History of Compaq Server Families (1) (vom Juni 2002 !!!)
The sections that follow present the history of Compaq innovation in industry standard servers by year of announcement and server family.
Year 1993
The Compaq ProLiant server was built upon the EISA bus architecture and FlexSMP System Architecture. The ProSignia was the first Compaq server to offer Compaq Insight Manager as a standard feature.
ProLiant 1000 (retired; announced September 1993)
The Compaq ProLiant 1000 was built upon the EISA bus architecture and provided eight expansion slots, consisting of seven 8/16/32-bit EISA bus-master expansion slots and one management modem slot. The system board provided an integrated Fast-SCSI-2 Controller, as well as integrated SVGA video controller. The system shipped with 16 MB of RAM, expandable to 144 MB (Pentium models) or 128 MB (486 models) using industry-standard SIMMs. The system included a pre-installed NetFlex-2 Ethernet controller and CD-ROM drive.
ProLiant 2000 (retired; announced September 1993)
The ProLiant 2000, a high-end server, delivered unmatched system availability. It offered symmetric multiprocessing through its FlexSMP System Architecture. Additionally, it provided full-spectrum fault management. The chassis had eight total internal storage device bays, five of which were hot-plug drive bays. An optional redundant power supply was also available for the system.
ProLiant 4000 (retired; announced September 1993)
ProLiant 4000 servers offered highly extensible performance by using the FlexSMP system architecture. It included full-spectrum fault management, an off-line backup processor with automatic processor recovery, and a 2 MB Transaction Blaster option for high-end multiprocessing applications. The I/O board included an integrated Fast-SCSI-2 Controller and provided eight 8/16/32-bit EISA bus-master expansion slots. The ProLiant 4000 shipped with a standard 64 MB of Advanced ECC memory expandable to 512 MB.
ProSignia (retired)
The original ProSignia utilized the EISA-bus architecture with several integrated components that left the expansion slots available to fulfill customer requirements. The system supported up to eight mass storage devices internally allowing a full complement of SCSI disks to be attached to the integrated Fast-Wide SCSI Controller. ProSignia came standard with an IDE CD-ROM drive attached to the integrated EIDE bus. The ProSignia was the first Compaq server to offer Compaq Insight Manager as a standard feature.
Systempro (retired)
The original Systempro provided the ability to configure server-class systems using Intel processors. Systempro was designed using the FlexSMP architecture enabling dual-processor configurations. The chassis provided space for eleven devices including up to eight disk devices. The system board offered integrated EIDE and SVGA video.
Systempro LT (retired)
Systempro LT provided a lower cost member of the Systempro family in a uniprocessor configuration. The chassis provided the same number of storage device bays and the system board included integrated EIDE and SVGA video.
Systempro XL (retired)
The Systempro XL included 486DX2 and Pentium processors, available in either uniprocessor or dual-processor configurations. This system was the first to use ECC memory. Built within the Systempro chassis, the XL provided eleven storage device bays, eight of which were available for internal IDE devices. The system board included integrated EIDE, SVGA video, and Fast SCSI-2 Controllers, leaving the EISA expansion slots available for your use.
Year 1994
Compaq introduced the first member of the ProSignia family, the ProSignia VS server.
ProSignia VS (retired; announced March 1994)
The ProSignia VS was one of the first members of the ProSignia family. The system design utilized the 486 processor to produce a highly serviceable design. The system board provided an integrated 32-bit Fast-SCSI-2 Controller and an integrated NetFlex-L Ethernet Controller with five EISA bus-master expansion slots. The ProSignia VS came standard with 16 MB of RAM, expandable to 128 MB using industry-standard SIMMs.
ProSignia 500 (retired; announced November 1994)
A high-performance server, the ProSignia 500 offered 256 KB of shared secondary write-back cache. The system board included an integrated 32-bit NetFlex-L Ethernet controller, integrated 32-bit Fast-SCSI-2 Controller, and integrated 1024x768 video graphics.
The ProSignia 500 contained six total expansion slots, including one processor expansion slot, three EISA slots, one shared EISA/PCI, and one PCI slot. The ProSignia 500 came standard with 16 MB of ECC memory, expandable to 208 MB using industry-standard SIMMs.
