HP ProLiant ML370 G4

Internal expansion is substantial. You get four 100MHz/64-bit PCI slots and a pair of 4X PCI-Express slots as well, although note that none of the slots support hot-swap capabilities. The network connection is looked after by a single embedded gigabit adaptor, and the ML370 also comes with an iLO (integrated LightsOut) remote management controller plus a separate embedded 10/100BaseTX adaptor for management access. This allows the server to be accessed securely via a browser regardless of its condition. Using the iLO chipset, you can monitor the status of the controller and server, view installed components, reset the server, power it off and on and emulate pressing the power button. For management during normal operations, HP's Insight Manager offers plenty of information about the system along with good alerting features. Designed to manage any HP server with the Insight agent installed it provides a tidy interface from where you can browse the network and view remote systems.

As we saw with the quad-Opteron ProLiant DL585, HP's design and build quality in its rack-mount servers is among the best. The ML370 G4 continues this tradition. In the process it delivers a good specification, support for the latest Intel products and all at a fair price, and this will no doubt drop as DDR2 memory prices fall.

Author: Dave Mitchell