InformationWeek: The Business Value of Technology

The four-processor market where the LH 6000 and LT 6000r will compete is expected to grow by more than 60% in 2001, according to industry figures. Designed for processor-intensive applications, each of the servers runs as many as six 550-MHz Intel Pentium III Xeon chips, supports 8 Gbytes of PC-133 SDRAM, and includes a high-performance embedded disk controller.

The LH 6000 is built for internal expandability, with 12 hot-swappable hard-drive bays for up to 216 Gbytes of storage and eight PCI slots. The LT 6000r, with a 72-Gbyte internal storage capacity, is rack-optimized; up to 10 servers can exist in a two-meter rack.

The servers are available now. In May, HP will debut its SureStore E Disk Array FC60 in a version that supports NetServers in storage area network configurations. Adding support for PC servers to what was once a storage system for Unix servers is an example of the increased cooperation HP has begun fostering between its RISC and Intel server divisions, says Chris Bennett, a product marketing manager in HP's network server division.

The LH 6000 starts at $7,299 and the LT 6000r at $8,199, but a typical six-way LH 6000 is about $30,000. Customers who order a six-way system in the second quarter through HP's Select Express program will receive a rebate for the two additional processors, bringing the price closer to $25,000-or about what they'd pay for many four-way systems.

HP acknowledges that other six-way systems haven't had great success. Analyst Kelly Spang of Technology Business Research agrees, but says HP's rebate offer is a good way to launch these NetServers. "Offering six at the price of four may get HP some customers who may not see the value of six processors but will think, 'if they're thrown in for free, why not give it a try?'"