Dual-core, quad-core, or eight-core systems not enough for ya? How about a system with support for up to 80 cores? That’s exactly what you’ll get with the newly announced SGI Octane III – and NO, it’s not a massive rackmount system. SGI calls it a “personal supercomputer” thanks to its office-ready one by two foot form factor, whisper quiet operations, easy-to-use features, low maintenance requirements, and support for standard office power outlets.

The SGI Octane III supports up to 80 core and nearly 1 terabyte of memory. Some of the configurations include:

• Ten dual-socket, Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5500 series-based nodes
• One dual-socket, Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5500 series-based workstation with advanced NVIDIA graphics and/or GP-GPU card support
• Nineteen single-socket, Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 3400 series-based nodes
• Nineteen single-socket, Dual-Core Intel® Atom™ processor-based nodes

Yeah.. that’s a lot of horse power..

From an operating system perspective, Octane III supports Microsoft HPC Server 2008, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OS’s.

You’ll be able to check out the new Octane III at the upcoming Intel Developer Form (IDF) which will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from Sept. 22 – 24th.

The Octane III is available now with Intel Xeon processor 5500 series or Intel Atom configurations. Base configuration price starts at $7995.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: SGI Octane III

Didn’t get a chance to post about this last week but Acer announced their entry into the Windows Home Server market with the introduction of the Aspire easyStore Home Server. What makes this home server box so interesting is the bang for the buck feature. For a mere $399.99, you get a system with 2GB of RAM, built-in 1TB of disk space, and more importantly, three available hard drive bays. This is by far a more interesting proposition for the consumer/home market than the recently introduced HP MediaSmart LX195.

The full specs for the Acer Aspire easyStore AH340-UA230N Home Server are as follows:

• Intel Atom Processor N230
• Windows Home Server OS
• 2GB RAM
• 1TB Hard Drive
• Three Empty Hot Swappable Hard Drive Bays
• Five USB 2.0 ports
• One eSATA port
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 200 Watt Power Supply

As with the aforementioned LX195, the easyStore Home Server has an Atom processor on the inside – something we think you’ll see more often in network attached servers and home server products down the road. The processor is just fast enough for file serving capabilities, is power-efficient, and, most importantly for consumers, is cheap.

You can pre-order the Acer Aspire easyStore AH340-UA230N Home Server at Amazon.com for $399.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Acer Aspire AH340-UA230N Home Server, Windows Home Server

Apple’s Xserve product lineup received a booster shot today with the announcement that Intel’s latest “Nehalem” Xeon processors would now be available in the sleek 1U servers. According to Apple, the latest servers can deliver up to 89 percent performance improvement per watt over previous generations of the Xserve.

The new Xserve systems include Intel Xeon processors clocked at speeds up to 2.93 GHz – each of which feature an integrated memory controller with three channels of 1066MHz DDR3 ECC memory. Other features include a 128GB SSD boot-drive option (for increased  power efficiency and faster access times), three 3.5 inch drive bays for up to 3TB of internal storage, two PCI Express 2.0 x 16 slots, and a 72 hour battery backup for “enhanced data protection.”

The standard configuration of the Xserve priced at $2,999 features:

• a single 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Xeon 5500 series processor with 8MB of fully shared L3 cache;
• 3GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC RAM;
• a single 160GB 7200 rpm SATA Apple Drive Module;
• dual Gigabit Ethernet on-board;
• two PCI Express 2.0 x16 expansion slots;
• Bonjour®-enabled Lights-Out Management processor and Server Monitor Software;
• internal graphics with Mini DisplayPort output;
• two FireWire® 800 and three USB 2.0 ports; and
• an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard.

[Check it out]

Read this in Chinese Simplified and in French

Technorati Tags: Apple, Apple Xserve, Intel Nehalem Xeon

The new Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive is Iomega’s attempt to deliver a cost effective network attached storage device for the home market. The drive connects to your home network and delivers a centralized storage location for all of your digital content across all of your networked devices.

Powering the drive is EMC’s LifeLife Home Software solution which is a custom Linux OS and application suite. After installing the software, users can access files and set permissions using a friendly user interface. Setting up the Home Media Network Hard Drive should be straight-forward and simple. Just plug the drive into the network, power up the drive, and then install the included software. Since the networked drive also acts as a UPnP media server, you can easily share content to DLNA certified networked media players such as the Xbox 360.

