HP's dual-source power supplies were the easiest to replace, thanks to a simple clip-and-lever mechanism and their location on the front of the machine, an improvement over the earlier DL580's handle-trigger mechanism. When this machine is fully loaded, it can run on 110-volt power with the larger nonstandard power cables that come with the system, making power-distribution tasks much simpler. As with the Dell PowerEdge, this unit can be hooked to two power grids to ensure uptime. On the back of the machine there is the normal assortment of PS/2 connectors, a serial port and a video port. There also are two USB ports and an iLO port for accessing the integrated Lights-Out management. Ethernet connections require an internal PCI-X NIC.
A cover with a slick sliding mechanism gives you access to the rear two-thirds of the machine, which holds the components you would most likely need to access. Here, you'll find the memory card, processors and fans, all of which can easily be removed. The memory card has two butterfly-style handles that help remove the card and hold it in place. The processors come out by flipping a switch on the ZIF sockets. The processors' voltage regulators, in slots next to the processors, can be pulled out. The internal 5i RAID controller's battery and cache RAM module can be taken out to allow easy movement to another machine in the event of failure. Although you should rarely need to get to the front portion of the machine, you can reach that section by actuating the top cover, pushing a lever and sliding the front cover off. It's not as slick as the back section, but it's more than adequate.
The machine came with the familiar SmartStart utility to load a variety of operating systems. SmartStart is easy to use and useful in system-load and -configuration tasks. The integrated Lights-Out management card is an excellent tool for remote maintenance. It provides for remote text console, system-wellness monitoring, SSL-encrypted communications and automatic configuration for use right out of the box. Because it reduces time needed to tend the server, this feature effectively cuts TCO (total cost of ownership).
The DL580 G2 had some issues, particularly with the Iometer linear 64-KB read test, which shows maximum hard disk subsystem performance. The ProLiant DL580 G2 performed at about 29 MB per second on this test. We were concerned that the smaller 18-GB, Seagate-manufactured hard disks caused the problem, but learned that their performance characteristics are comparable to those of the 36-GB Fujitsu and Seagate drives in the IBM x255 and the Dell 6650. Rather, the problems have to do with the nature of the cache algorithms of the integrated 5i controller. HP claims the algorithms are designed for real-world applications rather than lab tests; however, we have to question this level of performance tuning. With a 64-KB stripe on the RAID controller and a linear read of a properly defragmented hard disk, this unit is destined to underperform.
The DL580 G2 did win the test that maximizes I/O operations by a substantial margin. However, considering the strange behavior the Iometer exhibited in the tests and the dismal performance shown in the sequential-read test, we take this performance number with a grain of salt. In the other two tests, NWC Custom and Database, which simulate real-world performance, the DL580 G2 came in last.
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