Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Xserve shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Xserve offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Xserve at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Xserve? Wrong! If the Xserve is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Xserve then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Xserve? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Xserve and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Xserve wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Xserve then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Xserve site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Xserve, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Xserve, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

.Xserve is the name of Apple Inc.'s rack unit 19-inch rack line of server (computing) computers. When the Xserve was introduced in 2002, it was Apple's first designated server hardware design since the Apple Network Servers of 1996. It initially featured one or two PowerPC G4 processors, but was later switched over to the new PowerPC G5, and now runs on two dual-core Xeon CPUsKeynote presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference, August 7, 2006..The Xserve can be used for a variety of applications, including file server, web server or even high-performance computing applications using clustering - a dedicated cluster Xserve, the Xserve Cluster Node, without a video card and optical drives is also available. If additional hard disk space is needed, its companion external RAID array Xserve RAID can be connected to it via Fibre Channel.

Xserve G4 {{Infobox Computer|name = Xserve G4|developer = Apple Inc.ed [Server (computing)|photo =
The original Xserve G4

The second-generation Xserve G4
|caption = The Xserve G4 Cluster Node|first_release_date = May 14, 2002, [2004,
1 - 1.33 GHz-->Apple introduced the Xserve on [May 14 2002. Originally, it had one or two PowerPC G4 processors running at 1.0 GHz and supported up to 2 GiB of DDR SDRAM memory on a 64-bit memory bus. Three FireWire ports (one in front, two in rear), two USB 1.1 ports (rear), an RS-232 management interface (rear), and a single onboard gigabit port (rear) were provided for external connectivity. Two 64-bit/66 MHz Peripheral Component Interconnect slots and one 32-bit/66 MHz PCI/Accelerated Graphics Port slot were provided; in the default configuration the two PCI slots were filled with an ATI Technologies Rage video card and an additional gigabit ethernet card. Up to 4 Advanced Technology Attachment/100 hard disk drives (60 or 120 GB) fit into hot-swap bays in the front, allowing software Redundant array of independent disks-0 and 1 arrays to be created. A tray-loading CD-ROM drive was mounted in the front.

Initially, two configuration options were available: a single-processor Xserve with 256 MiB of memory at $2999 and a dual-processor Xserve with 512 MiB of memory at $3999. Both shipped with a single 60 GB disk and Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar" Server.

On February 10 2003 Apple released an improved and expanded Xserve lineup. Improvements included one or two 1.33 GHz PowerPC G4 processors, two FireWire 800 ports (rear), faster memory (DDR SDRAM), and higher capacity UATA/133 hard disk drives (80 or 160 GB). Also, the front plate was redesigned for a slot-loading CD-ROM. A new model, the Xserve Cluster node was announced at the same price as the single-processor Xserve, featuring two 1.33 GHz processors, no optical drive, a single hard drive bay, no video or ethernet cards, and a 10-client version of "Jaguar" server.

On April 2 2003 the Xserve RAID was introduced, providing a much higher capacity and higher throughput disk subsystem for the Xserve.

Xserve G5 {{Infobox Computer|name = Xserve G5|developer = Apple Inc.ed [Server (computing)|photo =
The Xserve G5
|caption = The Xserve G5 Cluster Node|first_release_date = January 6, 2004,
2 - 2.3 GHz|website = apple.com/xserve-->On [January 6 2004 Apple introduced the Xserve G5, a redesigned higher-performance Xserve. The 32-bit PowerPC G4s were replaced with one or two 64-bit PowerPC 970 processors running at 2 GHz. Up to 8 GiB of PC-3200 ECC memory was supported on a 128-bit memory bus. One FireWire 400 port (front), two FireWire 800 ports (rear), two USB 2.0 ports (rear), an RS-232 management interface (rear), and two onboard gigabit ethernet ports (rear) with TCP offload provided greater connectivity. A 133 MHz/64-bit and a 100 MHz/64-bit PCI-X slots rounded out its expansion options. Ventilation issues restricted it to 3 SATA hot-swap drive bays (80 or 250 GB each), with the original space for the fourth drive bay used for air vents. The front plate and slot-loading optical drive (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW optional) were retained from the last Xserve G4.

Three configuration options were available: a single-processor Xserve G5 with 512 MiB of memory at $2999, a dual-processor Xserve G5 with 1 GiB of memory at $3999, and a dual-processor cluster node model (with an unchanged appearance from the G4 cluster node) featuring 512 MiB of memory, no optical drive, a single hard drive bay, and a 10-client version of "Panther" Server at $2999.

The higher memory capacity and bandwidth of the Xserve G5 as well as the stronger floating-point performance of the PowerPC 970 made it more suitable for high-performance computing (HPC) applications. System X (computing) is one such cluster computer built with Xserves.

On January 3 2005, Apple speed bumped the Xserve G5 with 2.3 GHz PowerPC 970 processors in the dual-processor configurations. 400 GB hard disks were made available for up to 1.2 TB of internal storage. The slot-loading optical drive was upgraded to a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW standard, DVD-/+RW optional.

Recently, Apple updated the Xserve and Xserve RAID to allow the use of 500 GB Hard Drives.

Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" Server is now available for the Xserve.

Intel Xserve {{Infobox Computer|name = Xserve "Xeon"|developer = Apple Inc.ed [Server (computing)|photo = |caption = The Xserve "Xeon"|first_release_date = announced August 7, 2006, available November 2006, 2 - 3 GHz|website = -->

The Intel-based Xserves were announced at the [Worldwide Developers Conference on August 7 2006. They use Intel Xeon#Dual-Core Xeon .2865 nm Intel Core Microarchitecture.29 processors at 2 GHz, 2.66 GHz, or 3 GHz, FB-DIMM DDR2, ATI Radeon X1300 graphics, a maximum storage capacity of 2.25 Terabyte when used with three 750GB drives, optional redundant power supplies and a 1U rack form factor. The Intel Xserves now have their graphics cards on-board, meaning that one does not need to sacrifice a PCI slot to add video capabilities --a departure from G4 and G5 Xserves.

References

External links

• Apple Server Documentation
• Apple Xserve G5 Developer Note
• Apple Xserve G4 Developer Note
• Apple Xserve G5 Memory Upgrade Guide

.Xserve is the name of Apple Inc.'s rack unit 19-inch rack line of server (computing) computers. When the Xserve was introduced in 2002, it was Apple's first designated server hardware design since the Apple Network Servers of 1996. It initially featured one or two PowerPC G4 processors, but was later switched over to the new PowerPC G5, and now runs on two dual-core Xeon CPUsKeynote presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference, August 7, 2006..The Xserve can be used for a variety of applications, including file server, web server or even high-performance computing applications using clustering - a dedicated cluster Xserve, the Xserve Cluster Node, without a video card and optical drives is also available. If additional hard disk space is needed, its companion external RAID array Xserve RAID can be connected to it via Fibre Channel.

Xserve G4 {{Infobox Computer|name = Xserve G4|developer = Apple Inc.ed [Server (computing)|photo =
The original Xserve G4

The second-generation Xserve G4
|caption = The Xserve G4 Cluster Node|first_release_date = May 14, 2002, [2004,
1 - 1.33 GHz-->Apple introduced the Xserve on [May 14 2002. Originally, it had one or two PowerPC G4 processors running at 1.0 GHz and supported up to 2 GiB of DDR SDRAM memory on a 64-bit memory bus. Three FireWire ports (one in front, two in rear), two USB 1.1 ports (rear), an RS-232 management interface (rear), and a single onboard gigabit port (rear) were provided for external connectivity. Two 64-bit/66 MHz Peripheral Component Interconnect slots and one 32-bit/66 MHz PCI/Accelerated Graphics Port slot were provided; in the default configuration the two PCI slots were filled with an ATI Technologies Rage video card and an additional gigabit ethernet card. Up to 4 Advanced Technology Attachment/100 hard disk drives (60 or 120 GB) fit into hot-swap bays in the front, allowing software Redundant array of independent disks-0 and 1 arrays to be created. A tray-loading CD-ROM drive was mounted in the front.

Initially, two configuration options were available: a single-processor Xserve with 256 MiB of memory at $2999 and a dual-processor Xserve with 512 MiB of memory at $3999. Both shipped with a single 60 GB disk and Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar" Server.

On February 10 2003 Apple released an improved and expanded Xserve lineup. Improvements included one or two 1.33 GHz PowerPC G4 processors, two FireWire 800 ports (rear), faster memory (DDR SDRAM), and higher capacity UATA/133 hard disk drives (80 or 160 GB). Also, the front plate was redesigned for a slot-loading CD-ROM. A new model, the Xserve Cluster node was announced at the same price as the single-processor Xserve, featuring two 1.33 GHz processors, no optical drive, a single hard drive bay, no video or ethernet cards, and a 10-client version of "Jaguar" server.

