Best Superserver

NetFrame's 8500 Is The Best In Its Class

Superservers, and all the jargon that goes with them, are as ill-defined as any category in the networking industry. While they can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, superservers differ from mainstream servers in fault tolerance, high performance and price. The NetFRAME 8500 series epitomizes fault tolerance and high performance, without subjecting you to a proprietary operating system.
While many systems claim to be fault tolerant by implementing RAID disk arrays, ECC memory and a UPS, the 8500 takes fault tolerance to a new level--one that is only equaled in the costly mini and mainframe world. Besides RAID and ECC memory, you can mirror two Intel Pentium 100-MHz CPUs and their cache. This technology, which NetFrame calls Gemini, allows the 8500 to operate in a dual SMP configuration with each processor/cache complex being mirrored.
Additionally, ECC memory is extended to correct 8-bit errors across a single 32-byte memory access. Redundant power and cooling modules are standard.
To complement this hardware fault tolerance, NetFRAME allows for I/O transaction roll-backs and recovery in the event of an I/O fault. Every I/O transaction is cataloged while the I/O faults are cleared and the appropriate hardware is reinitialized. Data integrity is continuously maintained throughout the system by using parity checking. An optional CPU auditing feature allows for continuous monitoring of all CPU transactions for any errors.
The 8500 family allows for real-time software driver and firmware upgrades. You can also upgrade or add hard disks, CD-ROMs, tape drives and various electrical components while the system remains operational.

NetFRAME ClusterServer 8500,
$49,950, NetFRAME Systems,
1545 Barber La., Milpitas, CA 95035. (408) 944-0600; fax (408) 434-4190.

Runners-Up
Tricord ES4000/ES5000,
Tricord Systems,
2800 Northwest Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55441. (612) 557-9005;
(800) TRICORD; fax (612) 557-8403.

Compaq ProLiant 4000,
Compaq Computer Corp.,
20555 State Hwy. 249,
Houston, TX 77070-2698.
(800) 345-1518; fax (713) 378-1442.