The (Other) Perfect Branch Office Solution

Qualifications: I am the manager (Network Administrator) of a medium-sized server farm in the Mid-West, which consists of some 150 Dell PowerEdge servers of various models and designs. These models include 1750, 1850, 2600, 2650, 2800, 2850, and 6650 servers, running Windows 2003 Standard Server or Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition.

Disclaimer: This review is intended for those with intermediate or advanced server knowledge, or those individuals seeking in-depth information on Enterprise caliber server equipment. Few if any of the terms used throughout the review are expounded upon.

As I stated in my review of the Dell PowerEdge 2800, the branch server is now as ubiquitous now as the cash register in most branch offices and convenience stores. They are most often stuck in a back room, or worse a closet with poor ventilation, lighting and room. The branch server is often overlooked and overworked, and yet it is as vital to any operation as a well pampered Network Operations Center (NOC) server. The business I work for has a multitude of branch servers scattered throughout the Chicagoland area, most connected via T1 lines. I have worked with all manner of server from all of the major server vendors; IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Dell, and all offer a variety of servers to fit individual needs, but Dell seems to offer the largest variety of multi-purpose server, including the flexible 5U Tower workhorse, and predecessor of the Dell PowerEdge 2800, the Dell PowerEdge 2600.

The Server:

In The Box


• Dell PowerEdge 2600 5U Tower Server
• Installation CD and manuals
• Dell Open Manage software
• Server Drives and Utilities

Like the more capable PE 2800, Dell designed the PE 2600 for high-availability, 24/7 network operations. The 5U free standing tower and rack mountable, six drive server, features dual Intel Xeon III processors (featuring hyper-threading technology) with a 533MHz Front Side Bus (FSB), up to 512MB of L2, and 2MB of L3 cache.

The PE 2600 is the perfect back-office computing solution with its focus on file and print operations. However the PE 2600 is also ideally suited for use as a Windows 2000/2003 domain controller and or Web server and is flexible enough to be utilized as a small database server, or Microsoft Small Business Server.

Dell outfitted the PE 2600 with Intel’s advanced E7501 chipset that provides a maximum bandwidth of 3.2GB/s on a 533MHz bus. The extreme versatility of the chipset allows it to support DDR, PCI Express serial I/O technology, as well as Hyper Threading technology. The chipset also offers two-way memory interleaving enabling memory to be added in identical pairs.

The PE 2600 also features "the next generation I/O PCI-X that provides high bandwidth, low latency and dedicated hardware interfaces between internal chips and peripheral cards. Plus, the PowerEdge 2600 server includes an embedded Gigabit Ethernet1 NIC."

As mentioned above the PE 2600 incorporates high bandwidth PCI-X slots (two 64-bit/133 MHz), as well as (4) 64-bit/100MHz PCI-X, and (1) PCI 32-bit expansion slot for a total of seven. In addition the PE 2600 features single Intel Gigabit network interface cards (NIC). A dual NIC would have been nice so that the server could be provisioned for load balancing, without any configuration changes. The chipset also supports high-speed double data rate PC2100 (DDR) memory chips that support up to 12GB of error-correcting code (ECC) SDRAM in six slots all on a 64-bit dedicated bus.

With (7) overall expansion slots; and numerous embedded features, you can deploy the PE 2600 in a configuration that supports a wide range of workloads either in a data center, or as a stand alone server, including connections to a fiber-channel backbone and optional external SCSI backup drives. Additionally, the PE 2600 server offers an embedded dual channel PERC4/Di RAID subsystem Ultra320 SCSI controller that supports up to eight internal SCSI drives (six native 1" SCSI drive bay and two optional drive bays). The controller contains 128MB of battery-backed cache that allows data to be written to a disk even in the event of power outage.

Like the PE 2800, the split backplane design incorporated into the PE 2600 offers considerable configuration flexibility. For instance, you can configure different RAID configurations; e.g. two hard drives set up for RAID (1) to mirror the operating system for redundancy; and RAID (5) for the remaining four drives, or chose five drives and use one as a universal hot spare. Furthermore, the PE 2600’s eight (two optional) hot-plug SCSI hard drives allow up to 1.16TB of internal storage if (8) 146GB drives are utilized. Without the optional drives installed the maximum internal drive storage drops to 876GB.

Hard drive capacity is broken down by the following: 36GB – 146GB (Ultra320 SCSI) at 10,000 rpm, and 18GB – 73GB (Ultra320 SCSI) at 15,000 rpm. RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 or 50 is supported for data redundancy.

For backup and archiving vital system and data files, the PE 2600 has the capacity to interface with Dell's PowerVault External SCSI storage units; i.e. PowerVault 100T, 110T, 114T, 122T, 124T, 132T and 136T) and Dell/EMC Fibre Channel storage.

