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Although the LX50, Sun Microsystems Inc.s first x86-based server, doesnt stand out when compared with other x86 servers in its class, it comes prepackaged with an arsenal of useful Sun application and developer tools at a competitive price.
Shops that are looking for an inexpensive Linux-based server should consider the LX50 to power Tier 1 applications, such as Web sites, firewalls and streaming media; or as a software development server; or as part of a grid computing farm.
The LX50, which began shipping last month, is Suns first entry into a crowded x86 server market dominated by Dell Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM. The LX50 uses industry-standard x86 hardware, including Broadcom Corp.s ServerWorks chip set and Intel Corp.s Pentium III processors, and it runs Suns Linux 5.0 or Solaris 8 Intel Platform Edition operating systems.
The LX50 server eWeek Labs tested, priced at $5,295, had Sun Linux 5.0 pre-installed and came bundled with the standard package, which includes Sun MPEG4 Streaming Server, Sun Grid Engine, Java 2 Standard Edition, Sun Open Net Environment Active Server Pages and Tomcat Java Server.
The Sun applications are pre-loaded into the root directory in .tar or .rpm Linux formats. We could install the applications by “untaring” the file or running the .rpm installation, a straightforward process for users familiar with Linux. However, we believe Sun should provide a setup wizard utility to help less-Linux-savvy shops with the server setup process.
Suns Linux distribution is optimized for the LX50 servers hardware and bears a strong resemblance to Red Hat Inc.s Red Hat Linux 7.2 kernel. Sun Linux 5.0 has standard services pre-installed, including Apache Web Server and the Samba file sharing service.
The LX50 is positioned to compete with other 1U (1.75-inch) Intel-based servers, including Dells PowerEdge 1650, IBMs xSeries 330 and HPs Compaq ProLiant DL360 G2. Like these other boxes, the LX50 uses Broadcoms ServerWorks HE-SL chip set to support two-way symmetric multiprocessing and Intel CuMine Pentium III processors.
The LX50 configuration we tested featured dual 1.4GHz Pentium III processors with 512KB of Level 2 cache; 2GB of error-correcting-code synchronous dynamic RAM (upgradable to 6GB); a 36GB Ultra-160 SCSI hard drive; and dual 10/100M-bps Ethernet ports.
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: Comparable Scalability”>
Comparable Scalability
The LX50 matches its rivals good scalability; it can support as many as three hard drives by replacing the CD-ROM and floppy drives with a SCSI hard drive. The server can also support as much as 6GB of memory in six dual in-line memory module slots.
The LX50 server has a starting price of $2,795 with a single 1.4GHz Pentium III processor and 512MB of memory. By comparison, a similarly configured IBM xSeries 330 lists for more than $2,900, and the Dell PowerEdge 1650 costs about $2,700. (Go to www. eweek.com/links for the Labs March 18 review of the PowerEdge 1650.)
Although the LX50 has many hardware similarities to its competitors, it doesnt offer integrated management processors, as are found in the xSeries and ProLiant servers. Nor does the LX50 offer embedded RAID controllers.
The LX50 has two PCI slots for expansion: a standard full-length and a low-profile half-length PCI slot. The server comes standard with two 10/100M-bps NICs but doesnt offer embedded copper Gigabit NICs. This will limit the servers performance capability in high network traffic. To shore up the server for high traffic, IT managers will need to purchase a PCI Gigabit adapter for the LX50, taking up one of the servers two PCI slots.
For Web sites with high network traffic demands, a competing system might be a better option. Dell, HP and IBM offer dual embedded copper Gigabit NICs on their 1U servers.
The LX50 ships with a management agent for the Sun Cobalt Control Station, which is based on the Cobalt RaQ 4r appliance. The Control Station allows IT mangers to control and monitor Cobalt RaQ appliances and LX50 servers. The Sun Cobalt Control Station comes with four pre-installed control modules for inventory management, performance monitoring, software management and health monitoring (for hardware conditions such as CPU temperature, fan speeds and so on).
The Control Station can greatly reduce operational costs when used to manage large numbers of systems. However, it works with only Suns Cobalt appliances and the LX50 server and requires an additional hardware investment of $5,000.
The LX50 also can be managed via standard SNMP with third-party management tools such as Computer Associates International Inc.s Unicenter, HPs OpenView and Intels Server Manager, but wed like to see integrated management in the LX50. By comparison, HP and IBM offer embedded server processors in their rack-mount Intel servers that provide remote management and monitoring capabilities.
Technical Analyst Francis Chu can be reached at francis_chu@ziffdavis.com.
Executive Summary
: Sun LX50 server”>
Executive Summary: Sun LX50 server
|
Usability |
Fair |
|
Capability |
Fair |
|
Performance |
Good |
|
Interoperability |
Fair |
|
Manageability |
Fair |
|
Scalability |
Good |
|
Security |
Good |
Suns first Intel-based entry-level server combines Suns Linux 5.0 operating system with industry-standard Intel server hardware to offer Linux shops a compact server for network-edge applications. The LX50 is a solid choice for organizations that seek an inexpensive server to fill front-end application roles.
COST ANALYSIS
The Sun LX50 server is priced competitively with other x86-based entry-level systems, starting at $2,795 and ranging up to $5,295 for a fully loaded model.
(+) Comes with Sun Linux 5.0 and a wide-ranging application package pre-installed; compact form factor.
(-) Lacks integrated management capabilities; no redundant power supply.
EVALUATION SHORT LIST
- Dells PowerEdge 1650
- HPs ProLiant DL360 G2
- IBMs xSeries 330
- www.sun.com/servers/entry/lx50