SERVERS & PERIPHERALS Departmental Server: ProSignia 300 P rice and performance: That's the name of the game for departmental servers--the worker bees of any network. They provide a good platform for departmental file and print, communications and gateway services. Compaq Computer Corp.'s ProSignia 300 meets all of these application needs. Don't let ProSignia's diminutive size fool you. It can be fitted with a powerful 150-MHz Pentium processor and supports up to 208 MB of Error-Correcting Code (ECC) RAM and 17.2 GB of internal storage. But that's just the beginning. The ProSignia has a long and strong list of standard equipment. For example, there's the 32-bit Fast Wide SCSI interface as well as the 32-bit Ne tFlex-L Ethernet controller. Both are integrated onto the motherboard, so the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots aren't used. For those running a graphically intensive operating system--such as Unix or Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT--ProSignia supports up to 1,024x768 resolution. To complement the hardware, Pro Signia comes standard with Compaq's SmartStart installation and configuration tool, as well as Compaq's excellent Insight Manager utility, which lets network administrators monitor and remotely configure the server from their desktops. A variety of information, including component status and performance information, is available. ProSignia 300 , starts at $1,449, Compaq Computer Corp., (800) 345-1518, www.compaq.com Honorable Mentions: HP NetServer LH Pro , starts at $5,741, Hewlett-Packard Co., (800) 752-0900, www.hp.com IBM PC Server 320-P166 , starts at $4,299, IBM PC Co., (800) 772-2227 (U.S.), (800) 465-7999 (Canada), www.pc.ibm.com/servers Awards Table of Contents

Updated April 24, 1997