Compaq Delivers Its Most Affordable ProLiant Server; New ProLiant 400 Server Offers Latest Technology to Power Diverse Corporate Network Applications

Business Wire, Jan 4, 1999

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 1999--Compaq Computer Corporation, the world's leading PC server vendor, today announced immediate availability of the new Compaq ProLiant 400, its most affordable corporate server featuring the manageability, reliability and flexibility corporate customers expect from the ProLiant family. The ProLiant 400 offers the latest technology, including the Intel Pentium II 350, 400 or 450 MHz processors, Wake-On-LAN remote management and Integrated Wide-Ultra2 SCSI, to provide increased system performance to meet the diverse business needs of corporate customers.

The new server is the first ProLiant to break the sub-$1500 barrier. The ProLiant 400 is a single-processor server providing corporate users with the benefits of a ProLiant server while maintaining the cost and ease-of-use of an entry-level server. The simple chassis design provides easy serviceability to maximize uptime in demanding IT environments. The ProLiant 400 also offers the most comprehensive pre-failure warranty in its class, which provides free replacement of hard drives and Pentium II processors preventing unexpected downtime(1).

"Corporate customers want an affordable server they can easily integrate into their environment for a variety of network applications, such as basic file/print, remote access and firewalls," said Mary McDowell, Vice President and General Manager, Industry Standard Server Division, Compaq Computer Corporation. "For the first time, we are providing corporate customers with a ProLiant server designed to meet a wide range of enterprise computing requirements at a breakthrough price."

Latest Technology at a New Price Point

The ProLiant 400 provides corporate customers with the latest industry-standard features they demand, including:

-- The latest Pentium II processors - speeds of 350 MHz, 400 MHz or 450 MHz provide corporate customers with greater processing power for demanding applications

-- Wake-On-LAN - enables IT managers to remotely power up the server to retrieve data or manage the system during off-hours

-- Integrated Wide-Ultra2 SCSI - offers corporate users faster I/O throughput and support for external storage units without sacrificing a PCI slot

-- High-speed front side bus design, 100 MHz GTL - enhances performance through improved CPU throughput and memory access

-- 512 KB secondary cache - increases capacity for improved system performance and reduced CPU utilization

-- ECC SDRAM - offers faster memory speeds for increased system and application performance, with improved data integrity. It also adds another layer of reliability by preventing server shutdown in the event of a correctable memory error.

ProLiant's Industry-leading Manageability and Reliability

The Compaq ProLiant 400 server lowers a customer's total cost of computing by delivering the industry-leading manageability, and hardware and software reliability for which the ProLiant brand is recognized. Compaq's server management tools simplify operations and minimize IT resources while providing a seamless integration into existing network environments. Compaq SmartStart software optimizes configurations and simplifies the setup of required system hardware and software components, making configuration and driver updates faster, easier and more reliable. Compaq Insight Manager software helps corporate IT managers prevent problems before they occur, with features such as pre-failure alerts and identification of hard drive degradation.

Compaq designs and tests its servers for maximum reliability to keep networks running and to enhance business productivity. The ProLiant 400 offers improved reliability through support for Compaq's SMART Array Controller, which increases data integrity and uptime through storage fault tolerance and storage management. In the event that errors occur, the Automatic Server Recovery (ASR) restarts a server, minimizing intervention by IT staff. In addition, the Compaq network of resellers and industry partners provides customers with network planning and design, integration and life-cycle systems support services to help lower technical support costs.

Flexible and Expandable Server

The flexibility of the ProLiant 400's enables it to be deployed across diverse network functions, as either a single-function or multi-function server for all network applications, including basic file/print, remote access and communications, and firewall applications. As with all ProLiant servers, the ProLiant 400 is optimized for both Microsoft Windows NT and Novell NetWare to provide ease-of-deployment and compatibility across today's enterprise environments. The ProLiant 400 server expands to help businesses protect their IT investments with expandability features such as six total expansion slots, capacity for two non-hot-plug hard drives and one removable media bay, and up to 384 MB of RAM.

Pricing and Availability

All pricing is based on U.S. estimated street prices. Reseller prices may vary. The ProLiant 400 is available immediately with prices starting at $1,471 for a system with a Pentium II 350 MHz processor with 512KB of L2 cache and 64 MB of ECC memory.