Year 1995
Compaq introduced the Standby Recovery Server and On-line Recovery Server adding even more fault management to ProSignia 300 servers.
ProLiant 1500 (retired; announced February 1995)
This affordable, mission-critical server was intended for departmental file and application services. FlexSMP System Architecture allowed the ProLiant 1500 to upgrade to dual processing and a 6/200 FlexSMP Dual Processor Board option expanded to a second 200 MHz Pentium Pro processor. The 512-KB secondary write-back cache provided enhanced system performance. The 32 MB of ECC memory was located on the processor board was expandable up to 256 MB.
ProSignia 300 (retired; announced February 1995)
The ProSignia 300, a small workgroup server, offered an integrated 32-bit Fast-SCSI-2 Controller and an integrated 32-bit Ethernet Controller that delivered faster response time when users accessed files from the server. The ProSignia 300 supported the Standby Recovery Server and On-line Recovery Server adding even more fault management to ProSignia 300 servers.
Year 1996
The award winning ProLiant 5000 system was the first to integrate dual-peer PCI bus architecture and redundant NIC technology on industry-standard architecture.
ProLiant 4500 (retired; announced February 1996)
The ProLiant 4500 provided up to four processors including support for an offline back-up processor with automatic processor recovery. The I/O board included an integrated Fast-Wide SCSI-2 Controller and offered eight 8/16/32-bit EISA bus-master expansion slots. The system shipped with 64 MB (32 MB in Model 1) of Advanced ECC RAM, expandable to 1 GB using industry-standard SIMMs. The system included a pre-installed NetFlex-3 Controller and CDROM drive. The chassis provided seven storage device bays, four of which were internal hotpluggable drive bays. Some models were equipped with an optional redundant power supply.
ProLiant 5000 (retired; announced June 1996)
The award winning ProLiant 5000 system was the first to integrate dual-peer PCI bus architecture and redundant NIC technology on industry-standard architecture. The system had a 4 GB memory with industry-standard DIMMs. The system included ECC memory data bus and L2 cache.
An optional redundant processor power module provided continued availability if one power module failed. Support for optional off-line backup processors allowed near-maximum availability in case of processor failure. Dual-peer PCI buses delivered an aggregate 267 MB for improved system throughput.
ProLiant 2500 (retired; announced October 1996)
A mid-range server capable of supporting medium- to large-sized database applications, the ProLiant 2500 provided full support for dual processing with Pentium Pro processors. The system came standard with Automatic Server Recovery-2 to improve system availability and Integrated Remote Console. Some of the other server management features of the ProLiant 2500 included server health logging, Revision History Table, offline backup processor, and the Compaq Remote Insight Board (optional).
Year 1997
Compaq ProLiant servers contained Pentium III and Pentium III Xeon processors. The Compaq ProLiant 850R was the first low-profile server to combine affordability and a unique space-saving design tailored exclusively for rack environments.
ProLiant 800 (retired; announced January 1997)
The ProLiant 800 provided Pentium III processors, 100 MHz GTL + bus design, and an integrated Dual Channel Wide-Ultra SCSI-3 Controller to meet the performance requirements of the most demanding networks. With four internal and four external drive bays, six available expansion PCI slots, and dual-processor capability, the ProLiant 800 could grow with your business. The ProLiant 800 architecture was the basis for the ProLiant ML350.
ProSignia 200 (retired; announced January 1997)
The Compaq ProSignia 200 offered powerful uniprocessor performance in an aggressively priced package using the PCI System Architecture. The system included the Automatic Server Recovery-2 feature. The ProSignia 200 Small Business (SBS) models came equipped with Intel Pentium II processors operating at 300 MHz with 512 KB L2 cache. The system board offered three PCI expansion slots – one video, one shared PCI/ISA slot, and one ISA slot.
A 32-bit Wide-Ultra SCSI-3 Controller was available pre-installed in a PCI slot, providing data transfer rates up to 40MB/s. The SBS system shipped with 64 MB ECC memory, expandable to 192 MB. The SBS had a 4.3 GB Wide Ultra SCSI-3 hard drive and a 4/8 GB SLR SCSI tape drive. The ProSignia 200 SBS included a 16X-CD-ROM drive.