On April 2 2003 the Xserve RAID was introduced, providing a much higher capacity and higher throughput disk subsystem for the Xserve.

Xserve G5 {{Infobox Computer|name = Xserve G5|developer = Apple Inc.ed [Server (computing)|photo =
The Xserve G5
|caption = The Xserve G5 Cluster Node|first_release_date = January 6, 2004,
2 - 2.3 GHz|website = apple.com/xserve-->On [January 6 2004 Apple introduced the Xserve G5, a redesigned higher-performance Xserve. The 32-bit PowerPC G4s were replaced with one or two 64-bit PowerPC 970 processors running at 2 GHz. Up to 8 GiB of PC-3200 ECC memory was supported on a 128-bit memory bus. One FireWire 400 port (front), two FireWire 800 ports (rear), two USB 2.0 ports (rear), an RS-232 management interface (rear), and two onboard gigabit ethernet ports (rear) with TCP offload provided greater connectivity. A 133 MHz/64-bit and a 100 MHz/64-bit PCI-X slots rounded out its expansion options. Ventilation issues restricted it to 3 SATA hot-swap drive bays (80 or 250 GB each), with the original space for the fourth drive bay used for air vents. The front plate and slot-loading optical drive (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW optional) were retained from the last Xserve G4.

Three configuration options were available: a single-processor Xserve G5 with 512 MiB of memory at $2999, a dual-processor Xserve G5 with 1 GiB of memory at $3999, and a dual-processor cluster node model (with an unchanged appearance from the G4 cluster node) featuring 512 MiB of memory, no optical drive, a single hard drive bay, and a 10-client version of "Panther" Server at $2999.

The higher memory capacity and bandwidth of the Xserve G5 as well as the stronger floating-point performance of the PowerPC 970 made it more suitable for high-performance computing (HPC) applications. System X (computing) is one such cluster computer built with Xserves.

On January 3 2005, Apple speed bumped the Xserve G5 with 2.3 GHz PowerPC 970 processors in the dual-processor configurations. 400 GB hard disks were made available for up to 1.2 TB of internal storage. The slot-loading optical drive was upgraded to a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW standard, DVD-/+RW optional.

Recently, Apple updated the Xserve and Xserve RAID to allow the use of 500 GB Hard Drives.

Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" Server is now available for the Xserve.

Intel Xserve {{Infobox Computer|name = Xserve "Xeon"|developer = Apple Inc.ed [Server (computing)|photo = |caption = The Xserve "Xeon"|first_release_date = announced August 7, 2006, available November 2006, 2 - 3 GHz|website = -->

The Intel-based Xserves were announced at the [Worldwide Developers Conference on August 7 2006. They use Intel Xeon#Dual-Core Xeon .2865 nm Intel Core Microarchitecture.29 processors at 2 GHz, 2.66 GHz, or 3 GHz, FB-DIMM DDR2, ATI Radeon X1300 graphics, a maximum storage capacity of 2.25 Terabyte when used with three 750GB drives, optional redundant power supplies and a 1U rack form factor. The Intel Xserves now have their graphics cards on-board, meaning that one does not need to sacrifice a PCI slot to add video capabilities --a departure from G4 and G5 Xserves.

References

External links

• Apple Server Documentation
• Apple Xserve G5 Developer Note
• Apple Xserve G4 Developer Note
• Apple Xserve G5 Memory Upgrade Guide

Apple - Xserve
Information about the 1U rackmount Server from Apple.

Apple - Xserve
Introducing the new Quad Xeon 64-bit Xserve, packing phenomenal power and industry-leading capabilities into a high-density, 1U rackmount server.

Xserve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xserve is the name of Apple Inc. 's 1U rackmount line of server computers. When the Xserve was introduced in 2002, it was Apple's first designated server hardware design since the ...

Category:Xserve - Wikimedia Commons
This page was last modified 00:43, 28 January 2006. Text is available under GNU Free Documentation License. Wikimedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc ...

Xserve G5;Xserve RAID - Mac - Macworld UK
Apple‘s new Xserve G5 finally debuts with 64-bit CPU technology developed by IBM – and blows G4s out of the rack enclosures.

Psystar ships its Xserve clones - Business - Macworld UK
Mac clone PC firm, Psystar, has taken another shot at Apple, introducing its own versions of the Xserve, dubbed 'OpenServ'.

Apple refreshes Xserve | The Register
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