Intergraph’s InterServe Web-300

Intergraph's InterServe Web-300

We tested an InterServe Web-300 in our lab and have another one (aneven bigger system: a 200MHz Pentium Pro with a 4GB disk and 64MB of RAM)running the Windows NT Magazine Web site. So far, both have performedremarkably well. The lab system gobbles up our WebStone benchmarks (see "WebServer Software Roundup" on page 57) without complaint, and the Web systembarely even ticks over at a load of more than 700,000 hits per week.

If just three of these machines can run the entire Oscar site (last year'sfilm Academy Awards) and still support several million hits per day with videodownloads, audio clips, and graphics, then--just maybe--this system can supportyour site, too.

Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More?
We tested a standard Web-300configuration with an extra 32MB of Error-Correcting Code (ECC) RAM (64MBtotal). It has a 150MHz Pentium Pro (all new models come with a 200MHz CPUstandard), 2GB of SCSI-2 disk, a built-in 10Mbit (Mb) Ethernet, a 4X CD-ROMdrive, and a Matrox Millennium (2MB WRAM) graphics adapter. It also came withthe optional 21" Hitachi display ($2195).

You can order the system in any configuration you want and upgrade as yourInternet needs grow. The system has a dual-processor board, so you can increaseyour system performance by adding a second CPU when you need it (just drop itinto the ZIF socket), or even pull the 150MHz chip (and voltage regulator) andreplace it with two 200MHz chips. The motherboard, which is Intergraph designedand built, can accommodate up to 256MB of RAM, and the Web-300 desktop chassiscan hold up to 22GB of disk, as much as the BIOS can address. If this size isn'tenough, look at the Web 630, a tower case that can hold up to 1GB of RAM and 4CPUs and address more than 500GB of hardware-accelerated RAID disk. But, unlessyou experience, as Carl Sagan would say, billions of hits per day, thisconfiguration might be overkill on a corporate Web server. Consider this systemto run a SQL database or other CPU- and disk-intensive tasks on one system.

The desktop case gives you three PCI and two ISA slots on a riser card, andbecause the motherboard integrates video, SCSI, and Ethernet controllers, allslots are open for peripherals. The system has only one front-accessible 5.25"half-height drive bay with the CD-ROM in it and one internal 3.5"half-height bay. So if you want to add any disk space, you'll have to eitherreplace the internal drive or use the system's external SCSI-2 connector.

On the networking side, the unit's built-in interface is 10Mb and has bothunshielded twisted pair (UTP) and thicknet connectors. This setup is fine forany Internet connection up through a T1. Intergraph recommends that you upgradeto 100Mb Fast Ethernet, the standard on the Web 610 and 630, if you connect to aT3 or better.

Features and Functions
The Web-300 goes beyond server functionality. It can be a full multimediaauthoring system, thanks to its extensive workstation-style audio and graphicscapabilities. The architecture is similar to Intergraph's other desktop systems,such as the TD and TDZ families of graphics workstations.

The InterServe Web family has the same integrated audio features as theworkstation families (fully Sound Blaster-compatible 16-bit, CD-quality stereosound) and comes with a multimedia keyboard with built-in amplified speakers andmicrophone. The Matrox Millennium graphics adapter is also integrated onto themotherboard, offering enhanced performance for video and 2D/3D renderingapplications such as Adobe Photoshop and NewTek's LightWave 3D. Thiscombination, plus a straightforward upgrade path for adding OpenGL acceleratorsor other performance-enhancing peripherals, will let you use your Web-300 foreverything from content authoring (multimedia applications, 3D graphicsgeneration, video editing) to serving pages.

Intergraph markets the Web-300 and its siblings as Web solutions, insteadof just boxes. When you order a system, it arrives bundled with software,including Windows NT Server 3.51, Internet Information Server (IIS), andthird-party applications from Intergraph and other vendors: IntergraphTranscend, for language translation such as English to German; MetaInfo's DNSand Sendmail with POP3 1.0 for Windows NT; and Microsoft FrontPage for HypertextMarkup Language (HTML) authoring.

Performance
We ran our usual BAPCo workstation benchmark underNT Workstation (instead of NT Server), and the system compared favorably to a200MHz Pentium Pro clone workstation. We noticed that the graphics adapterdriver had a tremendous influence on system performance, resulting in a 10%improvement in the system's score. We expect such results in a test suitethat consists mainly of graphical-output packages such as Word and Excel.

In server-focused testing (see "Web Server Software Roundup" onpage 57), system performance depended on a properly written Web serverapplication--obviously. Certain Web server packages maxed out the CPU with justa few concurrent connections, whereas applications such as Netscape EnterpriseServer, WebSite Professional, and IIS barely ticked over at 30% CPU utilizationwith 35 active client sessions.

Table 1 compares the Web-300 with an equivalently configured desktop system(a Compaq Deskpro 2000: 200MHz Pentium Pro, 64MB of RAM, 1.6GB EIDE drive, 8XCD-ROM, Matrox graphics, 10Mb Ethernet, priced at $3800) running the same Webserver package. The Web-300 performed about 10% better under our NT port ofWebStone (this test uses Netscape Enterprise Server running on NT Server 3.51).Because the Web-300 had only a 150MHz CPU, compared to the Compaq's 200MHz, Iexpect an incremental performance improvement of about 35% for the newer 200MHzIntergraph systems.

Under a load of 500 simultaneous user connections performing small-filedownloads, the Web-300 and the Compaq both leveled off at about 40% CPUutilization (average). Though these numbers don't show a tremendous differencebetween the two systems, they show that, for ordinary HTML page serving, youwill have a very difficult time maxing out the Web-300.

And More
I found the Web-300 to be a good, solid performer. Itcosts more than your garden-variety clone, which you can use as a Web server ifit has enough disk and memory. However, the Web-300 offers features andupgradeability that most clones don't, and it performs better. Plus, you get 24X 7 vendor services such as one day of free onsite technical support andconsulting or installation and 90 days of free phone support for installation,operation, and administration problems.

Although this system is in a desktop case with workstation features, it isstill a server. For the price, you'll be hard-pressed to beat it.

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