Intergraph's InterServe Web-300
We tested an InterServe Web-300 in our lab and have another one (an
even bigger system: a 200MHz Pentium Pro with a 4GB disk and 64MB of RAM)
running the Windows NT Magazine Web site. So far, both have performed
remarkably well. The lab system gobbles up our WebStone benchmarks (see "Web
Server Software Roundup" on page 57) without complaint, and the Web system
barely even ticks over at a load of more than 700,000 hits per week.
If just three of these machines can run the entire Oscar site (last year's
film Academy Awards) and still support several million hits per day with video
downloads, audio clips, and graphics, then--just maybe--this system can support
your site, too.
Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More?
We tested a standard Web-300
configuration with an extra 32MB of Error-Correcting Code (ECC) RAM (64MB
total). It has a 150MHz Pentium Pro (all new models come with a 200MHz CPU
standard), 2GB of SCSI-2 disk, a built-in 10Mbit (Mb) Ethernet, a 4X CD-ROM
drive, and a Matrox Millennium (2MB WRAM) graphics adapter. It also came with
the optional 21" Hitachi display ($2195).
You can order the system in any configuration you want and upgrade as your
Internet needs grow. The system has a dual-processor board, so you can increase
your system performance by adding a second CPU when you need it (just drop it
into the ZIF socket), or even pull the 150MHz chip (and voltage regulator) and
replace it with two 200MHz chips. The motherboard, which is Intergraph designed
and built, can accommodate up to 256MB of RAM, and the Web-300 desktop chassis
can hold up to 22GB of disk, as much as the BIOS can address. If this size isn't
enough, look at the Web 630, a tower case that can hold up to 1GB of RAM and 4
CPUs and address more than 500GB of hardware-accelerated RAID disk. But, unless
you experience, as Carl Sagan would say, billions of hits per day, this
configuration might be overkill on a corporate Web server. Consider this system
to run a SQL database or other CPU- and disk-intensive tasks on one system.
The desktop case gives you three PCI and two ISA slots on a riser card, and
because the motherboard integrates video, SCSI, and Ethernet controllers, all
slots are open for peripherals. The system has only one front-accessible 5.25"
half-height drive bay with the CD-ROM in it and one internal 3.5"
half-height bay. So if you want to add any disk space, you'll have to either
replace the internal drive or use the system's external SCSI-2 connector.
On the networking side, the unit's built-in interface is 10Mb and has both
unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and thicknet connectors. This setup is fine for
any Internet connection up through a T1. Intergraph recommends that you upgrade
to 100Mb Fast Ethernet, the standard on the Web 610 and 630, if you connect to a
T3 or better.
Features and Functions
The Web-300 goes beyond server functionality. It can be a full multimedia
authoring system, thanks to its extensive workstation-style audio and graphics
capabilities. The architecture is similar to Intergraph's other desktop systems,
such as the TD and TDZ families of graphics workstations.
The InterServe Web family has the same integrated audio features as the
workstation families (fully Sound Blaster-compatible 16-bit, CD-quality stereo
sound) and comes with a multimedia keyboard with built-in amplified speakers and
microphone. The Matrox Millennium graphics adapter is also integrated onto the
motherboard, offering enhanced performance for video and 2D/3D rendering
applications such as Adobe Photoshop and NewTek's LightWave 3D. This
combination, plus a straightforward upgrade path for adding OpenGL accelerators
or other performance-enhancing peripherals, will let you use your Web-300 for
everything from content authoring (multimedia applications, 3D graphics
generation, video editing) to serving pages.
Intergraph markets the Web-300 and its siblings as Web solutions, instead
of just boxes. When you order a system, it arrives bundled with software,
including Windows NT Server 3.51, Internet Information Server (IIS), and
third-party applications from Intergraph and other vendors: Intergraph
Transcend, for language translation such as English to German; MetaInfo's DNS
and Sendmail with POP3 1.0 for Windows NT; and Microsoft FrontPage for Hypertext
Markup Language (HTML) authoring.
Performance
We ran our usual BAPCo workstation benchmark under
NT Workstation (instead of NT Server), and the system compared favorably to a
200MHz Pentium Pro clone workstation. We noticed that the graphics adapter
driver had a tremendous influence on system performance, resulting in a 10%
improvement in the system's score. We expect such results in a test suite
that consists mainly of graphical-output packages such as Word and Excel.
In server-focused testing (see "Web Server Software Roundup" on
page 57), system performance depended on a properly written Web server
application--obviously. Certain Web server packages maxed out the CPU with just
a few concurrent connections, whereas applications such as Netscape Enterprise
Server, WebSite Professional, and IIS barely ticked over at 30% CPU utilization
with 35 active client sessions.
Table 1 compares the Web-300 with an equivalently configured desktop system
(a Compaq Deskpro 2000: 200MHz Pentium Pro, 64MB of RAM, 1.6GB EIDE drive, 8X
CD-ROM, Matrox graphics, 10Mb Ethernet, priced at $3800) running the same Web
server package. The Web-300 performed about 10% better under our NT port of
WebStone (this test uses Netscape Enterprise Server running on NT Server 3.51).
Because the Web-300 had only a 150MHz CPU, compared to the Compaq's 200MHz, I
expect an incremental performance improvement of about 35% for the newer 200MHz
Intergraph systems.
Under a load of 500 simultaneous user connections performing small-file
downloads, the Web-300 and the Compaq both leveled off at about 40% CPU
utilization (average). Though these numbers don't show a tremendous difference
between the two systems, they show that, for ordinary HTML page serving, you
will have a very difficult time maxing out the Web-300.
And More
I found the Web-300 to be a good, solid performer. It
costs more than your garden-variety clone, which you can use as a Web server if
it has enough disk and memory. However, the Web-300 offers features and
upgradeability that most clones don't, and it performs better. Plus, you get 24
X 7 vendor services such as one day of free onsite technical support and
consulting or installation and 90 days of free phone support for installation,
operation, and administration problems.
Although this system is in a desktop case with workstation features, it is
still a server. For the price, you'll be hard-pressed to beat it.
End of Article
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