We had no problem getting the RIS software to capture and deploy Windows 2000 Server images to the blades. We did run into a few issues when dealing with Red Hat Linux, though. The initial install of Red Hat 7.3 put the 2.4.18-3 version of the kernel on the system. The OpenManage software wanted a newer version of the kernel on the Red Hat box before it would let us install the management components. Once we got the kernel version straightened out, we captured and redeployed the Linux image with the RIS software.
Dell PowerEdge 1655MC, Dell Computer Corp., (800) 289-3355, (512) 338-4400. www.dell.com
HP submitted four blades, three of which use the same chassis. These entries run the gamut from the low-end and ultra-dense to the feature-rich and high-end quad-processor blades. All the blades use the same management software, Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP), which supports Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Server as well as Red Hat and SuSE Linux. The RDP software is licensed per device managed at an additional cost. In contrast, Dell's management software is included free with its blade server. HP's SmartStart and CIM7 software are included with the servers at no charge.
HP has two lines of blade servers, the e series and the p series. HP's BL10e blades use a 3U chassis that can support as many as 20 blades and include integrated power supplies and an optional network switch. The p-series devices all use the same 6U chassis, which requires a separate 3U power supply--two different power supplies are available, both requiring a 220-volt power source. The module can power multiple p-series chassis and comes with four or six redundant power-supply modules.
HP ProLiant BL20p G2
We were impressed with the BL20p. G2 stands for second generation, and this dual Xeon processor blade packs quite a punch: It turned in the highest number of transactions per second in our Spirent Communications WebAvalanche test (see "How We Tested Blade Servers,").
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