Product Reviews

Evesham Technology may offer a wide range of server solutions based on both Intel and AMD processors, but the former easily has the lion's share of this company's extensive family. The SilverEDGE 300NH moves the balance even further in Intel's favour. This newest member of Evesham's Intel-based entry-level server offerings comes equipped with a dual-core Pentium D processor.

For its pedestal servers, Evesham usually opts for the complete Intel package comprising motherboard and chassis. This time round, however, it's partnered an Intel SE7230NH1-E mainboard with an Enlight SR5032 box, advising us that the Intel SC5295-E wasn't as fully featured. There isn't a huge difference between them in terms of features and size, although Enlight does include a higher-rated power supply. Evesham also advised us that it will offer this product in an Intel SC5295BRP chassis when it becomes available, as the latter supports dual-redundant supplies.

The motherboard is equipped with a 2.8GHz Pentium D processor partnered by 1GB of fast PC2-5400 memory, upgradable to 8GB. You get a pair of Intel Gigabit Ethernet ports, which can be joined together into fault-tolerant or load-balanced teams using the bundled ProSafe software. A good selection of expansion slots is provided and, although at first glance this board model seems a slightly strange choice, there's a perfectly good reason. Along with PCI and PCI Express slots, the LX version provides an Intel Adaptive Slot. This does support PCI Express cards, but is aimed primarily at rack-server applications, as it accepts a range of riser cards for conversion to horizontal mounts. On the LC version, this is replaced with a standard PCI Express 8x slot, but you also lose the 133MHz PCI-X slot. Evesham wanted to include high-performance PCI-X RAID capabilities so went for the LX model.

Storage features are very good for the price. The chassis is fitted with Enlight's five-bay SATA hot-swap module, and three of the carriers had 160GB Western Digital Caviar SATA RE (RAID Edition) hard disks installed. The motherboard offers four SATA ports and basic mirroring and striping capabilities, but the drive-bay module is linked up instead to an LSI

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Logic MegaRAID PCI-X card, which adds support for RAID5 and 50, plus hot-swap and hot-standby. Unlike the majority of blue-chip server vendors, Evesham also supplies the spare drive carriers already installed, so you don't have to purchase them separately.

Intel has clearly been busy with its Server Manager software. The latest version supplied with the 300NH offers a tidy web interface, allowing the server to be managed locally or remotely. It's on a par with Supermicro's SuperO Doctor III utility and opens with a complete inventory of hardware and software components. It also provides details gathered from the motherboard sensors, such as the CPU temperature, voltages and hard disk space. However, while the CPU and chassis fans can be monitored, the drive cage fans can't be included. All variable values can have upper and lower thresholds applied and, if these are breached, Server Manager can send out pop-up messages, warnings via email and pager, and run a program. LSI Logic's Power Console Plus looks after the RAID controller and comes in for the same criticism as usual: LSI hasn't bothered to update the software, and array failure warnings are still limited to sounding an audible alarm on the card.

The Enlight chassis' build quality is easily up there with Intel and looks capable of handling life in an office environment. Internally, the 300NH is clean and tidy, with all power and interface cables tucked out of harm's way. Cooling gets a high priority, as the chassis has a 120mm fan shunting significant volumes of air out the rear, while the processor is topped off with a large active radial heatsink. The hard disks get special attention. The backplane has two modules, each fitted with a pair of fans inside, and these are also hot-swappable. We've found in the past that Intel rarely designs its chassis with the aim of reducing noise, and so it is with Enlight. Overall noise levels aren't excessive, and in a busy office the 300NH probably won't offend. Even so, we wouldn't want it sitting next to us. Along with the drive module, you get two 5.25in bays, with one occupied by an IDE Sony DVD-ROM drive. Physical security is reasonable, as the door to the hard disks can be key locked. Although the side panel can't be padlocked shut, it does have an intrusion detector fitted, which can link in with the management software and send out warnings if activated.

The SilverEDGE 300NH would make a good alternative to the PC Pro Recommended Dell PowerEdge 830, offering an equally impressive specification for the price. The 830 is a lot quieter and the price of the review system did include a remote management card. But tread the Evesham path and your entry-level server can have hot-swap hard disks, a higher storage capacity and greater expansion potential.