the green xserve

By Simon Strantzas (procurement@loop.ca), Product Specialist

Apple's been focusing on their "green" initiative this year with a whole host of new computers that use less energy than ever before. Finally, into this line-up, is the Xserve.

The new Apple Xserve uses Intel's "Nehalem" processor and integrated memory controller, which boots performance up to twice that of the previous version. It also runs on less power, allowing an astounding increase in performance of 89% per watt, all the while eliminating toxins like PVC and BFRs. All this in the same 1U form-factor you've come to know.

The three bays remain for hard drive upgrades, but the new Xserve also offers the option of installing a separate solid-state drive. This drive, used for the OS, has no physical parts, making it faster than the platter-based drives currently in use. This also helps conserve energy because less is necessary to retrieve data. The enclosure is designed for maximum air flow-through, using fans with two independent counter-rotating blades. Not only does this move the air faster, but also allows the fans to run only as fast as needed to cool the system. Lower fan speed means less power consumption!

The specification for the new Xserve are:

• One 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 series processor
• 3GB (three 1GB) 1066MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM
• 160GB 7200-rpm SATA Apple Drive Module with 8MB of cache
• Single 750W high-efficiency power supply
• Two open PCI Express 2.0 x16 expansion slots: one half-length (6.6-inch) and one 9.25-inch length
• Two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) RJ-45 Ethernet interfaces with support for jumbo frames
• Two FireWire 800 ports on back panel; 15W total power
• Two USB 2.0 ports (480Mb/s each) on back panel; and one USB 2.0 port on front panel
• One DB-9 serial port (RS-232
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics with 256MB of GDDR3 memory

As always, this can be custom-built to your specifications, whether it be upgrading the processors to an 8-Core 2.93GHz or filling the hard drive bays with up to 3TB of storage space on SATA or SAS drives. For additional storage, pair the Xserve with a Promise VTrak RAID solution, giving you up to 16TB of additional storage.

For the answers to more questions about how the new Xserve can be utilized in your network, please contact your assigned Loop Account Manager or drop an email to sales@loop.ca.

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simplifying storage concepts for small businesses

By Nick Lijoi (nlijoi@loop.ca), Account Executive

Storage consolidation has trickled down from Enterprise customers to SMB. Loop will help you realize the benefits of storage technology by offering you a variety of solutions through our partners.

Let’s start with the 3 types of storage architectures:

DAS or Direct–Attached Storage is plugged directly into a server or workstation.

NAS or Network-Attached Storage is a file-based protocol where data resides in a storage devise on your network.

SAN or Storage Area Network stores data at the block level. It resides on a fabric (FC or iSCSI) so it does not tax your network.

DAS is relatively inexpensive, generally quite fast, and simple to use. If you have ever used a USB, eSATA or FireWire drive then you have experience with DAS. It’s a quick remedy for addressing local storage challenges.

But what do you do when your organization needs additional storage that people or applications can share? Can you afford to have all of your Intellectual Property on individual hard drive devices?

NAS and SAN devices can consolidate data from a number of devices on your network. They also add extra hardware redundancy, make it easier to scale and administer your storage, and help you improve your hardware utilization. By consolidating your data onto fewer devices you avoid creating silos of data.

Let’s look at an example of a DAS approach to storage, as it is still the most prevalent in many small businesses.
Due to its one to one relationship with a workstation or server, many SMBs have more than one DAS. If they’re being under utilized, you have wasted money on hard drive capacity you don’t need. If you have some devices that are under utilized, and some that are almost at full capacity, then you will find value in consolidating those “silos of hard drive capacity” into a SAN or NAS. You can then scale just one shared storage device.

With that simple example, it’s easy to imagine how this centralized storage approach could help save you time backing up and securing your most important data.

If you’re ready to have that storage discussion feel free to call me. Know that I will present you with a storage solution that makes sense for your company, based on your assessment outcomes and your budget.

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client relationships

By Bryan Chiasson (sales@loop.ca)

“Service is a feeling. You know what it is when you get it – so let’s give back the same thing or more!” Jeffrey Gitomer

Clients are the most important factor to any successful business! It’s all about what you do that will keep that as such. With more than 15 years of relationship sales and customer service, I know the customer and how important a relationship is to both parties. My name is Bryan Chiasson and I am your new Relationship Sales Executive.

I welcome the chance to speak with any of our customers about your experience with Loop Enterprise Inc and about strengthening our relationship even further.