Apple Rackmount Event

[arn]

http://www.apple.com/xserve
http://www.macrumors.com

arn

[Ensign Paris]

well, lets all hope for great machines at 12!

I just am looking forward to it soooo much!

I wonder if the spec (rumor) will actually be true!

Ensign

[menoinjun]

I'm here at CompUSA waiting for the announcement and I just met uglychad. Nice to meet another macrumors local.

-Pete

[Compufix]

Maccentral has a live update article....

[Classic]

http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0205/14.server.php

[Compufix]

The server will have a dual 1GHz G4 processor, 256K L2, 4MB DDR L3 caches. System controller with custom ASIC done by Apple. Built-in: Gigabit Ethernet and FireWire. That controller has up to 2GB DDR SDRAM. (This is the first time that we know of that that SDRAM has been used in a 1U server.) In addition, it will have a PCI slot with gigabit Ethernet. This means server comes std. with two gigabit Ethernet ports. Quad ATA/100 drives, all on independent controllers and all have independent channels into system controller; a CD-ROM and 2 64-bit/66MHz PCI slots.

[arn]

the leaked specs were correct it seems.

overall seems awesome... this means DDR is coming almost certainly in the PowerMacs.

arn

[Ensign Paris]

well, we will be buying some for work as soon as they are on the AppleStore site, its a shame they are some time away from release

Ensign

[Tue12]

All I want to know is, do they come in fruity colors?!

[Phaedrus]

Looks like Apple is going to be competitive here: From the maccentral breaking report:

"Unlimited clients (windows server requires expensive server licenses)."

"Dell PowerEdge 1560 $4277 - 3 bays
* IBM eServer X330 $5186 - 3 bays
* Sun Fire 280R $19590 - 2 bays
* Xserve $3999 - 266MHz DDR SDRAM, 4 bays means more total capacity"

[JoeCanadian]

Does anyone know about RAID support?

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by Tue12
All I want to know is, do they come in fruity colors?!

*SMACK*... That was your one and only warning slap... all future ones will be beatings.

Apple has burried the fruity colors for some time now, everything is either a shade of grey or white (except for the remaining G3 iMac's with one Indigo and the others in either graphite or snow).

It looks like the new rackmount server is inside a 1U enclosure. That should make all the cluster-babies happy as pigs in sh*t. Top it all off with 2GB of DDR memory, and it should have big enough balls for just about anything you can toss at it.

I will be trying to get one of these in at work, as soon as I can figure out a way to justify it's existance on our network. Never mind the fact that it will never go down, and will support all the users here.

[Mr. Anderson]

Its been an hour and still nothing at the Apple store. I want to see more pics. I wonder if there will be a QuickTimeVR?

This is a great step forward for Apple The OSX Server Software seems to be pretty damn amazing as well. But I'm wondering how long we're going to have to wait before we see this type of hardware in the DeskTops.

[eyelikeart]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
I will be trying to get one of these in at work, as soon as I can figure out a way to justify it's existance on our network. Never mind the fact that it will never go down, and will support all the users here.

one of these would be highly usefull for us here at work...it would make the workflow much smoother when having to dig back into archive cds...

but I doubt we will be getting one...

so I will have to envy u all who will have the luxury of getting one...

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by JoeCanadian
Does anyone know about RAID support?

OS X (server and desktop versions) have RAID support built into the OS. You can set up drives as either RAID 0 or 1 without adding anything extra. I would imagine that you can do either of those to the non-booting drives inside the server. Use RAID 0 (aka Striping) and you have a single volume with approx. 3x the spec's of each individual drive (they will act as a single, über fast ATA drive) with 3x the space available.

[JtheLemur]

I am completely unimpressed! $3000 for a base model? I hope they give big discounts for education or something! Check this edu pricing:

Quicksilver OS X Server (unlimited clients)
1 GB RAM
2x 80 GB ATA drives
CDRW
Zip drive
Gig ethernet
for $2992.

Sorry, but faster RAM and ASIC is not enough to warrant the price - seems like yet another situation where we're paying for the design. I'd rather just get the above Quicksilver and rackmount it. Hell, I'm serving up more than 1000 MacintoshManager accounts over 10/100bT and AirPort to over 500 computers with 4 servers HALF as powerful as the Quicksilver system above, and it works FINE!

And frankly, as 'foreshadowing' is concerned, this does NOT look good. Are they going to get processors over 1GHz out in time for MWNY?

And if they do, it sure wouldn't pay to buy this XServe, since it would STILL be at dual 1GHz (unless they update it in what is effectively only a month!)

