Dell rolls out major overhaul to server line

by admin June 7, 2006 at 10:11 am

Dell this week is set to launch a new generation of servers with Intel’s latest dual-core server processors and new management tools.

The new PowerEdge servers make up Dell’s second batch of products that use dual-core Xeon chips from Intel, but the earlier generation of servers, based on a chip code-named Paxville, weren’t expected to be mass-market products. The PowerEdge 1950, 2900 and 2950, based on Intel’s latest Xeon processor, known as Dempsey, will become the new bedrocks of Dell’s server lineup.

Dempsey is a significant improvement in both power consumption and performance over Paxville, said Brad Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of Dell’s product group. But though the new servers are timed to the introduction of Intel’s new chips, they also come with several new features, unrelated to performance and power consumption, to help IT managers deal with complex environments, he said.

For example, Dell has installed an LCD screen on the front of the new servers. The screen can be programmed to display status messages or error warnings so technicians get can a clear picture of a pending problem without having to return to a management console, Anderson said. The company has also made sure its new management software, included with the servers, works well with software from partners like EMC and VMware.

Full article: ZDNet Australia