----- Original Message ----- From: "NW Product Reviews" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 12:10 PM Subject: Apple Xserve
> NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: NEAL WEINBERG ON PRODUCT REVIEWS > 05/27/03 > Today's focus: Apple Xserve > > Dear XXXXXXXXXXX, > > In this issue: > > * A skeptical Reviewmeister takes a look at Apple's Xserve > server > * Links related to Product Reviews > * Featured reader resource > > _______________________________________________________________ > > FREE WHITE PAPER: LOWERING IT COSTS THRU DEFRAGMENTATION > > Learn how next-generation defrag technology can produce a faster > return on your IT investments. New clientless defragmentation > servers can deliver improved end-user productivity; faster, more > trouble-free system operation; and decreased support overhead, > all with minimal disruption to your IT infrastructure. Click > here for your free copy (Registration required): > http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=17582 > _______________________________________________________________ > > Free Special Report: Web Services > > Can Web Services live up to the promises including quick > integration of disparate enterprise applications? This Network > World Special Report takes a look at where we stand with Web > Services, where we need to go and how some enterprise IT shops > are already extracting value from this emerging technology. > Download your free copy today (registration required) > http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=17540 > _______________________________________________________________ > > Today's focus: Apple Xserve > > By Neal Weinberg > > Apple in the enterprise? The Reviewmeister was skeptical so we > ran Apple's new Xserve server through its paces. > > This server is based on open source practices; provides > comparatively fast services for Windows, Mac, Linux and BSD > clients; holds up to 720G bytes of stored disk data; and is just > 1.75 inches tall. > > Xserve is based on the PowerPC CPU running at a minimum of 1.3 > GHz with up to two of these CPUs fitting into the 1U form > factor. Instead of one disk channel, there are three ATA-133 > channels and up to 720G bytes of disk in the server. > > Apple's operating system on this platform- OS X Server 10.2.5- > is built on the Darwin Branch of BSD, and is covered under the > Apple Public Source License, which varies from the Open Source > license that underlies Linux. The BSD heritage of Darwin means > that users familiar with Unix, Linux and especially xBSD will > feel at home, although there are many Darwin-specific GUI-driven > applications that control traditional command-line > administration applications. > > Xserve is not a plain vanilla server that tries to compete on > price/performance. Its extra features (such as independent disk > channels, FireWire 800 and high-tech-touch hard drive bays) > carry a high price tag. To its benefit, it has no user-license > fee, connects a variety of operating-system client types, and > delivers strong Web performance. > > We subjected Xserve's Apache Web server to the same suite of > tests using Spirent Communications' WebAvalanche software, that > we used to stress Windows 2003 Enter-prise Edition with > Microsoft's Internet Information Server. > > The ATA-133 disk interfaces and drives in Xserve were > comparatively fast in our testing, although internal RAID > configurations seemed to take up excessive CPU time. A RAID > Level 1 configuration slowed disk writes by as much as 5%, with > 3% being typical. > > There are two methods of initially activating Xserve's software- > via an Apple client networked to it ("headless") or by > outfitting the Xserve with monitor, keyboard and mouse. There is > no HTTP interface for installation, so an Apple running OS X > Server 10.2 or a USB keyboard/mouse and monitor is required. > Secure Shell can be used for command-line-based applications but > not for installation purposes. > > Xserve uses the Hierarchical File System (HFS), which provides > backward compatibility with Mac OS/9 and earlier clients. With > the introduction of OS X Server 10.2.2, Apple offers the option > of a journaled file system. I/O transactions in such systems are > highly detailed, so it is easy to recover from a system halt. > > A graphical System Monitor application tracks internal > configuration of one or many Xserves in a network. Alarm > conditions are noted, and even things such as fan speed and > system temperature are recorded. > > Apple supports an IP firewall. The firewall lets you select > which part of the NetInfo directory service domain is visible, > and lets you block User Datagram Protocol in port ranges. Apple > offers stateful packet inspection but not advanced firewall > features. > > Apple bundles three applications: Net-Minder Ethernet, which > captures, decodes, and provides rudimentary analysis on network > I/O; LAN Surveyor, which is a network mapping/GUI-based asset > management package; and CyberGauge, an SNMP monitoring package > that's limited to Xserve in the limited bundled edition. For the > full report, go to > http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2003/0512revxserver.html > > RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS > > Surfin' with Apple's Safari > PC World, 01/24/03 > http://www.nwfusion.com/net.worker/news/2003/0124surfiwith.html > > Apple announces Xserve clusters > IDG News Service, 03/18/03 > http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0318apple.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] > _______________________________________________________________ > > FREE VENDOR DOWNLOADS > > Check out the latest vendor downloads on NW Fusion's Product > Central - your resource for vendor product information. Our > vendor downloads include the latest networking software > downloads for your own product evaluation efforts, patches and > shareware. Check it all out at: > http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=17469 > _______________________________________________________________ > ARCHIVE LINKS > > Reviews archive: > http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/index.html > _______________________________________________________________ > FEATURED READER RESOURCE > SIX NEW NEWS ALERTS NOW AVAILABLE Network World is offering six > new very focused News Alerts to keep you abreast of the most > significant developments of the week in a specific technology > area or about a specific technology vendor. Receive up-to-date > news on Security, IBM, Sun, Technology Standards and > Regulations, Industry Trade Shows, and technology vendors? > financial performance! 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Write Jeff Caruso, Newsletter Editor, > at: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > For advertising information, write Alonna Doucette, V.P. of > Online Development, at: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Copyright Network World, Inc., 2003 > > ------------------------ > This message was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -- Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List [EMAIL PROTECTED] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph . To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug . Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie
