HP c3000 BladeSystem enclosure

My tests

My test unit consisted of three BL260c G5 servers, configured as you see in the table below, ensconced in the c3000 tower enclosure that's nicknamed "Big Tony." (The rack version of the enclosure is referred to affectionately by HP folks as "Shorty.")

The unit came preinstalled with the first release candidate edition of Windows Essential Business Server 2008, a three-server suite I have reviewed previously .

What I liked about this enclosure? There was quite a bit, including:

It was very easy to set up. Although heavy to lug into my test area (the tower version comes on casters), all that was required to get up and running was plugging in the redundant power supplies to a wall outlet and connecting the network cable to the Ethernet switch on the back of the unit. From unboxing to powering on took less than five minutes.

The quality of the construction was high, and evident. I am no materials engineer, but you could tell this unit was constructed well and built to last. The blades slide in and out with no problems at all. Options are secured into the unit strongly, with little, if any, wiggling. The only flimsy piece I noted was the top front bezel, ironically where the HP logo is located. The meat of the system was well done.

The available options. I especially enjoyed the cable-free internal environment, one of the main benefits of going with a bladed solution. The enclosure is just big enough to fit all of the different technology options midsize businesses would require for their normal operations, without a lot of wasted space. But what can fit in there is a full-featured range of options from storage to backup to powerful blades themselves.

The built-in LCD. This makes it easy to see the status and configuration of each of the blades, as well as reconfigure options, shut the blades down and restart them, and other necessary tasks. It was relatively easy to navigate and folds back into its own compartment when not in use.

My biggest disappointment in the unit was the noise level it generated during normal operation. I thought when I first turned the unit on that it would launch itself across the room, given the fan noise. While it quiets down somewhat once the operating system loads and less overall is happening on the system, it is still very loud. In my home office, my wife complained bitterly about the noise. (Obviously this unit is not designed for use in a home office, but it was uncomfortable enough to generate rather serious complaints.)