I ran some basic Web tests on the Xserve using our Spirent Communications' WebAvalanche device. Running in an untuned out-of-the-box state, it posted transactions per second only in the low 400s--I found this a little disappointing, but I think an experienced Mac user could tweak a lot more out of the system. I also set up the machine as a file server for my Microsoft Windows workstation and found that it was at least as fast as our Quantum Snap Server 4100 NAS (network-attached storage) device, which is good news. Apple still has some features to work into the Xserve, but it's a solid offering priced in the same ballpark as similarly configured Intel 1U offerings.
Since I tested the Xserve, Apple has released an upgrade that includes 1.33-GHz PowerPC G4 processors, up to 2 GB of 333-MHz DDR memory and up to 720 GB of hot-pluggable storage, depending on the configuration. To address handling large files and bandwidth-hogging applications, Apple has added a 167-MHz system bus and up to 2 GB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM. The company has also added two 64-bit, 66-MHz PCI slots to provide up to 533 Mbps of throughput and to allow for expansion to external SCSI and Fibre Channel devices, making it easy to take advantage of Apple's Xserve RAID system for virtually unlimited storage. Connectivity is provided by dual independent Gigabit Ethernet ports and FireWire 800 interfaces.
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