Key features of the Home Media Network Hard Drive include:

• Share files between Windows and Apple systems
• Gigabit Ethernet support
• UPnP AV Media Server – compatible with DLNA certified media players
• iTunes Server
• Supports CIFS/SMB, AFP, and HTTP 1.1
• Add additional capacity by connecting external USB hard drives
• Automatic network discovery by Apple Bonjour and Windows Rally devices
• Backup your data using EMC Retrospect HD backup software
• Oxford 810SE chipset with 370MHz CPU and 64MB RAM
• One 7200 RPM SATA HDD
• One USB port
• Built-in Print Server
• Measures 4.92 x 7.83 x 1.57 inches and weighs 2.45 lbs

The Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive will be available this month with the 500GB drive going for $159.99 and the 1TB drive going for $229.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Iomega, Home Media Network Hard Drive, NAS, CES 2009

For ASUS, the Intel Atom processor has proven to be a versatile processor for a wide variety of devices. We’ve seen the company introduce netbook systems and all-in-one PC systems based on the Atom processor. Now the company is venturing into the network appliance/network attached storage market with the introduction of the D200. The system is basically designed to be a home server appliance – allowing you to store and serve up files as well as acting as a wireless router. The complete specs include:

• Intel Atom N270 processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 512MB of ROM,
• Total of 2 TB of disk space (spanning two disks) supporting RAID 0,1, JBOD
• Built-in 3.5 inch LCD touch screen
• 802.11m MIMO AP router
• Slot DVD-RW drive
• 6 channel HD audio
• WAN/LAN/Power Recovery/HDD status LED indicator lights
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 4 USB ports, 1 DVI port
• Measures 275 x 98 x 206mm
• Noise output of 28 dB courtesy of a smart fan

Expect the D200 to be available for around $600 dollars – though it’s not clear how much storage space you’ll get for that price.

Technorati Tags: ASUS, D200, NAS, CES 2009

Do you have a need for a high end digital media server with oodles of storage space and the ability to stream lots of content simultaneously? Then check out the newly announced CodexNovus DMS-6000 Digital Media Server. This rack-mount server is capable of storing 6TB of data and delivering up to eight simultaneous 1080p video streams, 12 standard definition video streams, 16 high definition audio streams, or 48 MP3 audio streams to a network of CodexNovus Client players and player/servers.

Main features of the CodexNovus DMS-6000 Digital Media Server include the following:

• Supports resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 and lossless 5.1 and 7.1 digial audio
• 6TB storage space
• Dual Gigabit ports
• Video: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, VC-1, MPEG-4 (FFMPEG, XVID, LIBAVC, DIVX)
• Audio: PCM, MP2, MP3, AC3, AAC, FLAC
• Video: MPG, AVI, TS, M2TS, EVO, VOB
• Audio: MP2, MP3, AC3, WAV, AAC
• Imagery: BMP, PNG, GIF, JPG

For more information, check out the website here.

Technorati Tags: CodexNovus DMS-6000 Digital Media Server

Why store music on a separate hard drive when you can leverage your existing Apple iPod on a network audio server? That’s the premise of the new Creston iServer device – this rack mount unit provides a permanent housing for an iPod and adds Ethernet connectivity which allows it to be integated into a Creston control system.

Simply pop an Apple iPod into the front docking bay and then control music playback through Creston touchpanel devices remotely around the house. Audio and video output from the iServer can be connected to a home theater system or to a multiroom distribution system and the iPod can be synced to a networked PC running iTunes without having to undock the iPod from the iServer.

Here’s a summary of features for the Creston iServer.

• “Made for iPod” network audio server
• Full 2-way touchpanel control of the iPod
• Sync to iTunes over Ethernet
• Buffered audio and video outputs
• Crestron Home CAT5 Balanced AV connectivity
• Plug-and-play integration with Adagio systems
• Single-space 19″ rack-mountable

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Creston iServer, Network Audio Server, Apple iPod

Just in case you can’t see the image above, the two add-ins are as follows:

• PVConnect MediaServer for HP MediaSmart – easily share your media among all connected devices.
• McAfee Total Protection Service – automatically protect your home server from the latest virus and spyware threats

To install these add-ins, one has to go to the Add-ins section of the Windows Home Server Settings and then click on the “Available” tab. You’ll see the following:

Of the two add-ins, the McAfee add-in definitely appears to be the most valuable addition to HP EX470 Windows Home Server. There’s nothing like free anti-virus protection for the server if you ask me!

It’s not clear when HP will roll out Power Pack 1 for their MediaSmart servers but I think I’ll probably go ahead and download it directly from Microsoft.

Technorati Tags: HP, EX470 MediaSmart, Windows Home Server, Add-ins, Power Pack 1

General updates and features found in Power Pack 1 include support for PCs running Windows Vista 64 bit OS’s, backup of home server Shared Folders, remote access improvements, more efficient power consumption, and overall better performance. Yes, that infamous data corruption bug is also fixed.

