Dell PowerEdge 2450 Server Combines Power, Uptime and Expansion in 3.5-Inch-High - 2U - System; Enables 42 Processors and 2 Terabytes of Storage In Single Rack Cabinet - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Jan 31, 2000

Dell Computer Corporation, the world's leading direct computer systems company, Tuesday announced worldwide availability of the Dell PowerEdge 2450 server, offering data center managers and service providers a system that maximizes space and revenue without compromising performance or uptime.

As the No. 2 PC server provider in the world(1) and a leading provider of servers for the Internet infrastructure, Dell continues to respond to worldwide demand for rack-mountable servers that deliver power, expansion and uptime capabilities at new values. Within one seven-foot rack, 21 of the 2U 3.5-inch-high servers, and up to 2 terabytes of storage, can be loaded occupying just two-by-three feet of floor space. This makes the PowerEdge 2450 an ideal system for powering Internet data center operations and service provider applications such as access, hosting or commerce. It also makes it attractive to traditional data centers that must maximize their computing power while making efficient use of expensive IT floor space. Prices for the PowerEdge 2450 begin at $3,999.

"In the data center, both space and power are at a premium," said Michael Lambert, senior vice president, Dell Enterprise Systems Group. "The PowerEdge 2450 offers customers the ideal complement of computing power, high availability and rack density to address their Internet infrastructure needs."

Combination of Power, Expansion and Uptime Capabilities a First The PowerEdge 2450 server is the first rack-dense server from Dell to combine dual processor capabilities with hot-plug redundant hard drives and power supplies (optional), 2GB of main memory and up to 91 GB of internal storage capacity for support of up to 5 hard drives in a 2U form factor. When connected to a PowerVault external SCSI storage system, the PowerEdge 2450 server supports up to 9.5 TB of total storage. To help lower costs and provide customers better overall price/performance, Dell engineers designed the system with a network interface card (NIC) and a RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) controller -- called the PERC3/Si, which supports the U3 (U160) SCSI format -- integrated onto the system board. This is also the first highly dense server that supports the 133MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) system architecture for maximum system performance available today for servers supporting the new PIII CPUs.

To provide customers with even greater levels of application uptime and data protection, Dell is delivering the PowerEdge 2450 server as a cluster-ready system. Using the two-channel Dell PERC2/DC RAID storage controller, two PowerEdge 2450 servers can be clustered together with Microsoft Cluster Server software and attached to a shared PowerVault external SCSI or Fibre Channel storage system.

The Dell PowerEdge 2450 will support the latest versions of Microsoft Windows NT, Novell NetWare and is slated to support Red Hat Linux as of mid-February 2000. The PowerEdge 2450 will support Windows 2000 Server and Advanced Server when announced by Microsoft on Feb. 17, 2000. These operating systems will be installed through Dell's standard factory process. Additional information on the PowerEdge 2450 server and detailed product specifications is available at www.dell.com/us/en/biz/products/series_rkopt_servers.htm.> Manageable in Any Environment For enterprise or service providers that use an enterprise management framework to oversee and maximize computing operations, Dell provides the software tools that make the PowerEdge 2450 manageable in a Computer Associates, Tivoli Systems or HP OpenView management environment. Those tools are part of the Dell OpenManage systems management software solutions shipped at no extra cost with every Dell PowerEdge server. OpenManage solutions are designed to help reduce the complexity of implementing systems management, protect Dell customers' ability to choose management solutions that are best suited for their business and IT environments and increase the availability of Dell systems.

When clustering the PowerEdge 2450 server, customers can use Dell OpenManage ClusterX Assistant with Cluster X Technology to more easily monitor, control and maintain clusters on their networks. In the United States, Dell's OpenManage Resolution Assistant software ships on all PowerEdge servers, including the PowerEdge 2450, and provides customers with Internet-enabled product support from Dell, helping network managers resolve technical issues more quickly and efficiently.

Service and Support Dell offers a range of service and support options for its PowerEdge and PowerVault storage products through its alliances with IBM Global Services, Unisys and others. Dell offers network design, configuration, installation and other technical consulting services through Dell Technical Consulting.

Dell provides customers a single point of contact and access to a worldwide force of trained engineers, technicians, analysts and consultants. For standard hardware support, the PowerEdge 2450 ships with a three-year limited warranty(2). This includes one-year labor and three years parts replacement. Dell also offers next-business-day response and a 30-day "Getting Started" help line. BusinessCare four-hour response(3) upgrades are available upon request, as are DirectLine network operating system support upgrades. Dell's award-winning technical support is available over the phone and through http://support.dell.com/us/en/, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.