HP to launch low-end servers
Hewlett-Packard is expected to announce next week a new line of servers that target small to medium-sized businesses.
The NetServer E30 is the first product in the new E-series lineup and comes with either 133-MHz or 166-MHz Pentium processor, 16MB of ECC RAM (expandable to 192MB) and up to 21GB of SCSI-based storage.
Prices start at $1,900 for an E30 with 133-MHz Pentium; an E30 with 2GB of storage will have a street price of around $2,420, the company said. Both Novell's Netware and Microsoft's Windows NT are supported. The servers will be available in October.
HP has added management software that should help businesses with small IS departments tackle server management issues much more easily. The software constantly monitors the system and alerts administrators to network or disk errors. The system also gives advice on the type of corrective action necessary. Officials report that future versions will allow administrators to manage servers from remote locations.
HP says it is targeting the small to medium-sized business market because it expects 70 percent of IT spending on small-scale systems with some 30 million businesses worldwide in that category.