Finally, Microsoft has also updated the Windows Home Server software development kit (SDK) for Power Pack 1.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Windows Home Server, Power Pack 1

The second tidbit – if you’re an owner of an HP MediaSmart Server, then you’ll be interested to know that Microsoft and HP are planning to hold a series of webcasts (webinars) on how to do more with the HP MediaSmart Server. Topics will range from how to extend the Windows Home Server with Add-ins, to digital photography, and to mobile warriors. The first webinar will take place on June 25th and will feature special guest star Terry Walsh of “We Got Served!”. Check out http://www.windows.com/hpmediasmartwebinar for more information.

No Tags

HP is introducing what it calls the world’s first blade server designed for 24/7 “mission critical computing” in the form of the HP Integrity NonStop NB50000c BladeSystem. According to HP, the NB50000c combines the high availability of the HP Integrity NonStop with the efficiencies of the HP BladeSystem. Features and benefits of the new HP NB50000c include:

• Roughly double the processing power in half the physical footprint thanks to multi-core technology and HP BladeSystem
• Reduced administrative costs with enhanced system management including Integrated Lights-Out 2 (iLO 2), HP Systems Insight Manager, and the Onboard Administrator for HP BladeSystem
• 24/7 fault-tolerant software

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: HP Integrity NonStop NB50000c BladeSystem

While I’m still working on my review of the HP MediaSmart EX470 Windows Home Server box, I just had to post this picture of our puppy next to the server. Yes.. that’s our puppy and yes.. that’s the EX470 right next to it. How cute is that eh?? Happy Friday to all of you!

Technorati Tags: Puppy, HP MediaSmart EX470

Looking to help businesses pack more computing power into today’s datacenter infrastructures, HP has announced their new HP ProLiant BL2×220c G5 blade system – the world’s first two-in-one server blade. Yup – that’s right, HP has combined two independent servers into a single blade form factor – allowing businesses to double their computing capacity without adding more physical space. According to HP, the ProLiant BL2×220c G5 delivers 60 percent better performance per watt than similar configurations available in the market while minimizing cooling and power costs.

Specs include:

• Up to two Intel Xeon 5400 Series Quad Core CPUs or Intel Xeon 5200 Series Dual Core CPUs per server node
• Dual gigabit Ethernet NICs
• HP Virtual Connect
• Up to 16GB of PC5200 DDR2 Memory per server node, 4GB standard

Prices for the HP ProLiant BL2×220c G5 start at $6349 with the systems available now.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: HP ProLiant BL2x220c G5

HP showed off the HP EX470/EX475 MediaSmart Server at CES 2008 and announced three new enhancements which will become available in February. These enhancements include:

• Integrated server-side anti-virus software from McAfee for added security both at home and remotely
• Improved media streaming to DMA devices through Packet Video for enhanced experiences such as thumbnail photos and album art
• Support for Microsoft Windows Vista 64 bit OS

For those of you unfamiliar with the MediaSmart Server, this is basically HP’s implementation of the Windows Home Server platform. You can do the following:

• Centrally store and backup all of your files
• Share digital media with other Windows systems on your network
• Automatically backup and protect Windows systems on your network
• 500GB or 1TB capacities
• Powered by AMD Live! 64 bit Sempron processor
• Four internal hard drive bays
• Four USB 2.0 ports
• One eSATA port
• $599 for the 500GB model
• $749 for the 1TB model

Technorati Tags: HP MediaSmart Server EX470/EX475, Windows Home Server, CES 2008

The best way to look at the Vision Series product line is as follows. The VS-100 and VS-200 are all purpose media player/server systems capable of storing, serving, and playing back multimedia (movies, music, photos) content to displays or other networked players. The VC-1 is a networked player which streams content from the Vision servers such as the VS-100/200 and the VX-600. You can deploy multiple VC-1 systems around the home to stream content all over from a central repository. If your storage needs are great, then you opt for the VX-600 which comes with lots of disk space.

Common features of the new Escient 5th generation Vision Series products include:

• All new high definition Escient user interface
• HDMI 1.3 capability and video upscaling to 1080p (for VS-100, VS-200, and VC-1)
• External control capability via Ethernet (for VS-100, VS-200, and VC-1)

Let’s quickly go over the details of the individual products within the Vision Series.

