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From the start, Apple's Xserve has ranked best-in-class in build quality, engineering, durability, and serviceability among 1U x86 rack servers. The newest Xserve, redesigned around Intel's Nehalem Xeon quad-core CPU, adds performance to the list of Xserve's leadership criteria. Nehalem Xserve is very likely the fastest, most energy-efficient, and most cost-effective dual-socket 1U rack server on the market.

• Xserve Lom With Psbm For Mac Free
• Xserve Lom With Psbm For Mac Os

Xserve's designers didn't need to commission a forward-looking study of enterprise server buyers to cook up Nehalem Xserve's specifications. It only had to chat with the IT leaders responsible for iTunes Music Store, iPhone App Store, MobileMe, Apple Store, and Apple Developer Connection. Apple's own requirements already reflect what analysts predict for the cloud. Ideal cloud servers will strike a balance between low power utilization and high reserve performance that's nearly impossible to achieve. By linking Intel's Nehalem architecture with custom system management hardware and a platform-tuned OS, Apple aimed for that server power/performance ideal and scored.

How to I access the LOM on a Apple Xserve server? I just puchased my first Apple server, and when the server booted up I got this cool wizard to setup the server. Which is where I setup the static IP for the LOM. Thanks, I didn't know that you needed a MAC to manage the server remotely. It's more than this solution. Get answers and train to.

There's no other way to say it: Apple's Nehalem-based Mac Pro is. How fast is Intel's new quad-core Xeon server processor? Further reading: Nehalem Xserve is not everything it could be; I want to see lower power consumption at idle, for example.

But those who buy this server will witness it evolve in firmware and software. Nehalem Xserve is a market-leading system now, and it'll be even better a year on. The things that matter most to a massive enterprise with multiple datacenters are reflected in Xserve's feature list: A standards-based (IPMI 2.0) lights-out management controller is wired to an incomparably broad array of hardware sensors for local and remote monitoring of health and power utilization.

By default, Xserve is optimized for headless (no monitor, keyboard, or mouse) deployment and operation. If you do need a close encounter with Xserve, most of it comes apart easily with only a Phillips head screwdriver, and its large, captive screws won't dive into your case for that familiar and frustrating game of hide and seek.

Xserve weighs less than other 1U rack servers, even fully loaded, and yet it's undeniably sturdy. Xserve is a pleasure to work with at any distance. It starts with Nehalem Nehalem Xserve's marquee feature is, of course, the Intel Nehalem Xeon CPU and bus architecture. Intel pulled Xeon's formerly external memory controller onto the processor die, a shortcut that Apple claims more than doubles the effective memory throughput compared to the prior-generation Harpertown Xeon. (See my review of last year's Xserve, '.'

Xserve Lom With Psbm For Mac Free

) This claim is backed by I've performed comparing the prior eight-core, 3GHz Xserve to the present 2.93GHz Nehalem model. The original eight-core Harpertown Xserve turned in a STREAM Triad score of 6,769MBps on a test with eight simultaneous threads, while the same binary running on Nehalem Xserve reports a Triad score of 19,065MBps. Test Center Scorecard Apple Xserve (Nehalem) Performance (30%): 9 Expandability (15%): 8 Management (15%): 8 Power usage (15%): 8 Serviceability (15%): 9 Value (10%): 8 Overall score: 8.5 (very good) That's no typo, and you should set aside your inclination to write off STREAM as a predictor of real-world server performance. In SPECjbb2005 (Java business benchmark) tests, the original eight-core Xserve scored 36,688 operations per second, while Nehalem Xserve managed a score of 83,926. With only 8GB of RAM to Nehalem Xserve's 24GB, the older server was underconfigured by modern standards, a fact that may have contributed to its poor showing despite the fact that the machine did not resort to paging processes out of RAM during testing. Poor scalability under parallel memory-intensive loads was a characteristic of Intel x86 pre-Nehalem, symptomatic of a bus architecture that imposed a heavy penalty on memory access. That penalty is gone.

The smooth scalability of Nehalem Xserve under rising parallel load in the SPECjbb2005 tests not only highlights the Nehalem architecture's improvements, but also Mac OS X Leopard Server's exploitation of the architecture. The kernel's deft assignment of tasks to processor cores and thread units, and its mapping of physical memory to leverage NUMA (non-uniform memory architecture), keeps Nehalem Xserve's six memory channels working together. It took Microsoft several years to fix Windows Server to make appropriate use of AMD64 NUMA, the model Intel adapted for Nehalem. If early benchmarks are any indication, Apple seems to have gotten NUMA right on its first try. Ecofriendly - to a point The 2.26GHz Nehalem Xserve is probably the greenest server this side of UltraSPARC T2, and for many uses, it will outperform the eight-core, 3GHz model it replaces. Xserve meets Apple's exacting standards for environmentally responsible manufacturing - it's so non-toxic that it's practically edible - but in its maxed-out 2.93GHz, eight-core incarnation, Nehalem Xserve is more about high speed than low power.

Mac OS X Leopard Server lacks the equivalent of Windows Server's energy profiles. There's no way to make the server less than it is for the sake of enhancing savings and quiet at times of low compute demand. The new Xserve's power draw at idle is higher than that of the previous Xserve.

That said, Xserve makes a greater effort than most rack servers to run as quietly as its workload permits. The fan array can get loud, but Xserve never emits the piercing high-frequency din that high-end 1U rack boxes can broadcast. Nehalem Xserve's noise is very effectively muffled by my GizMac XRackPro. One power-saving option holds great appeal for shops that make heavy use of networked storage. Apple now sells a 128GB solid-state (flash) boot drive for Xserve. This can greatly reduce power consumption, heat, and noise, and with no seek or rotational latency, the system loads the kernel and apps lightning fast. This comes at the expense of write speed, though.