That's my opinion... what do the rest of you think in regards to what's coming at MWNY and what kind of value this XServe is?

(Don't get me wrong - the hot-swap and server monitor app is VERY cool...)

[macstudent]

Are there any images of it yet?

[arn]

Originally posted by JtheLemur
I am completely unimpressed! $3000 for a base model? I hope they give big discounts for education or something! Check this edu pricing:

Quicksilver OS X Server (unlimited clients)
1 GB RAM
2x 80 GB ATA drives
CDRW
Zip drive
Gig ethernet
for $2992.

Sorry, but faster RAM and ASIC is not enough to warrant the price - seems like yet another situation where we're paying for the design. I'd rather just get the above Quicksilver and rackmount it. Hell, I'm serving up more than 1000 MacintoshManager accounts over 10/100bT and AirPort to over 500 computers with 4 servers HALF as powerful as the Quicksilver system above, and it works FINE!

Reminder: Mac OS X Server costs $999

You could get a Quicksilver and rack it... but it would cost you $999 to buy Mac OS X Server.

arn

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by eyelikeart


one of these would be highly usefull for us here at work...it would make the workflow much smoother when having to dig back into archive cds...

but I doubt we will be getting one...

so I will have to envy u all who will have the luxury of getting one...

Maybe I will dig up a rack, set it up at home, and buy one next year. Sounds like a good thing to do with next years bonus to me. With the ability to add additional ones later, I could even set up my own web site on it, have it run 24/7 and almost never need to check on it. Add storage (rack mount of course) as I need it, and it will be sweet. Of course, this will force me to get a gigabit NIC for the game peecee so that I can access the server at blazing speeds. I will also be able to plug directly into the server with my TiBook, and download at insane speeds .

I need to go get a mop and bucket now... too much drool on my office floor (good thing it is anti-static rubber).

[JtheLemur]

Reminder: Mac OS X Server costs $999

You could get a Quicksilver and rack it... but it would cost you $999 to buy Mac OS X Server.

arn

Arn -

That system I quoted COMES with OS X unlimited; the tower-based servers always have. =)

-- justin

PS - the message I posted... I'm in education, so that's why the cost thing plays heavily in my criticism. =) Hehe.

[porovaara]

Is a little out there especially considering some of the competition listed (by Apple) give you the OS for free. Of course the msoft os's aren't free but still.

These are pretty tight boxes, although at the price point they are at I am not sure who Apple expects to sell them to. They are about $1200 across the board too high to compete with Lunix boxes and Sun rackmounts.

[zuffen]

I know it is a server but it is still a workhorse and well suited for a video editing station. Hot swappable drives is a god send.

I want to know the video specs and if it will support standard third party dual head cards.

It is pricey, I hope the come out with the same hardware without the Server software price...maybe a Apple special order.

I WANT ONE.

[gjohns01]

Why is the RAM limited to 2GB? The IBM and DELL offer up to 4GB. Sun offers 8GB but they use a 64bit processor so they don't count. Just curious.

"A demo is taking place now of a Sybase database of NBA statistics, served through WebObjects" - Please tell me that Sybase database is running on the XServe and please please say that Oracle is on the way.

[barkmonster]

All I was expecting was the same specs as the current towers in a 1 U rack with raid support.

ATA100 and DDR is a shock to me, and something I'm looking forward to seeing on the desktops later in the year.

Notice the 4Mb Cache, it could mean 4Mb per CPU, I can't see them quoting the L2 cache size of 1 CPU and the combined size of the 2 L3 caches just to make the specs look more impressive.

If i could somehow get it to work with protools LE, that entry level model would be a screamer and one hell of a replacement for my beige G3!

All I can say is, now I know what I can realistically look forward to in the future, I can just start saving now, safe in the knowledge that I'll be happy with whatever tower I can buy for £1,400 - $1,500 later in the year.

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

-Ren "steeempy, you washed my collection of used celebrity underwear"

-Stimpy "so what you little squirt, I'm getting a G4 with DDR this year!"

[arn]

Originally posted by porovaara
Is a little out there especially considering some of the competition listed (by Apple) give you the OS for free. Of course the msoft os's aren't free but still.

Sorry for the confusion...

All of Apple's servers come with Mac OS X Server included in the price.

I thought JtheLemur was implying that he would buy a _consumer_ quicksilver and rack it... (consumer machines dont' come with osxserver)
... but i was mistaken... he was looking at the servers apparently.

arn