VS-100 and VS-200 Media Server/Player:

• VS-100 comes with dual 500GB drives while the VS-200 provides dual 1TB drives – both feature RAID 1 redundancy
• Plays CDs/DVDs
• Imports Music/Movies
• Automatic disc recognition
• HD user interface
• Stores digital video, audio, and photos on internal hard drive
• External changer support for encrypted DVDs (and CDs)
• Rhapsody Unlimited Music Service
• Steams audio and video to Vision VC-1 networked clients
• HDMI 1.3 In/Out
• Gigabit Ethernet
• USB mouse and keyboard support

VC-1 Media Zone Player

• Networked audio/video player with ability to stream audio and video from Vision servers allowing playback of multimedia content from any room of the home
• Plays DVDs/CDs
• Imports music/movies to VS and VX servers
• Automatic disc recognition
• HD user interface
• Rhapsody Unlimited Music Service
• 1080p video upscaling
• HDMI 1.3
• Gigabit Ethernet
• USB Mouse and Keyboard support

VX-600 Media Server

• Large capacity media server features four 1TB drives in RAID 5 configuration
• Advanced early detection monitoring systems for reliable installations in any networked home
• Expandable network storage for multimedia content
• Delivers simultaneous A/V streams for VS and VC clients
• CIFS file sharing
• Built in rack mount ears
• Hot swapable drives
• Built-in web interface for remote administration and monitoring

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Escient, Vision Series, VS-100, VS-200, VC-1, VX-600

Hush Technologies is now selling a Windows Home Server based product called the HUSH HS1 Home Server and Storage system. Similar in design to other Hush computer systems, the HS1 is the first fan-less Hush Server product for the home. With the HS1, you’ll be able to centrally store and access all of your family data – everything from music to photos to documents to videos.

I’ve always been a fan of Hush Technologies systems – especially the ones designed for Home Theater PC usage. Let’s face it – these systems don’t look like computers at all – rather they look like standard A/V components.

Features of the Hush HS1 Home Server include the following:

• 1GB DDR2 RAM
• RAID controller with support for RAID 0/1
• High quality aluminum case available in silver or black
• Measures 430 x 342 x 74 mm
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 2×250GB RAID1 up to 2×1TB RAID 1
• Windows Home Server with 10 client license

The price for the above system (500GB of HDD space) is $1329.88.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Hush Technologies, HS1 Home Server, Windows Home Server

This production glitch probably won’t have a major impact on AMD since they have larger issues to resolve – such as improving the performance of the new Phenom line of processors to compete effectively against the Intel line of processors.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: AMD, Barcelona, delays

HP continued to expand it’s workstation offerings by announcing two new eight-core workstations – the HP xw6600 and the HP xw8600. Both systems are powered by next generation Quad-Core and Dual Core Intel Xeon processors and are designed to meet the needs of computing-intensive industries.  Features of these new workstations include the following:

• Two next generation Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5400 series or Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 5200 series based on new Intel 45 nm processes
• Dual, full performance PCI Express Gen2 x 16 graphics slots
• Support for up to 128 GB of memory on the xw8600
• Storage capacities up to 5 terabytes
• 90 percent recyclable by weight
• Standard with 80 percent efficient power supplies
• Optimized for desk-side, desktop, or rack mount solutions

Both the HP xw6600 and the xw8600 Workstations will come out in mid-December with prices starting in at around $1200.

Technorati Tags: HP, xw6600, xw8600

MediaSmart will be available in two versions – a 500GB version for $599 and a 1TB version for $749. Other companies due to come out with products include:

• Fujitsu Siemens with the SCALEO Home Server 1900
• Iomega with their HomeCenter Server which includes a 500GB HDD and four easy-swap drive bays
• Life|ware Life|storage
• MAXDATA Belinea o.center
• Medion Home Server with up to 2TB of storage

If you’re not in the mood to purchase a pre-built system, you can always roll your own Windows Home Server as the OEM version of the OS is now available for purchase at many online software retailers such as Newegg. Finally, Microsoft announced that more than 35 add-in programs have been created for the Windows Home Server platform. Solutions cover areas such as personal blogging, media sharing, home security, home automation, virus protection, and malware protection.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Windows Home Server, Microsoft, HP, MediaSmart Server,

Pano Logic have designed a stylish 3.5-inch square box, about the size of a pack of cards, that operates as a computer. But in place of the CPU and memory is a custom Pano Logic virtualization chip. With this device and a low-latency connection to a server, customers can use the box as a fully-functional Windows XP/Vista PC with USB connectivity, thanks to virtualized I/O.

Designed on the VMWare Server platform, the Pano box is positioned to replace traditional desktop PCs with small boxes loading a virtualized environment. Each box has an audio-in/out connection, three USB sockets, VGA video, 10/100 Ethernet, and a power connector.

While this seems like a revolutionary shift in client/server design, I don’t believe that the home user will be greatly affected; it may be more valuable to keep personal information on a local disk and remain independent of network connectivity (or critical lack thereof).

More at PCMagazine.

Technorati Tags: Pano Logic Virtualization VMWare