Unlike other Dell PowerEdge servers, the PE 2600 lacks the very small LCD panel on the front of the server to display messages from the system backplane or the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator software suite. I have to admit that I do not miss the little display, mostly because I lacked the patience to read the darn thing as the error message floats by.

Unlike most recent Dell Power Edge servers, PE 2600 does not feature a dual Network Interface Card (NIC), but features a Single port Broadcom Gigabit Base T Adapter. However, the PE 2600 can also be ordered with Intel dual adapters such as the Intel PRO/1000 MT single port Gigabit NIC, and the Intel PRO/1000 MF optical Gigabit NIC.
The PE 2600 can be factory-installed with the following Operating Systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Small Business Premium Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Small Business Premium Edition
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server v3
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Enterprise Server v3
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Enterprise Server v4

Dell has given the PE 2600 many distinctive design features that make the server easy to deploy, service, and manage locally or remotely, such as a tool-less chassis, which enables you to quickly and simply reach components for easy maintenance; the motherboard for instance can be completely swapped out in under a five minutes. Dell's Open Manage Server Manager (now on Version 5.0 suite (you will need to install Windows 2003 Server SP1 in order to run it) of software enhances manageability, from initial server start-up through everyday operations by allowing for server hardware management via a web interface. Combining performance, availability and configuration flexibility, the PE 2600 server is an ideal solution for small-to-medium businesses where space might be a consideration, and remote sites that require robust internal storage, PCI expandability and high availability features.

Installation and Performance:

Our PowerEdge 2600’s servers usually arrive configured as follows:

• Processor(s):
(2) Intel Xeon 32-bit @ 3.06GHz/512MBMB Level 2 ECC Cache/ 533MHz Front Side Bus.
• Memory:
2GB DDR SDRAM PC2100 (2x1GB in two banks).
• Hard Drive Bays:
(6) populated 1” hot-swappable SCSI;
• Hard Drive(s):
6 x 36.3GB 15K RPM Ultra 320 SCSI Hard Drives;
• Hard Drive Controller:
PERC4/Di 256MB (2 Internal Channel / 1 External Channel);
• Floppy Disk Drive:
Floppy Drive,1.44M, TEAC2;
• NIC:
(1) Single port Broadcom Gigabit Base T Adapter;
• Video: Integrated ATI-Rage with 8MB SDRAM;
• CD-ROM Drive:
24X IDE CD-RW Drive for PowerEdge Servers;
• USB Ports: (2) rear;
• Power Supplies: (2) 730W hot-plug redundant, 110/220 volts

Our servers arrived from Dell without a NOS installed; however utilizing Dell’s Open Manage software we are able to install Windows 2003 Server without much of a problem. Open Manage also allows for the configuration of the RAID array; e.g. RAID level 0, 1, 5, 10 & 50. All of our PE 2600's are configured for RAID Level (1) which holds the OS container, and RAID level (5), which holds the data or application container. Open Manage makes configuring the PE 2600 a fairly painless endeavor; it usually takes less than an hour to completely configure each server and install the Network Operating System (NOS). However, Like most of our servers our complement of PE 2600's are configured via Microsofts’ Advance Deployment Server, ADS, in which case just the RAID is configured.

The lower and middle half of the front of the black PE 2600 is taken up by the six 1 inch SCSI drive bays which are arranged in two pairs of three stacked on top of one another. To the left of these sit the two hot-plug 750W power supplies; be forewarned you will need a hex tool to remove the units, which are supplied with a small yellow LED in the shape of a lighting bolt.

On the top of the drives and power supplies sit various power switches and power LED’s, and above these sit (2) 5.25" external media drive bays which can house any number of storage options, including tape drives, and SCSI hard drives. Above these sit the floppy and CD-ROM drives. The front of the unit is covered with a removable, lockable black and silver bezel with a small blue status light that is incorporated into the round silver Dell logo in the middle of the bezel. During normal operations the light will remain blue, but if a problem occurs the light will blink red.

The back of the PE 2600 is dominated by the (7) PCI/PCI-X expansion slots at the bottom left of the chassis, and above these sit two large hot-swappable cooling fans. To the far right sit the covers for the two power supplies with plugs. In the middle of the chassis near the top you will find the single GB NIC’s, dual USB ports, optional remote access controller port, as well as VGA, PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports.

We currently have (42) PE 2600 servers installed in various branches throughout the organization. We utilize the servers in a production environment acting as file and print servers as well as DHCP servers at our branch locations. All of the server run Microsoft Windows 2003 Standard Edition. However, because the PE 2600 is highly scalable, the box could just as easily be used as a enterprise application, or specialized server such as a Windows 2003 domain controller, SQL database server, mail server, or a Web backend application server.

