Apple dishes up new XServe

Apple unveiled a new XServe at the conference, its line of 1U rack-mountable servers. The new XServe — a quad Xeon, 64-bit server, featuring Mac OS X Server Tiger on two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running up to 3.0 GHz — completes the company’s transition to Intel-based machines across its entire product line.

Standard configurations will feature 1GB of RAM and 80GB of storage for US$2,999, and will be available from October. Build-to-order options include faster processors, larger hard drives and dual power supplies.

The XServe server architecture includes PCI Express, independent 1.33GHz front side-buses, with 4MB of shared L2 cache and fully-buffered DIMMs (FB-DIMMs). Apple claims that the new Xserve delivers up to four times the I/O bandwidth, up to three times the memory bandwidth and twice the storage bandwidth of the Xserve G5.

Configurable with two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors, running either 2.0, 2.66 or 3.0 GHz, the new Xserve supports up to 32GB of 667 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory with twice the capacity and three times the bandwidth of the Xserve G5. Two eight-lane PCI Express expansion slots provide up to 2Gbit/s of throughput each. XServe includes support for up to three 3Gbit/s SATA or SAS drives, for up to 2.25TB of hot-plug storage. Thermal management takes advantage of the low power of the Intel processors, running as low as 65W.

Other new features include quick deployment rails for rack mounting, a new lights-out management system that lets administrators control the hardware from a remote location and Apple’s Server Monitor software and Remote Desktop agent.

The new Xserve ships with internal graphics that can drive up to a 23-inch cinema display as well as industry standard VGA devices and offers an ATI Radeon X1300, 256MB PCI Express graphics card as a build-to-order option.

The Intel-based Xserve will be the first system to ship with a pre-installed unlimited client edition of Tiger Server software that is optimised to run on Intel-based systems.

Tiger Server integrates over 100 open source-projects and standards-based software applications with management tools for Mac, Windows and Linux clients.

The Xserve base configuration includes two 2.0GHz dual-core Intel Xeon processors with 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM, a single 80GB 3Gbit/s SATA Apple Drive Module, dual Gigabit Ethernet on-board, internal graphics, three FireWire 800 and two USB 2.0 ports, and an unlimited client licence of Mac OS X Server version 10.4 Tiger for US$2,999.

Build-to-order options and accessories include dual 2.66 or 3.0 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors; up to 32GB of 667 MHz FB-DIMM RAM; 80GB and 750GB 7200 rpm 3Gbit/s SATA or 73GB and 300GB 15,000 rpm SAS Apple Drive Modules.