Comparing the Compaq ProLiant ML530, Dell PowerEdge 4400, and HP NetServer LH 3000
In this comparative review, I look at three departmental-class dual-processor servers: the Compaq ProLiant ML530, the Dell PowerEdge 4400, and the Hewlett-Packard NetServer LH 3000. All three systems are 800MHz Pentium III processor-based, and both the Compaq and the Dell sport the processor's Xeon versions. All processors have 256KB of Level 2 cache. All are based on ServerWorks' ServerSet III LE chipset, which provides support for a 133MHz front-side bus, 4GB of 133MHz Error-Correcting Code (ECC) SDRAM, and 64-bit PCI slots. Table 1, page 110, compares the systems' features.
Using Microsoft BackOffice Server as a base application platform, I installed Microsoft IIS 4.0, SQL Server 7.0, and Exchange Server 5.5. I used a 2.1GB SQL Server database and a 64MB Exchange Server private message store. I used Windows NT 4.0 because not all three vendors supported Windows 2000 at the time of testing. (At press time, all three vendors support Win2K.)
I performance-tested the servers while they ran a variety of applications concurrently: My test workload consisted of Doculabs' @Bench e-commerce benchmark test combined with a Messaging API (MAPI) mail workload (for information about @Bench, go to http://www.doculabs.com/). The sidebar "How I Tested," page 111, describes my testing environment and procedures. For information about restoring databases for each test iteration, see the sidebar "Restoring the Database During Benchmark Testing," page 112.
As Graph 1 shows, I found no appreciable difference in the three systems' performance. Looking at the test's performance-monitoring counters, I found that I/O was not a bottleneck—I/O queue lengths for the logical disk volumes participating in the test were uniformly less than 0.1. Distinct differences between the three systems occurred in the arena of systems management tools.
Compaq ProLiant ML530
The Compaq ProLiant ML530 is the newest member of Compaq's ProLiant 3000 server family. The system's ServerWorks' ServerSet III LE chipset supports the system board's 133MHz front-side bus, the 64-bit 66MHz PCI bus with eight PCI slots, and the embedded Ultra 2 SCSI controllers. The ProLiant ML530 can process memory and I/O requests in parallel for improved system throughput.
A Tour Through the System
In its pedestal cabinet, the ProLiant ML530 stands 20" tall, 13" wide, and 27.5" deep. A 7U (12.25") rack-mount model is also available. A lockable door, which swings open to the right, covers the entire front of the server. Two drive cages—each holding six hot-swappable 3.5" disk drives—nearly fill the front right side, leaving just enough space for the CD-ROM drive. A 3.5" floppy-disk drive is at the top left, and two removable 5.25" media bays occupy the bottom left side. The power switch and four system-status LEDs are near the middle, and two cooling fans are visible on the left. Three thumbscrews fasten the left-side panel, which slides toward the back for removal. Four hot-swappable fans are accessible through the left panel. Two of the fans direct air through a cooling shroud over the two CPUs, and the other two fans direct air across the system board, cooling the area that contains the I/O slots and memory modules.
A green release lever lets you remove two non-hot-swappable drive trays, which have caddies for 3.5" devices and rails for 5.25" devices. The two CPUs occupy the top of the system. Eight DIMM memory module slots reside below the CPUs. Each of the eight slots can accommodate modules as large as 512MB, for a total maximum system memory of 4GB. You'll find the eight PCI slots at the bottom of the system. The lowest slot, number 1, is a 32-bit 33MHz slot. Slots 2 through 6 are 64-bit 33MHz 5-volt PCI slots. At the top, slots 7 and 8 are 64-bit 66MHz 3.3-volt slots. A PCI retainer clip releases with the touch of a button and rotates into position.
If you remove the left-side panel, you can access a release handle on the back of the server that lets you slide the entire system-board tray assembly about 5" out the back of the server. This mechanism exposes the system power board's connectors and gives you access to three additional hot-swappable fans. Unfortunately, power cables to the system board prevent the tray from sliding out far enough to let you add or remove PCI cards.
Connectors for the two embedded Ultra2 SCSI channels are located on the system board's edge. In the system I reviewed, neither SCSI channel was in use. However, one channel was cabled so that I could attach external devices to an external Very High Density Cable Interconnect (VHDCI) connector; a second rear-panel punch-out was available so that I could connect an external device to the second SCSI channel. Compaq provides a cable to connect devices in the two non-hot-swappable drive bays to one of these SCSI controllers. These non-hot-swappable bays are for removable media devices; according to Compaq, the airflow in the non-hot-swappable bays is insufficient to cool hard disk drives. A second panel covers the cabinet's top and right side but doesn't expose any user-serviceable parts.
At the system's rear left are three easily removable, hot-swappable, redundant power supplies, each with its own power cord. The standard set of connectors for integrated components—keyboard, mouse, dual DB9 serial connectors, printer port, and a VGA connector—are in a typical ATX-motherboard configuration.
Two information labels on the inside of the left panel describe the system board's layout and include instructions for adding and removing system components. One label includes a list of part numbers for system-upgrade options.
Overall, the system is easy to work on. Everything you typically need to access is behind the left-side panel.
Systems Management
Three systems management components contribute to the ProLiant ML530's excellent systems management capabilities. First, the ProLiant ML530 offers Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) and Desktop Management Interface (DMI) support for remote monitoring and management of server hardware components. The ProLiant ML530 also supports Automatic Server Recovery-2 (ASR-2). Firmware-based ASR support periodically communicates with OS drivers. If the system hangs and doesn't communicate with the ASR firmware, ASR can reboot the system to attempt recovery. Second, Compaq liberally uses status LEDs on the front of the system and on each hot-swappable fan and power supply. Third, Compaq's systems management software, Compaq Insight Manager, is standard on each server. Insight Manager provides an excellent window into the server's configuration and hardware components' operating status. Color-coded status icons warn of failing components and let you drill down from the network view through server views to discover which component is failing.
Insight Manager, which manages the server's hardware and firmware components (but not the OS components), comes in two versions: the original Windows GUI version and Insight Manager XE, which is the Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) version. Although you can install Insight Manager on any Win2K- or NT-based management console, Insight Manager can manage only Compaq computers. Insight Manager relies on Compaq Management Agents, which reside on the managed systems, to provide information. These agents work only on Compaq systems.
Before Insight Manager can manage a server, you must install the SNMP agents and Compaq Management Agents. I installed the SNMP service with a standard community name of Public for read and create access, then reinstalled NT 4.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5) and rebooted the server. To ensure that all the necessary drivers were loaded when I installed NT, I ran the Compaq Server Support (SSD) utility and selected the Express installation. SSD causes Insight Manager to scan the server hardware and install all appropriate device drivers.