Dell refreshes servers with Nocona

Dell this week is expanding its server line with a variety of servers that use Intel’s 32/64-bit Nocona processor.

The rack-mountable and tower configuration PowerEdge 1800, 1850, 2800 and 2850 servers feature dual Intel Xeon processors with Intel’s Extended Memory 64-bit Technology (EM64T), which allows 32-bit as well as 64-bit applications to run on them. The new Nocona servers will replace Dell’s 32-bit Xeon PowerEdge 1750, 1650 and 2650.

The PowerEdge 1800 is a tower-configured or rack-mounted entry-level server for file and print operations, remote offices or workgroups.

The PowerEdge 1850 is a rack-mounted server in a 1U high chassis that is designed for Web servers, high-performance computing clusters or space-constrained environments.

The PowerEdge 2800 can be configured either as a tower or as a rack-mounted server. It is 5U high and has as much as 1.4 terabytes of internal storage.

The PowerEdge 2850 is also a rack-mounted server designed for database clustering, messaging and file-and-print consolidation. It can hold as much as 876G bytes of data storage in a 2U high enclosure.

The servers feature the company’s Open Manage 4 systems management software. OpenManage 4 works with IPMI-based controllers, allowing users to remotely monitor and control the server. Optional Dell Remote Access Cards allow customers to perform secure remote server installation and updates.

According to IDC, there will be 6.2 million two-processor servers shipped in 2008, almost double the 3.5 million servers that shipped in 2003. IDC says that single- and dual-processor servers represented 91% of all servers shipped in 2003.

The servers use PCI-Express technology, allowing four times the throughput of PCI-X-based machines. They also use the Intel 7520 chipset, which gives twice the throughput of previous machines. And the DDR2 memory they use provides twice the memory density.

The PowerEdge 1850, 2800 and 2850 have up to 8G bytes of memory and an 800-MHz front side bus, memory mirroring, redundant Gigabit Ethernet adapters and support for clustering.

The servers are factory-installed with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3. The PowerEdge 1850 and 2850 start at $1,800 and $1,900, respectively. They are available now. The PowerEdge 1800 and 2900 are expected to be available in October.