Dell Brings Sub-$3,000 Server to Market

Dell Monday announced its latest offering: the PowerEdge 2650, a 2U rack-optimized server with dual Intel Xeon processors priced starting at $2,399.

The PowerEdge 2650 is designed for e-mail, file/print and Web serving, as well as for high-performance computing clusters, storage area networks, and departmental-level database applications. Dell describes the server as equally suitable for centralized and decentralized data center deployments.

Dell Monday announced its latest offering: the PowerEdge 2650, a 2U rack-optimized server with dual Intel Xeon processors priced starting at $2,399.

The PowerEdge 2650 features up to 6 GB of memory and five hot-plug SCSI hard drives that provide total internal storage of up to 365 GB.

Additional product specifications include:

• Dual Intel Xeon processors with speeds of up to 2.4 GHz
• ServerWorks’ Grand Champion LE (GC-LE) SystemI/O chipset
• Optional, embedded RAID with 128 MB of battery-backed cache
• Three PCI-X expansion slots
• Dual, embedded PCI-X gigabit network interface cards
• Embedded remote access for server management
• Advanced memory technologies for increased availability
• Advanced local management with Active ID, text-based LCD panel and front-access KVM

The PowerEdge 2650 supports Dell’s Embedded Remote Access technology (which provides a dedicated port that can be used to remotely manage the server regardless of its operating status).

Dell’s OpenManage software further compliments this feature by providing an easy-to-use interface designed to maximize the use of network servers through remote deployment and management. Users can access these remote-management features through a Web browser interface that provides information pertaining to the status of any PowerEdge server on the network.

“Dell is committed to developing enterprise systems that address the specific needs of customers while providing exceptional service, support, and value customers have come to expect from Dell,” Randy Groves, vice president of Dell’s Enterprise Systems Group said in a prepared statement.

Worldwide shipments for rack-optimized, Intel-based servers grew 45 percent from 2000 to 2001, according to IDC. IDC anticipates that dual-processor servers like the PowerEdge 2650 will represent 64 percent of all rack-optimized servers shipped this year.

Last month, Microsoft agreed to leverage PowerEdge 2650 servers as part of a collaborative effort with Dell to bring high-performance InfiniBand technology to market for enterprise customers.

The PowerEdge 2650 is available with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and Red Hat Linux preinstalled.

The server is certified for Novell NetWare and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0.

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