Dell’s PowerEdge 2950 servers have been designed to a behavioral specification that was developed by the computer manufacture to ensure consistency in the hardware’s layout across the entire PowerEdge family. A master system image from a single easy-to-copy template ensures simplified software management and updates to BIOS, system drivers, firmware, operating systems and applications. The 2950’s 2U chassis features six internal drive bays that provide ample space for up to 1.8TB of hard drive storage. Up to two 5100 series dual-core Intel Xeon processors can be installed. When in 2900 series or 1900 series PowerEdge servers, the 5100 series Xeons can deliver up to 152 percent more performance than previous PowerEdge generations, according to Dell, and consume less power. Up to 32GB of fully-buffered DIMM memory and up to eight 2.5-inch SAS drives can be addressed by the system, which also features PCI express technology and a TCP/IP offload engine that shunts the TCP/IP processing to a separate, dedicated processor on the server’s embedded NICs (Network Interface Cards). This sharing of the workload extends the primary CPU’s capabilities, for increased overall performance. The 2950 also features RAID configurations with a battery-backed cache, hot plug power supplies and fans, and an optional internal or external tape backup drives. The included baseboard management controller monitors the server hardware and send alerts if faults occur. An optional Web-based graphic interface allows remote access and troubleshooting.
Dell Inc., Round Rock, Texas.
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