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Dell PowerEdge 2850 review

Verdict

Not as well designed or built as HP's ML370 G4, but the 2850 is a lot slimmer, offers similar levels of storage capacity and management tools, and is just as good value.

Review Date: 16 Dec 2004

Reviewed By: Dave Mitchell

Price when reviewed: exc VAT

Overall Rating

We did find the IPMI features awkward to use and supported by overly complex and muddled documentation. We'd therefore heartily recommend adding the DRAC 4/I remote management controller, which delivers full access to the server irrespective of its condition and all from a smart browser interface. It's as good as HP's iLO. It provides a secure interface to all power settings and console redirection plus a handy virtual boot disk feature that can remotely boot the server from a DVD, floppy or other storage device on the remote management station.

The PowerEdge 2850 is a versatile server, offering a wide range of optional features allowing it to be customised to suit. It doesn't have the classy look of the latest HP servers, but it's built well enough and does manage to pack a lot of hardware into its low-profile chassis.

Author: Dave Mitchell

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