With its plentiful cache, further abetted by the cache on the server's optional hardware RAID controller (highly recommended), a single 1TB Western Digital SATA drive was two to three times faster in write performance than the SSD. Look to the solid-state drive option to simplify and slim your Xserve, not to speed it up. The lack of power controls is a shame because no x86 server is better equipped to make smart decisions about power than Xserve.

The temperature, voltage, and current draw of most major components are tracked continuously and reported to Xserve's independent system management controller, which Apple calls the 'LOM,' for 'lights-out management.' LOM data is readable with Apple's Server Monitor GUI or the ipmitool command-line utility. The LOM shares one of Xserve's two gigabit Ethernet ports, using its own IP address and security credentials. Xserve's LOM is limited in comparison to other servers' baseboard management controllers. When the system is powered down, it functions primarily as a remote power switch and a means to select the source of the boot image. The LOM lacks the ability to remotely control the console (KVM over IP), although ipmitool provides rudimentary, unofficial 'serial over LAN' support. The LOM's field replaceable units (FRU) inventory capability is not used, and motherboard sensor status is unavailable, even in cached form, when the system is powered down.

Deal or no deal? I came to this review with three questions in mind: Is Nehalem Xserve better than Mac OS X Leopard Server running on Mac Pro? Do existing Xserve owners have a compelling reason to upgrade? And finally, does Nehalem Xserve give users of other brands of rack servers cause to consider a switch? The first question is one of value. Someone running one to three servers is less likely to be concerned about lights out management, redundant power supplies, the rack form factor, and spare parts kits, key Xserve features with large-scale IT appeal.

Next to Nehalem Xserve, Nehalem Mac Pro is the far greener and quieter machine, with more room for storage and a matching hardware RAID option. However, Mac Pro has less RAM capacity, and solid-state storage isn't an option (at least not from Apple). People using Mac Pro as a pedestal server also get the advantage of adding storage with raw SATA drives, an option that Apple precludes on Xserve.

Existing Xserve owners need to upgrade to the Nehalem model, if only because the enormous leap in memory bandwidth makes it possible to do so much more work in the same space. Nehalem and Mac OS X seem positively made for each other; neither is as impressive alone as it is with the other. It's a certainty that Snow Leopard, when it ships this summer, will be at its best on Xserve. Apple built a discrete GPU with dedicated memory into Xserve to take advantage of Snow Leopard's ability to parcel out compute tasks to the 3-D accelerator. As for whether Nehalem Xserve is strong enough to pull newcomers to the Mac server platform, that's hard to say.

Xserve Lom With Psbm For Mac Os

It probably should, but Xserve is an odd duck. IT is conditioned to look at x86 rack servers as raw material for handmade solutions.

Xserve is a solution in itself, but a review of the hardware fills in only half of the picture. Making an intelligent choice about a Mac server platform requires familiarity with Mac OS X Server, and as Apple kicks off its Worldwide Developer Conference next week, I'll give you a refresh on Mac OS X Server's features, including new capabilities coming to Snow Leopard (10.6). Then you'll have the whole picture.

Apple Xserve (Nehalem) Pros: Ready to run with e-mail, DNS, directory, file/print, database, app servers, blog, wiki, Web, Java, Mac client management (including Time Machine automatic backup) and more. True headless booting. Unlimited licenses for Windows, Mac, and NFS file sharing clients.

Compatible with 64-bit Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, due later this year. Twelve 1,066MHz DDR3 DIMM sockets leverage Nehalem's triple-channel on-chip RAM controller. Independent system management controller ('lights out management') with GUI, SNMP, and IPMI 2.0 support.

Optional integrated hardware RAID controller with battery-backed RAM cache. Optional solid-state boot drive. Two 16-lane PCI-Express slots. Integrated Nvidia 3-D GPU with 256MB of dedicated VRAM. Power, reset, and system management controller reset buttons on motherboard for easy hood-up operation. Exceptionally detailed power monitoring includes at-the-wall current draw. DB9 serial port for UPS or remote management.

Cons: Lights-out management controller lacks KVM over IP support; no official serial over LAN support. Proprietary drive trays are not user-upgradeable with raw drives. No power utilization capping, down-coring, or other explicit energy controls.

Cost: US$2,999 for quad-core base model with one 2.26GHz Intel Nehalem Xeon CPU, 3GB 1,066MHz DDR3 RAM, 160GB SATA hard drive, 8X SuperDrive DVD burner, Nvidia GeForce GT120 GPU with 256MB of GDDR3 memory; $3,599 for eight-core base Xserve with two 2.26GHz CPUs. Price as reviewed: $9,478 with two 2.93GHz quad-core Xeon CPUs, 24GB of DDR3 RAM, three 1TB Serial ATA hard drives, 128GB solid-state boot drive, on-board hardware RAID controller, Apple Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter, redundant 750W power supply Platforms: Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard Server (included) Bottom line: Apple's Nehalem Xserve packs more into one rack unit than any other server. For one price, you get a best-in-class server and a commercial Unix OS with unlimited client licenses, plus a foolproof management GUI.

The 2.26GHz eight-core model outguns and out-greens the original 3GHz, eight-core Harpertown Xserve if you fill it with RAM. Tom Yager writes InfoWorld's blog. This story, 'Apple's Nehalem Xserve serves need for speed' was originally published.