Lenovo unveils ThinkServer SMB servers with free monitoring tools

ThinkServer models aimed at growing small to mid-sized businesses

Lenovo has launched a pair of rack-mount servers aimed at growing small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs), offering support services and bundled monitoring tools to help customers manage multiple servers.

Available later this month, the ThinkServer RD430 and RD330 are designed to offer value and easy serviceability for SMB customers, Lenovo said.

Both models are twin-socket designs based on Intel's Xeon E5-2400 processors, which deliver a significant performance boost over the Xeon E3-1200 series chips that many other SMB servers are based on, according to the firm.

The RD330 is delivered as a 1U high chassis while the RD430 is 2U high, allowing for more storage to be fitted inside. The RD330 can take up to 8TB of Sata or 2.4TB of SAS drives, the larger RD430 can accept up to 24TB Sata or 7.2TB SAS.

Both ThinkServer models can be configured with up to 192GB of memory and a choice of Raid adapters. As well as twin gigabit Ethernet ports, both also feature a dedicated management LAN port.

Lenovo claims that both models benefit from a new chassis design that improves cooling efficiency by up to 20 percent while reducing fan power by as much as 20 percent.

To help with administration, Lenovo is bundling ThinkServer EasyManage with the new ThinkServer systems.

Based on Hitachi's IT Operations Analyser software, this is designed to provide an overview of the status of up to 1,000 Lenovo server nodes, keeping track of temperature, voltage, fan speed, CPU and memory utilisation, and free disk space for each one.

Lu Yan, senior vice president of Lenovo's Think product group, said that the new server designs targeted SMBs who need a low-priced yet scalable and efficient rack server to build out their infrastructure.

"In addition to the substantial increases in computing performance and energy efficiency, businesses with only one or two IT staff members will also appreciate the manageability features that simplify server deployment and operation," he said.

Pricing for the ThinkServer RD330 starts at $1,129 (£714), while pricing for the ThinkServer RD430 starts at $1,429 (£904).