Review: Lenovo's Nimble New Server -- The TS100

Lenovo' s ThinkServer lineup consists of either single or double processor machines available as towers or rack-mountable units. Reviewers took a look at the TS100 tower. It came outfitted with an Intel Xeon quad-core X3360, 2.38 GHz processor, 4 GB of RAM (expandable to 8 GB) and a 500 GB SAS drive. The ThinkServers are virtualization-ready and can support Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware, XenServer, Novell and Red Hat Linux.

The TS100 has front and back USB ports. However, there are no PS2 ports. Although PS2 is somewhat dated, having it as a backup for input devices is somewhat reassuring, especially when it comes to a server. One of its network adapters is for system management, and it has both a parallel and VGA port. The TS100 also has 6 PCI-E expansion slots.

Redundant power supplies are provided. In fact, failure to plug into both power supplies results in an angrily-orange exclamation point displayed on the front of the case, bright enough to make any server administrator nervous. This isn't really an error; it's the machine's way of warning that both power supplies are not being used. The power supplies are AC 120/230 v and testing using a Kill-A-Watt meter averaging 83 watts when idle, about the same type of wattage for a typical desktop.

The TS100 weighs 55.4 pounds and its dimensions are 8.5 x 21.2 x 17.2 inches, so it won't compete for a lot of space in a server room. It is large enough, however, to allow for a roomy interior, making for easy access for hardware upgrades and the swapping out of parts. The TS100 supports RAID 5 and 6. After initial power up, the noise level of the machine was barely discernible.

The USB keyboard that ships with the TS100 has additional shortcut keys to open up different applications. These keys allow for quick access to applications like Internet Explorer, Word Processor and Spreadsheet. This is all very convenient, but not really necessary for a server keyboard. Who wants a server admin to be able to quickly fire up a spreadsheet on a server, or open it up at all?

Lenovo has really simplified the server deployment process from soup to nuts; help is given with the initial choosing of the actual server to installing the operating system. The Thinkserver Web site features an advisor that will recommend the ThinkServer which best suits an organization's needs based on the operating system to be run, intended usage and number of users on the server.

Shipped with the server is the EasyStartup tool -- a user-friendly interface designed to assist SMBs in configuration of the server without the need for a dedicated IT professional. There is even a utility called EasyUpdate that will search for new updates for a computer ranging from application patches to device driver and BIOS updates.

As with Lenovo's recent desktop machines, the TS100 gives great performance for a server of its class. Geekbench scores reached 5,855. Running the resource-taxing Geekbench, while taking a look at counters in Performance Monitor, resulted in 44-85 percent of total CPU capacity being used, with disk I/O maxing at 152 kb/sec and 42 percent of the physical memory used.

While running a Windows 2003 Server virtual machine, the counters in Performance Monitor did not change much from before the VM was running. CPU usage wavered between 0-4 percent, disk I/O was between 0-72 kb/sec and 48 percent of the physical memory was used.

At an MSRP of $2808, VARs can get a lot of bang for the buck with the TS100. It is ideal to use as a file, Web or email server for the SMB. Add in the fact that it can support virtualization and there is even more value. Lenovo's debut into the SMB server space is a successful one.