Lenovo expands SMB rack server line

Lenovo is stepping up its focus on server technologies aimed at smaller businesses with the addition of two new rack servers priced starting at $1,099, along with new monitoring software technology from Hitachi Data Systems that will be bundled with all of its server offerings.

Both of the new two-socket rack servers, the RD430 and the RD330, are based on the Intel E5-2400 microprocessor line. They were designed to offer three times the performance per-watt compared with the E3-1200 series, Lenovo said. The new servers also reduce fan power by up to 20 percent and improve cooling efficiency by the same amount.

Both servers can be configured with up to 192 gigabytes of RAM in 12 DIMM slots, and they have tool-less rail kits that make them relatively easier to install.

The main difference between the two models is that the RD430 is a 2U server that can hold up to 24 terabytes (TB) of hard disk capacity, whil the RD330 is a 1U unit that can come with up to 8 TB of hard drive space.

The RD430 is priced starting at $1,499, while the RD330 carries a list price that starts at $1,099.

The new servers also can benefit from a new managed services offering that Lenovo has licensed from Hitachi called ThinkServer EasyManage that is based on the Hitachi IT Operational Analyzer.

The software, which is bundled onto the new RD430 and RD330 and all of Lenovo's rack and tower servers, keeps tabs on key performance indicators such as temperature, voltage, fan speed, CPU and memory utilitization, and free disk space. The software is agentless and it lets managers set up two different threshold levels for when alerts occur.