Archive for MicroServer

New HP Microserver Gen8 available!

Hurrah! HP has released their next generation of the HP Microserver, properly labeled as: HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8.

First, a quick look back …

HP MediaSmart Server / Data Vault Server

Nearly five years ago, HP released their HP MediaSmart Server for running Microsoft’s Windows Home Server solution. Although it was designed as a “home” solution, many of us immediately saw this as a great backup solution for small businesses. 

Sure enough, a year later, HP repackaged the MediaSmart Server, and sold it as the HP StorageWorks Data Vault Server. Nearly everyone of my customers has a MediaSmart/Data Vault server strictly for doing workstation backups.

All at a cost of less than $500!

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HP MicroServer

Two and a half years ago, I purchased my first HP ProLiant MicroServer. I have one in my lab that I use for demos. It is currently running Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V, 2012 Essentials and Windows 8. At every I.T. seminar or conference I have spoken at in the past two years, you get everyone’s attention when showing off the HP MicroServer.

I have the HP MicroServer installed at customer sites being used as a backup server (WHS 2011), as a member server running Windows Foundation/SharePoint, and as a development system for LOB web applications.

And now, presenting …

HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen 8

Last month HP released the next generation of the MicroServer – HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen 8. And it’s a beauty!

The improvements over the prior MicroServer includes: supports up to 16GB memory, up to 12TB (terabytes) of non-hot plug STA drives, HP iLO4 integrated with the gigabit NIC switch, add-on Raid 5, and easier internal access when adding memory.

It comes in two models: Intel Celeron G1610T (2 core, 2.3GHz, $449) or Intel Pentium G2020T (2 core, 2.5 Ghz, $529). Both models come standard with 2GB memory.

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But don’t take my word for it. Read what my good friend and MVP partner,  Robert Pearman has to say about the new Gen8 MicroServer!

Let me know what you think of it!

HP MicroServer Graphics Driver for WHS 2011

From the FWIW dept: I recently installed WHS 2011 on HP MicroServer N36L hardware at a site. Customer wants to use it to display rotating family photos on an attached monitor. Two things were required:

  • Finding screen saver software to use
  • Installing the right graphics driver

SCREEN SAVER

The screen saver software was easy to resolve. I downloaded and installed the free version of gPhotoShow. It runs on WHSv1 (Windows server 2003), and WHS2011 (Windows Server 2008R2). I like it because you can have it randomize the photos to be displayed, and other tweaks.

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GRAPHICS DRIVER

The graphics driver was a bit more work. By default, installing WHS 2011 uses the standard VGA graphics driver.

If you go to HP’s support site, they direct you to ASPEED’s web site for downloading the graphics driver.

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There’s no install file, just the driver (inf) files for each operating system. However, as I could not determine which specific model to install (AST1100, AST1160, etc.), I decided to try a different approach..

I then installed and ran the free HWiNFO64 utility (there is also a HWiNFO32 version as well).

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It told me that I had an ATI/AMD Mobility Radeon HD 2400 graphics. How interesting! What’s nice about the HWiNFO64 utility is that by simply clicking on the graphic card link, it took me right to the AMD site to download the appropriate driver.

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