ProLiant 850R (retired; announced May 1997)
The Compaq ProLiant 850R was the first low-profile server to combine affordability and a unique space-saving design tailored exclusively for rack environments. The ProLiant 850R featured up to two, 200 MHz Pentium Pro processors and the latest technology in network and disk controllers in a 3U rack-mount form factor.
ProLiant 6000 (retired; announced May 1997)
The ProLiant 6000 delivered breakthrough enterprise performance and the highest levels of expansion for the best value in business-critical environments. The system came standard with 256 MB of ECC buffered EDO DIMM memory, expandable to 8 GB. The system board provided an integrated Dual Channel Wide Ultra SCSI-3 Controller with two SCSI channels with double the data transfer rates of the Fast Wide SCSI-2 Controller. The cableless Smart Array 3100ES Controller with three Wide-Ultra SCSI-3 channels and 64 MB L2 cache, which shipped on some models, allowed all three drive cages to be configured as one contiguous 218.4 GB array.
The DualPort 64-bit NC3131 PCI 10/100 MB Auto Sensing NIC (upgradable to Gigabit) came standard, providing a high degree of network reliability. The integrated PCI-based video controller (Cirrus 5430) had 512 KB of video RAM, expandable to 1 MB. Other features of the ProLiant 6000 included hot-plug fans, redundant processor power modules, redundant RAID controllers, and 64-bit I/O.
ProLiant 6500 (retired; announced August 1997)
Compaq ProLiant 6500 systems could be configured with up to four Pentium III Xeon processors, and came standard with 256 MB ECC protected buffered EDO DIMM memory expandable to 4 GB. The ProLiant 6500 introduced the first industry-standard PCI Hot Plug bus. The chassis offered six 64-bit PCI Hot Plug expansion slots. It came with modular drive bays (five 1.6-inch or seven 1-inch hot-plug drive bays) for a total storage capacity of 127.4 GB.
The system contained two 750-watt redundant, hot-plug, load-sharing power supplies. It included a single integrated Dual Channel Wide Ultra SCSI-3 Controller, providing a data transfer rate up to 40 MB on each of the two channels. It’s DualPort 64-bit NC3131 PCI 10/100 MB Auto Sensing NIC could be upgraded to Gigabit Ethernet. The 6500 features also included RAID controllers, redundant hot-plug system fans, optional redundant NICs, and redundant processor power modules.
ProLiant 7000 (retired; announced August 1997)
The ProLiant 7000 was the ultimate standards-based server, delivering the most scalable performance and highest levels of availability and expansion for 24x7 environments with critical database, OLTP, and Web serving needs. The ProLiant 7000 offered up to four 500 MHz Pentium III Xeon processors. The system came equipped with 256 MB ECC buffered EDO memory, expandable to 8 GB.
A cableless Smart Array 3100ES Controller provided three channel RAID support for all of the internal hot-plug drive cages, offering up to 436.8 GB internal storage. The ProLiant 7000 provided five 64-bit PCI slots, four 32-bit PCI slots, and one ISA modem slot. The system included a DualPort 64-bit NC3131 PCI 10/100 MB. Auto Sensing NIC that supported redundant NIC failover in PCI Hot Plug slots.
ProLiant 1200 (retired; announced November 1997)
The system architecture, based on dual-peer PCI buses, made this a powerful server. Integrated Remote Console delivered seamless remote console and full remote server reboot capabilities by adding a modem. This impressive combination of features–affordability, expandability, and reliability–made this an ideal platform for basic file/print, remote access and communications, small database, and firewall applications.
ProLiant 1600 (retired; announced November 1997)
The Compaq ProLiant 1600 was the ultimate workgroup server. The system came standard with 128 MB of registered SDRAM memory; expandable to 1 GB using 100 MHz registered SDRAM DIMMs. The system supported up to six one-inch hot-plug hard drives, providing 109.2 GB of internal storage capacity.
The ProLiant 1600 incorporated Highly Parallel System Architecture, providing improved system bandwidth. It came standard with an I2O Connector and Integrated Remote Console. A pre-installed high speed IDE CD-ROM shipped with the standard configuration. The ProLiant 1600 evolved into the ProLiant ML370.