The two single-core, or hyper-treading processors coupled with fast RAM and 10K or 15K SCSI hard drives make the PE 2600 a performance workhorse. Actual, real world throughput (file transfers to and from the server), is outstanding, especially when it comes to serving up SQL derived data. The PE 2600’s in our inventory are all at the top of the performance curve, and they are dependable and boost enough power to meet all of current and future application needs. To date we have had very few issues with the servers.

Dell Open Manage Server Administrator & IT Assist
A word or two more about Dell's suburb Open Manage management server solution is in order. As I briefly touched on above, the utility, which ships with every Dell server, allows to you, the administrator, to completely setup and configure the PE 2600. This is accomplished via three easy-to-use toolsets for setting up, configuring, troubleshooting, and managing the PE 2600. The Server Assistant is a bootable CD with the now familiar wizards that walk you through every step during setup and configuration process allowing you configure the RAID array and then install your OS, as well as load the latest drivers for your server's network cards and RAID controllers. Note: the RAID configuration can also be set during the server’s normal boot routine, but I have it easier and more time efficient to use Open Manage to configure the RAID array.

The second tool the Dell Open Manager Server Administrator tool which is installed after you install the OS—lets you monitor the server's health, update firmware, and identify all hardware and configuration information via a Web browser interface. Note: the installation of Dell Server Administrator will require the installation of Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), if it is installed on a Microsoft Windows platform. As I stated above, Version 5.0 is the latest iteration of the software tool and will require Windows 2003 SP 1 before you install it.

The third tool is Dell's IT Assistant, a utility that allows you to configure hardware and software across the network from a remote console, or centralized IT Assist server. IT Assist integrates with Dell's ERA (Embedded Remote Access) module, which eliminates the need for an additional Ethernet card or modem for server access.
Using ERA, an administrator can power up/down a remote system, view all 80 sensors in the server, send and receive system alerts, remotely boot the server, and troubleshoot the server with the aid of up to 16 other administrators logged in simultaneously. IT Assist with ERA is a very powerful tool for managing a Dell-centric server farm.

If you are looking for a stand-a-lone reliable, (very) versatile, powerful and reasonably priced file or application server (these babies can still be had used), the large-footprint (5U), free standing (Tower) Dell PowerEdge 2600 Small-to-Medium-sized business server might be what you have been looking for.

PowerEdge 2600 Features

o Form Factor: 5U Tower or Rack-mountable chassis;
o Processors: Up to two single-core 32-bit Intel Xeon III processors at 2.4GHz, 2.8GHz, 3.06GHz, 3.02GHz, w/Hyper Treading technology;
o Front Side Bus: 533MHz;
o Cache: 512K L2; 512K, 1MB, or 2MB L3;
o Chipset: Intel E7501;
o Memory: Up to 12GB PC2100 DDR ECC SDRAM; (6) DIMM slots w/236MB/512MB/1GB chips;

o Drive controllers: Embedded LSI Logic 53C1030 dual channel integrated Ultra320 LVD SCSI controller;

o RAID controllers: Embedded PERC4/Di (dual channel Ultra320 RAID with 128MB of battery-backed cache); optional PERC4/DC; optional PERC3/DC (dual channel PCI RAID controller); optional PERC3/QC) (quad-channel PCI RAID controller);

o Drive bays: Standard internal hard drive bays to support up to (6) 1” Ultra320 SCSI hard drives with Dell hot-plug drives. Optional two 1” hot-plug drives in the external media bays; optional 2x3 split backplane. Media bay for 24x IDE CD-ROM or 8x IDE DVD ROM, and 3.5 in. floppy; 2x 5.25 inch external drive bays;

o Hard drives: 36GB, 73GB, 146GB, (10,000 rpm) hot-plug Ultra320 SCSI hard drives; 18GB, 36GB, 73GB (15,000 rpm) hot-plug Ultra320 SCSI hard drives; maximum internal storage up to 1.16TB (8x146GB SCSI Hard drives);

o External Storage Options: Dell PowerVault NAS Storage ; Dell PowerVault SCSI Storage; Dell PowerVault Fibre Channel Storage; Dell/EMC products

o Tape Backup Units: Internal: PowerVault 100T and 110T; External: PowerVault 114T, 124T, 132T, and 136T; Rack Enclosures: PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure;

o I/O Slots: (7) Total; (6) full length, one half length; 2x64-bit/133MHz PCI-X; 4x64-bit/100MHz PCI-X; 1x32-bit/ 33MHz PCI;

o Network interface card: Single Embedded Broadcom Gigabit Base T Adapter

o Power Supplies: Optional 730W hot-plug, redundant.

o Video: Integrated ATI-Rage with 8MB SDRAM