck. Using the 
switches contributes to fewer connecting cables.

HP's Integrated Lights Out Advanced (or "iLO") management tool 
set is a well-known HP/Compaq server management application that 
connects systems via an often-dedicated Ethernet port on an 
HP/Compaq server. This feature is extended to other server 
products in HP's line, so that an in- or out-of-band network 
monitoring and management system can be put together. There are 
no KVM connections to the servers - they are all managed by 
remote control applications (included in iLO) via Windows 
Terminal Services.

HP offers a rack configuration application that produces a 
pictorial view of the rack and its components. This is a vital 
application, as the number of potential options, devices, slots 
and ports that need to be tracked can be staggering

For the full report, go to 
<http://www.nwfusion.com/techinsider/2004/0816techinsiderrev.html

RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS

RLX reinforces blade server management
Network World, 06/21/04
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/0621rlx.html

HP blade server gets dense
Network World, 03/15/04
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/0315hp.html
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Neal Weinberg

Neal Weinberg is features editor at Network World, in charge of 
product reviews, Buyer's Guides, technology primers, how-tos, 
issue-oriented feature stories and the Technology Insider 
series. You can reach him at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by McAfee 

Visit the Enterprise Security Center, sponsored by McAfee(r), 
for an exclusive collection of news, whitepapers, information, 
analysis and strategy for securing your networks and systems. 
Learn new strategies for securing your servers and protecting 
your desktops from viruses. Get the latest information on how to 
stay on top of the latest threats to your network and bolster 
your skills in synergizing your IT staff as a critical business 
asset. 
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=72596
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Reviews archive:
http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/index.html
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you're getting paid what you're worth. Using data collected in 
the 2004 Network World Salary Survey, we've programmed this 
calculator with several categories that could affect your pay. 
Answer the questions and find out what the average salary is for 
your job category. Click here:
<http://www.nwfusion.com/salary/2004/calculator.html>
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