In the past, expandability was a critical factor in choosing the server, but in recent years hard drive capacities have increased dramatically. If you need greater storage capacity, you now have the option of either 9-GB or 18-GB disks, and all of the servers can hold at least three disk drives. All of the servers came equipped with 64-MB RAM and at least two free memory slots open for additional RAM.

Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP NetServer E50
The HP NetServer E50 is a high-quality server that would be a dependable part of any network. And it boasts a modest price at $2,925. It is ideal for those organizations that do not have the on-staff expertise to configure and manage an NT server. The E50 does a decent job of removing the complexities of installation and management by providing an automated installation routine and an easy-to-use, Web-based management application.

The E50 and STF 333-LVD were the only servers equipped with the 333-MHz Pentium II processor; the other servers ran at 300 MHz. This higher clock speed was evident in our CPU tests. In contrast, the E50 performed poorly in our disk tests. But, as with any of these servers, if disk performance is critical, it's easy to install the latest disk controllers and drives.

The E50's package is set apart from the competition. HP's bundled Navigator program assists users in NOS and adapter installation, and it alerts you of any known configuration issues between the E50 and a third-party adapter. HP Navigator worked as advertised, and we used it to re-install NT Server with several Intel and 3Com adapters. The automated installation takes the complexity out of installing NT. Digital has a similar tool, called ServerWorks Quick Launch.

For server management, the E50 features HP's TopTools application, which requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0. In the lab, TopTools was easy to use and very helpful. Via Netscape Navigator 4.0 we viewed disk statistics, network statistics, memory utilization and processor utilization. This was the only server management program we tested that had a Web-based interface. Since it's Web-based, you can extend access to any system on the Internet. TopTools leverages Microsoft IIS Web server for adequate security and access control. In our testing, we used both IIS 3.0 and IIS 4.0 without any problems. A reseller or remote technical support staff could use the Internet or dial in to gather server information or perform routing system checks.

While the TopTools interface examines server status, it does not alert you when an error occurs. For this purpose, HP provides Auto Alert, a client-based Windows program that receives alerts from the server (via SNMP) and displays them to the user. This program lacks the ability to alert via e-mail or pager. If you're looking for that type of functionality, you should consider a more powerful management platform, such as HP OpenView for Windows.

While TopTools monitors most of your system, it does not monitor fan status. When we unplugged the main system fan, an alert did not occur. HP should seriously consider adding this capability. In addition, TopTools does not monitor the server's chassis, nor does it report when the chassis is open.

HP bundles a slightly modified version of Stac Replica backup software and a Trevan tape drive with its E50 server. The HP version of Replica offers basic functionality and, with it, backup is just a mouse click away. For more advanced backup facilities, you are best off purchasing a full copy of Replica or another backup application.

Our main gripe with the E50 is its lack of expandability. In our test configuration, we only had four open expansion slots. Furthermore, the server only had three available drive bays, due to HP's installed tape drive. One nice feature was the provision of six memory expansion slots; many of the other servers only offered four. Six memory expansion slots become important when you want to upgrade your memory. The slots let you add memory in different quantities.

SAG Electronics STF 333-LVD
If you need the latest and greatest server technology (and you are well versed in it) and you want to customize your server configuration, SAG's STF 333-LVD is a noteworthy consideration. SAG specializes in designing customized server solutions and utilizes the latest and greatest components (such as SCSI controllers or disk drives) to achieve optimal performance. The SAG server performed very well, especially in the disks tests, which we attribute to Adaptec's 80-MB per second, Ultra-2 LVD controller and Seagate LVD 10,000 RPM drives. This performance comes at a higher price but may be well worth it, depending on your application.