Pentium II power for servers

With workgroup servers, a good price/performance ratio is the key to success; reliability and bleeding-edge performance often take a back seat.

Still, each of these workgroup servers, all equipped with two Intel Corp. Pentium II processors, turned in impressive results. Micron Electronics, Inc.’s Micron NetFRAME LV2000 won the performance prize despite its lowerspeed CPU, beating out Dell Computer Corp.’s Dell PowerEdge 2300 and NEC Computer Systems’ NECExpress5800 LS2400 with their superfast 400-MHz Pentium IIs. However, there was only a slight difference in performance between the best and the worst of this group.

In our latest round of tests, file server performance differed only slightly among servers, with Dell’s PowerEdge 2300 edging the pack. Web server tests showed a bit more of a difference, with Micron’s NetFRAME LV2000 on top.

The SQL database tests, however, showed noticeable differences among the servers, with Hewlett-Packard Co.’s NetServer LC II beating the others. Though priced at less than $13,000 each, these are state-of-the-art systems.

All the servers we tested shipped with two Pentium II processors with clock speeds ranging from 300 MHz to 400 MHz, 128M bytes of memory, a disk subsystem of the vendor’s choice and a 100M bit/sec Ethernet interface card.

All disk controllers utilized UltraWide SCSI technology, and some disk subsystems had RAID controllers.

Beginning in this issue, we’ve changed the way we conduct server testing. Our tests still aim to highlight the main subsystems of each server — the file system, CPU and network I/O — and still do so by simulating real applications.

However, we’re now using commercial tools to create the traffic each server has to handle.

Dell’s PowerEdge 2300 came out near the top in overall performance and first in overall score, thanks to its strong showing in serviceability, features, flexibility andmanageability. The PowerEdge 2300 and NEC’s Express5800 LS2400 are the first servers we’ve seen with Intel’s most powerful processor, the 400-MHz Pentium II.

With strong ratings in all categories, the PowerEdge 2300 wins our World Class award. One of the strongest points of serviceability for the Dell server is that it can be disassembled without any tools. The drives are in hot-swap bays, the processors are secured with thumb screws, the cards are secured with plastic flip tabs instead of screws, and the case can be opened with thumb screws. These features earned it the highest rating for serviceability.

Dell packages its management tools into a bundle called Dell OpenManage. It consists of four components: Server Console, which allows administrators to manage the PowerEdge server from another PowerEdge server; Client Administrator, which allows administrators to communicate with Desktop Management Interface Version 2.0- compliant hardware; Hardware Instrumentation Pack, a software package that works with certain components of server hardware to allow simpler management of Windows NT and NetWare servers; and Remote Assistant, which enables you to administer the server from remote locations.

The management software has hooks, called OpenManage Connections, to integrate the PowerEdge 2300 into Tivoli Systems, Inc.’s TME, HP’s OpenView Network Node Manager (NNM) for Solaris, and IBM’s NetView for AIX, and Windows NT. The server also supports automatic reboot.

In contrast to Dell’s server, the Compaq Computer Corp. ProLiant 3000 did not rank high in performance testing, but its strong serviceability and manageability features gave ita push to second overall among the servers that we tested. The

ProLiant’s case has a hot-swap drive bay system capable of housing eight1-inch drives or six 1.6-inch drives. The case is also convertible to a seven-unit rack-mounting frame. It has 12 dual in-line memory module(DIMM)RAM slots — enough to support a prodigious 3G bytes of RAM. A dual-channel UltraWide SCSI controller is included in the package. The case supports two hot-swappable redundant power supplies, though our test system had only one installed. There’s room for a redundant system fan as well.

With the addition of a second network interface card (NIC), network connection failover is available. The server has a front panel display for system management information. In the event of hardware failure, the server can automatically reboot and page the administrator. For remote access, the unit includes an internal remote console to monitor andcontrol the server via modem access.

Also included is Compaq Insight Manager, an application that helps you anticipate server hardware failure, and Smart Start, which automates system configuration and operating system installation.

Acer America Corp.’s AcerAltos 9100 placed solidly in the middle of the pack in performance and features. The case is equipped with eight 1-inch hot-swappable hard drive slots and two redundant power supply slots, with ample space to access the motherboard for easy maintenance.

The front panel can be locked to secure the case and hot-swap bay areas. Included with the server is:

• Acer StartUp Kit, which includes drivers and automated installation of SCO OpenServer and NetWare4.11. A resource CD-ROM includes online documentation. Remote Diagnostic Manager, which allows an administrator to access diagnostics via modem. The product lets you perform remote resets, view the boot process, change BIOS information and set automatic server reboots.
• Advanced Server Manager Pro, an SNMP manager with an agent for Windows NT, SCO OpenServer and NetWare.

With Manager Pro, you can monitor the server’s temperature, case fan, system voltages, and bus and processor utilization. HP’s NetServer LC II placed third in overall score. It rated last in overall performance, but first in SQL testing. Its easy-to-service case and wealth of management features helped boost its standing. The NetServer LC II case is a full tower design with a rack-mount option. The hard drive bays include one fixed drive bay and three hot-swappable bays. NIC failover is available with a second NIC.

There are key locks for drive and case access. The server features automatic server reboot to restartthe machine in the event of an operating system lockup. It also offers full remote control features through a combination of hardware, firmware and software.

HP’s TopTools software package is included to allow an administrator to control and monitor the server’s operation.

Micron’s NetFRAME LV2000 came in fifth overall, but first in Web testing and overall performance. The LV2000’s downfall was a lack of features and relatively poor serviceability.

However, considering its sub-$6,000 price, which is less than half that of the Compaq ProLiant 3000, the most expensive server in this roundup, the LV2000 delivers a lot of performance for the dollar.

The LV2000’s case is plain in appearance with no hot-swappable hard drive bays. The case is a simple PC-like design with no removable modules, hinged covers or removable drives. The server comes with Intel’s LANDesk Server Manager to monitor fan failure, processor voltage and processor temperature. An automatic server reboot feature is included as well.

A Country Kit CD-ROM allows for automatic setup of the server.

The NEC Express5800 LS2400 placed last in the ratings but third in overall performance testing, thanks no doubt to its speedy 400-MHz Pentium II processor.

Like the Micron server, the NEC lacks convenient serviceability features. The server’s case is simple with four fixed drive bays. The case is a mid-tower configuration with an available five-unit rack-mount kit. The case is very much like a run-of-the-mill PC, with no hinged covers, removable drives or slide-out components.

The LS2400 comes with ESMPRO management software to monitor server performance and toconfigure server subsystems remotely over the LAN or via a Web server.

It’s also bundled with ExpressBuilder installation software. A secondEthernet interface card can be configured in the system to provide load balancing and failover features. The LS2400 is a decent server but lacks any features that make it stand out in a crowd.

RELATED LINKS

Feature and configuration table
See which server has what.

Server performance charts
See how each did in our tests. 110K Excel 5.0 file.

The new benchmarks
An explanation of how we're testing servers.

at North Carolina State University’s Centennial Networking Labs (CNL) in Raleigh. CNL tests network equipment and network-attached devices for interoperability and performance. Bass, a senior technical staff member at CNL, designs and leads the execution of the test suites. He can be reached at john_bass@ ncsu.edu. Kris Kiser and Tom Elliot assisted.