HP ProLiant DL360 G5

If there's one area that HP excels in it has to be server management as the majority of its latest fifth generation ProLiant rack servers all come with an embedded iLO2 (integrated lights out) chip as standard.

The DL360 G5 on review is no exception and this feature allows it to be accessed remotely via a web browser regardless of its condition. As long as the server has power you can monitor the status of the controller and server, view installed components, access the iLO log and run diagnostics. Full access to power is provided so you can reset the server, power it off and on and emulate pressing the power button.

The server also comes with HP's Systems Insight Manager which provides enhanced browser-based remote management and monitoring and offers high levels of information about system operations and extensive alerting facilities. HP opted to go to the max on price and the review system came equipped with a reasonable specification for the money. However, although the server has room for up to six hard disks the price only includes a pair of low-capacity 2.5in. SAS drives.

RAID comes as standard as the server is equipped with a Smart Array P400i controller behind the power supply casing which comes with a full 256MB of cache memory. A good range of arrays are supported including the latest RAID-6 and you can upgrade the card with more cache memory plus a battery backup pack.

Internal design is on a par with Dell's PowerEdge 1950 so you'll find everything neat and tidy with all cables tucked out of harm's way. Expansion options are equally good as the chassis riser card has a pair of PCI-e slots and there's room for a full-height and a low-profile card. The processors are mounted with chunky heatsinks and the eight DIMM sockets are located to the side where air flow is not hindered by the processors.

Cooling is handled by no less than nine dual rotor modules which are separated into three separate units that can be removed and replaced in the event of a failure. You'd expect noise levels to be high but you'd be wrong as once the DL360 had settled down after initial power up it turned out to be one of the quietest in the group test. Power redundancy comes as standard as the chassis features two whopping great 700W power supplies that are easily accessed from the rear.

We would have expected more storage capacity for the price but the DL360 G5 is still offering an interesting proposal as it combines good design and expansion potential with some the best server management tools on the market.