Stratus Guarantees Windows 2000 Uptime

Stratus Technologies is taking an extremely bold step by offering an impressive 100 percent uptime guarantee on its new ftServer line of Windows 2000 servers.

This marks the first time IT managers will be able to purchase entry- to midlevel Windows 2000 servers with an uptime guarantee. Current guarantee packages (such as the ones offered with Microsoft Datacenter server) only cover high-end server hardware.

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Guaranteeing 100 percent uptime for low-level Windows 2000-based servers might seem like a laughable idea to many IT managers, but Stratus has some resources that put real muscle behind its guarantee.

On the hardware side, Stratus ftServer line is extremely resilient and its core components, which provide redundancy for CPU modules, network modules, memory and storage, are identical to the NECs Express5800, which eWEEK Labs will review in the Infrastructure section of the Feb. 4 issue of eWEEK.

Stratus servers modular design enables IT managers to easily (i.e., without field assistance) replace critical components including CPUs, memory chips and I/O boards without bringing the server down—a capability that is unheard of in the low-end Intel-based computer space.

Stratus also boasts remote management hardware, which allows Stratus engineers to troubleshoot servers remotely and send updates.

On the software side, Stratus tests and certifies applications covered in its uptime guarantee. To ensure maximum uptime, Stratus also tests and hardens all of the device drivers in its systems.

Stratus base-line system, which has four processors (two of which are redundant, making this a logical two-processor solution), is priced at $19,486.

E-mail eWEEK Labs Senior Analyst Henry Baltazar