HP ProLiant DL380 G7 review

The ProLiant DL380 has always been the star player in HP's rack server line-up, so the seventh generation has a lot to live up to. In this exclusive review, we bring you the lowdown on this popular 2U server and see whether the latest G7 model can live up to the hype.

Remote management is a key area of focus for HP, and this is the first ProLiant we've seen with the new iLO3 embedded controller. HP claims the iLO3's remote control is eight times faster than that offered by iLO2, and that virtual media services are more than three times faster.

Its integrated Windows remote console can be more easily scaled to suit multiple monitors, and the Linux version of the console offers more features than it did before. Also, access security for iLO controllers features AES hardware encryption.

HP still insists on holding back the best iLO features as an advanced upgrade. Many vendors provide essential support functions such as server remote control as standard, but to get these on the iLO3 chip you must buy an upgrade licence.

You'll also need this if you want power management and video playback. The former provides graphs and analysis of power consumption plus regulation and capping controls, while the latter can capture events such as the boot-up process and allow you to view it at leisure from the iLO Video Player utility.

During testing, we confirmed the new remote control services are noticeably faster with a mouse action that exhibited little or no lag. We also found the new Windows remote console was a smooth operator and could easily be stretched and shaped to the dimensions we desired.

For general server and network device management, HP's Insight Control Edition (ICE) software is included. This runs network discoveries and manages HP servers with Insight agents installed and other SNMP-compliant devices.

ICE provides a smart browser interface offering detailed reports on system operations and asset management. You can remotely upgrade firmware on servers, use thresholds on critical components to send alerts and, with the optional Power Manager upgrade, monitor server power consumption, CPU performance or inlet air temperatures and view historical graphs.