Compaq 307560-001 Compaq ProLiant 2500 Server Technology - Page 4

201A/1196 TECHNOLOGY BRIEF (cont.) ... TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW Compaq designed the new ProLiant 2500 specifically to meet customers' needs for a departmental or remote office server: a robust server offering high performance, availability, serviceability, manageability, and investment protection-all at an affordable price. To meet all those needs, Compaq developed a new server with a highly flexible chassis that is optimized for both tower and rack configurations (Figure 1) and a new architecture for combining the latest processor, network, and storage technology. This section describes individual hardware features and technologies of the ProLiant 2500 server. Figure 1. The Compaq ProLiant 2500 Server converts readily from a tower configuration (left) to a rack configuration (right) and back again. Form Factor/Chassis The ProLiant 2500 was designed using a compact, yet flexible form factor for both tower and rack configurations. This highly serviceable form factor reduces the down time associated with field upgrades and component replacement. The intent of this design is to save customers money in multiple ways: • By standardizing on the ProLiant 2500 for departmental and remote office servers, customers can deploy and redeploy individual servers as their needs change. The ability to reconfigure a ProLiant 2500 server quickly and easily from a tower to a rack and back to a tower enclosure provides for end-of-life redeployment and protection of the hardware investment. • The 5U chassis allows customers to stack up to eight ProLiant 2500 servers in a single 42U Compaq rack cabinet. The increased server density saves customers both space and money. • By providing easy access to server components, the ProLiant 2500 design reduces the down time associated with upgrades and field replacement, reduces the required skill level for performing routine maintenance, and therefore reduces the cost of maintenance. 4