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Super Blade
12:00 AM EST Mon. Feb. 25, 2008
From the February 25, 2008 issue of CRN
Page 3 of 4
All four blade servers came with x86 versions of Microsoft Windows 2003 Server. To test the blades, Test Center reviewers decided to change the OSes to x64 versions of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2003.
SuperBlade's browser-based KVM worked well. We were able to install the OSes as well as test Windows servers using the Web interface. SuperBlade supports virtual media access by mapping local devices with remote client devices. Virtual Media supports floppies, CD-ROM images and USB storage devices, including CD redirection, which we used extensively. CD redirection allowed reviewers to install OSes using CDs and not ISO files using remote PCs.
In case there's a problem accessing a blade server through the Web KVM, VARs can turn on LEDs using the UID lights located on the front panel of each server. The UID lights provide novice users with a quick status of the SuperBlade.
During testing, reviewers found that the KVM option for each blade did not start a KVM session. Reviewers were forced to click on the global KVM console button to reach each blade server. Doing so proved a minor inconvenience but was not a show-stopper.
While pricing will depend largely on how the solution provider or system builder chooses to configure the SuperBlade—with AMD servers, Intel servers, how much memory and the like—Super Micro executives told us an entry-level, 10-server system could be built for about $10,000.
The Verdict
The Super Micro SuperBlade, which received five Channel Stars and four Technical Stars, provides resellers with not just a token alternative for small or midsize customers, but a viable, easy-to-deploy solution for the data center.
Face it, customers in every enterprise are seeking to cut power consumption and square footage, and deploying a blade system can solve those problems. The Test Center found that SuperBlade can easily fill that need without the type of complex deployment that has in the past been a nightmare for solution providers.
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