Gateway Continues Aggressive Server, Storage Push

Looking to further expand its entry-level server and network-based storage lines, Gateway yesterday announced the availability of a new 1U rackmount server and a 2U Serial ATA storage area network (SAN).

The Gateway 9415 is the first server in its price range to offer RAID 5 capabilities with redundant power in 1U rackmount configurable, according to Tim Diefenthaler, senior director of server product marketing for Gateway. (Pricing for the 9415 starts at $1,119, including a server rack).

One the storage side, the Gateway 840 Serial ATA SAN offers Fibre Channel connectivity and scales up to 4.8TB. Prices begin at $4,449 (also including a server rack).

The 9415 is designed for data-intensive tasks, Diefenthaler said, and is particularly well-suited for use as a database or Web server and can also scale to handle demanding enterprise resource planning ERP and customer relationship management CRM applications from, for example, Peoplesoft, J.D. Edwards, SAP and Siebel. The 9415 supports dual Intel 64-bit Xeon processors using Extended Memory 64-bit Technology (EM64T) with an 800MHz front-side bus and 1MB or 2MB L2 cache.

The Gateway 9415 server offers dual power supplies, RAID 5 capabilities, three SCSI bays and a slim-line optical drive in a 1U package.

The 9415 also offers three hot-swap SCSI drive bays enabling RAID 5 capability, combined with a slim-line optical drive and up to 900GB of internal storage. The 9415 also uses PCI Express and DDR2 memory to offer increased I/O performance, according to Gateway.

For increased reliability and decreased downtime, Diefenthaler said, “customers told us they have to have redundant power” and the 9415 accommodates that need by providing the option of dual redundant power supplies.

The 9415 support Microsoft Windows server operating systems (including 2003 Standard and Enterprise Edition and Small Business Server) and is also certified for Novell’s Netware 6.5, Red Hat Linux Enterprise 3.0 and 3.0 EM64T, and SuSe Linux Enterprise 9.0 and 9.0 EM64T. The server comes with the Gateway System Manager, a real-time monitoring tool designed to provide ongoing systems checks.

Through its partnership with Hitachi Storage Solutions, Gateway said it is broadening its storage offerings with today’s announcement of the 840 Serial ATA SAN. Designed as a 2U modular enclosure, the 840 provides host connectivity via Fibre Channel or SCSI RAID modules and supports SATA hard drives totaling 4.8TB of storage.

The 840’s Web-based management tool is designed to provide an operating system-independent way to remotely manage network storage. The 840 also offers hot-swappable and redundant hard drives and cooling fans as well as optional hot-swap power
supplies. Pricing, which includes with a server rack, starts at $4,449 for 750GB capacity.

Dan Muse is executive editor of internet.com’s Small Business Channel, EarthWeb’s Networking & Communications Channel and ServerWatch.