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A monthly feature in which we evaluate file and application servers based on tests conducted in a lab owned jointly with our sister publication, PC World.
Call it old home month. In this installment, we're checking in again with some vendors that have previously passed through our labs.
In the case of Hewlett-Packard Co. 's NetServer LH Pro 6/200, it's a second goround for the same serve but this time we're testing it with a RAID adapter under a revised benchmark that includes Web server testing. Under the new criteria, the LH Pro performed acceptably (although it looks like the competition is catching up), but it's manageability and reliability still make it shine.
Micron Electronics, Inc. sent us an updated version of the VETIX EL 1000 we reviewed in January (NW, Jan. 13, page 34). The new VETIX LXI is a higher end model with better performance and more integrated features, albeit at a higher price. The HP NetServer E40 6/200 and the Digital Equipment Corp. Priors MX 6200SMP are new servers that represent new markets for their respective vendors. The NetServer E40 is an excellent low-cost,low-maintenance machine, but it lags in performance. The Prioris MX sets a new standard for affordability in Digital's lineup with interesting reliability features and excellent application performance.
Indeed, Digital has broken the price barrier to owning a Prioris server with the MX 6200SMP, which has an estimated street price of $5,800. This machine has the standard Prioris features, including hot-swappable drives, Prioris ServerWORKS management software and ease of maintenance that's second to none.
The Prioris MX is a good overall performer. It took top honors in the NetWare database and NT Notes tests while scoring second as a NetWare file server, behind the speedy Compaq ProLiant 800. The Prioris' other scores were in the middle of the pack.
Prioris ServerWORKS Quick Launch enables you to set up Windows NT and NetWare with little fuss. With IntranetWare 4.11, for example, Quick Launch asked us a few questions regarding our server installation and then started copying files. Quick Launch had trouble finding the right directory for our NetWare source files, but we expect that's because the product was designed for NetWare, not IntranetWare. We began the installation of IntranetWare normally,...