ProLiant 3000 (retired; announced November 1997)
The Compaq ProLiant 3000 used its Pentium III (600-, 550-, or 500 MHz) processor and system architecture technology to deliver best-in-class performance while providing increased expansion capabilities to meet the ever-increasing requirements of high-volume file services or entry-level applications.
ProLiant 3000 systems shipped in tower or rack-mount form factors and featured up to two Pentium III processors with 512-KB L2 Cache. The system shipped with 128 MB memory, expandable to 4 GB using 100 MHz SDRAM. It provided a hot-pluggable, 750 watt power supply with optional redundant power supply. Eight expansion slots came standard, five PCI and three shared PCI/EISA. The ProLiant 3000 came equipped with a standard 32X MAX IDE CD-ROM drive.
The NC3120 10/100 TX PCI UTP Network Interface Controller came standard and used a PCI slot. This award-winning server evolved into the ProLiant ML530.
Year 1998
A break in philosphy was done, the first 19" rackmount servers in density hight were designed.
ProLiant 1850R (retired; announced August 1998)
The Compaq 1850R was a space saving, 3U, high performance, full-featured rack server designed to meet the needs of ISPs, corporate data centers, and remote sites. Compaq manageability made it an unbeatable platform for file/print, email, Web, or small database applications.
The Pentium III 600, 550, or 500 MHz processor incorporated into this design offered state-of-the-art performance in a rack-optimized server. Features included dual-processor capability, 100 GTL bus architecture, 128 MB 100 MHz, registered ECC SDRAM DIMM memory expandable to 1 GB, and an integrated Dual Channel Wide-Ultra SCSI-3 Controller. The standard system came with four full-length slots and accessibility to major components without tools or removing the system from the rack.
The system supported up to four 1-inch Wide Ultra2 SCSI hot-plug drives for a standard internal capacity of 72.8 GB or up to 109.2 GB with two additional 1-inch drive cages in the removablemedia slots. This popular server was the basis for the ProLiant DL380.
ProLiant 5500 (retired; announced September 1998)
The ProLiant 5500 supported up to four 550 or 500 MHz Pentium III Xeon processors with 100 MHz front-side bus and full-speed cache. The 5500 shipped with 512 K or 1 MB L2 cache with 2 MB optional. The dual-peer PCI architecture eliminated the need to balance I/O. The system shipped with 256 MB of ECC EDO memory expandable to 4 GB using industry-standard DIMMs.
The system came equipped with an integrated Compaq 64-bit Dual Channel Wide Ultra2 SCSI Controller providing support for up to ten 1.0-inch hot-plug SCSI drives with data transfer rates of up to 40 MB on each channel. The ProLiant 5500 provided up to 91 GB of storage. A Compaq NC3120 10/100 TX PCI UTP Network Interface Controller shipped standard and occupied a PCI slot.
This server was the foundation for the ProLiant ML570.
Prosignia Server 720 (retired; announced November 1998)
This Compaq Prosignia Server 720 utilized Pentium III processors running at speeds of 600-, 550-, and 500 MHz providing the performance and power needed to serve the most demanding applications. The processors included 100 MHz front-side bus and 512 KB of L2 cache. The system offered six total expansion slots, including three PCI, one ISA, one shared PCI/ISA, and one AGP. Prosignia Server 720 supported ASR-2. Prosignia Server 720 shipped with 128 MB of ECC SDRAM upgradable to 384 MB. The server offered an integrated Netelligent 10/100 TX network interface and an integrated Wide Ultra2 SCSI Controller that provided 80 MB/s throughput when used with Ultra2 SCSI drives.
Prosignia Server 740 (retired; announced November 1998)
The Prosignia Server 740 utilized a Pentium III processor running at 600, 550, or 500 MHz providing both performance and power. The processors were equipped with 100 MHz front-side bus and 512 KB of L2 cache. The system offered six expansion slots, including two PCI and four shared PCI/ISA.
It supported ASR-2 and Integrated Remote Console. Prosignia Server 740 shipped with 128-MG ECC SDRAM upgradeable to 1 GB. The server offered an integrated Netelligent 10/100 TX network interface and an integrated Wide Ultra2 SCSI controller that provided 80 MB/s throughput. The internal hard drive capacity for this system totaled 54.6 GB.