Dell Poweredge R900 Review

In my capacity as a network administrator I have worked on and administered all manner of server platforms from all of the major vendors: IBM, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, and Dell.  But for the last four years I have worked almost exclusively with Dell server platforms of all sizes, from the small 1U's to the larger 6U multi-hard drive, multi-processor rack mountable boxes.  So I have lived through the evolution of the Dell 2000 series of 2U rack mount servers, to the latest to enter our data center; the PowerEdge R900, a few of which I have installed and configured.

Dell designed the (4U) PowerEdge R900 as a virtual computer powerhouse and bills is as its most powerful Intel processor based machine. 

According to Dell "the PowerEdge R900 offers outstanding virtualization performance in a 4-socket server combined with optional, factory integrated virtualization capabilities. Dell continues to Simplify Virtualization by streamlining virtualization deployment and providing ease of use in virtual infrastructures. By factory integrating VMware®  ESXi 3.5, customers receive VMware capabilities and migration of virtual machines within a few clicks of a mouse." 

The PE R900 supports up to (4) 64-bit Intel Xeon quad-socket 7300 sequence processors with a Dual Independent FSB at 1033MHz.  The PE R900 sports the new Intel 7300 chipset that can support up to a maximum 128GB of DDR2 667MHz SDRAM and can support up to 300GB SAS (SCSI Attached Storage) hard drives at various speeds.   

The PE R900 continues Dell's tradition of the simple to use tool-less chassis.  This design enables one to quickly and effortlessly reach components for easy maintenance; virtually everything inside the chassis can be swapped out (removed) for easy replacement.   

Dell's Open Manage suite of software enhances manageability, from initial server start-up through everyday operations by allowing for server hardware management via a web interface.  And server updates can be performed from within the Operating System, including BIOS upgrades, though a server reboot is usually needed afterwards.    

The Dell PE R900 incorporation of quad-core Intel 7300 processors coupled with fast expandable RAM and 10K or 15K SAS hard drives make the server a performance star.  In addition the server is highly flexible allowing for the installation of SAS drives ranging in size from 73GB up to 300GB allowing for a maximum storage capacity of only 1.5TB; again ideal for a virtualized server environment, but a little more internal storage space would have been nice.   

If you are looking for a reliable, versatile, powerful and reasonably priced application server, the small-footprint Dell PE R900 Enterprise-class application server (SQL or Exchange anyone?) will most certainly fit the bill.