Fujitsu's new SMB-oriented server is the company's cheapest yet, starting at less than $600. The company positions it as the first step up from relying on standard PCs.Fujitsu America's goal for the Primergy TX100, said Manuel Martull, Fujitsu's senior director of product marketing for servers, is to deliver "a proper business class server at PC prices."

The Fujitsu Primergy TX100 S1 Server

Martull said the base configuration includes 1GB of RAM, a single processor, and a 160GB SATA hard drive. Typical configurations -- with a faster processor and 2-3GB of RAM -- run about $800, he said.

Prices are kept low by using Microsoft Windows Server Foundation instead of the Standard edition. Martull said that Foundation caps the number of users, but that shouldn't be an issue in the small offices where the TX100 will be installed.

Martull added that the TX100 is designed to be extremely quiet -- running at 21-25db, about the same volume as a whisper --so as not be "annoying in any way" when placed in small offices or retail environments.

One reason for the lower noise is an energy efficient (Energy Star 5.0, Server 1.) design that uses a "honeycomb" front bezel that "works like a screen door" to allow free air flow and reduce fan use. Meanwhile, compartmentalized channels isolate hot air from the CPU to avoid "hot air contamination" of other compenents.

In addition to general small office file/print server and retail applications, Martull said the TX100 is perfect for small companies stepping up from using a standard PC as a server who need more reliability but aren't ready for the "big leap" to dual-socket platform servers.

Fujitsu also plans to package the TX100 into special-purpose appliances to solve specific business problems (one appliance will incorporate Microsoft Sharepoint to deliver affordable document management).

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