Dell PowerEdge R530 Server

Description

The Dell PowerEdge R530 server is virtualization ready for data centers and SMBs. Along with more cores, courtesy of the Xeon E5 processors, other technologies such as DDR4 memory and PCIe 3.0 offer further improvements to I/O performance while reducing power consumption by up to 30%. This can add up to significant savings when used in a data center application with multiple server deployments.

Performance

The system supports either one or two Xeon E5-2600 v3 or Xeon E5-2600 v4 processors. This server is a preferred platform for dedicated development or as a backup server.

Memory

With this the Dell R530 administrators have options for deployment and scaling. It offers 12 memory slots total with each processor controlling six memory slots. In a single processor configuration, it can support up to 192GB of memory. In a two processor configuration the system can support up to 384GB with all 12 DIMM slots fitted with 32GB ECC RDIMM modules. Using Xeon E5-2600 v3 processors and compatible memory modules frequencies of up to 2133MT/s are supported. With Xeon E5-2600 v4 processors transfer speeds of up to 2400MT/s is available but transfer speeds will default to the slowest performer between memory and CPU, so choose wisely.

Storage

Eight hot-plug drive bays are accessible from the front of the chassis and can be outfitted with either LFF or SFF drives. Choose from either 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SAS, SATA, NL-SAS HDDs or SSDs. If you plan on using the smaller 2.5-inch drives you will need the 3.5-inch hard drive adapters. Using 6TB 3.5-inch SAS or SATA hard drives will provide the greatest storage potential at up to 48TB of storage. The PowerEdge R530 is a highly adaptable, mid-range server with options that enable you to balance budget and performance needs. An optional dual SD card module provides failsafe hypervisor support, and an integrated PERC 100 RAID controller offers limited RAID configurations. For more RAID options, choose the PERC 500 or the PERC 700 RAID controller, which offers the full range of RAID options along with increased data protection and redundancy.

Expansion

This server features five half-height PCIe slots, standard, with three PCIe 3.0 and two PCIe 2.0 for application accelerators, HBAs, and more. With the optional mezzanine riser installed in slot two, the system will support two full-height PCie cards and three half-height PCIe cards. Compared to the R520, you get an additional PCIe slot and an upgrade to gen 3.0 for three slots. The gen 3.0 PCIe slots are a nice addition and feature twice the throughput compared to the Gen 2.0 PCIe slots.

Management

Managing this server is simple and intuitive with Dell's integrated iDRAC8 with lifecycle controller. iDRAC8 is standard equipment on all Gen13 servers and functions out-of-band or in-band, with or without system management software. iDRAC8 provides, alerts, configuration, and simplifies single server or multiple server deployment. Opting for the enterprise license on iDRAC8 opens more management features including iDRAC8 direct which uses NFC technology to provide up to the moment server status updates using the optional iDRAC Quick Sync bezel and an NFC enabled mobile device or tablet. iDRAC 8 is part of Dell's comprehensive OpenManage system management portfolio, freely available for download from Dell, providing another level of accessibility through the OpenManage mobile app. Hypervisor redundancy has also been addressed with Dell's Failsafe Hypervisor which provides another layer of data protection.

Summary

The Dell PowerEdge R530 server is a solid general purpose performer for SMBs interested in a reliable and easy to manage platform with the scalability to adapt to your changing business needs. Embedded virtualization-ready features provide administrators with simplified RAID configurations that can be expanded with optional RAID controllers that support the full range of RAID options to enhance reliability and data protection. The new processors, memory, and PSU's also provide greater performance than the earlier generation while consuming much less power, lowering your operational costs.
For more performance, take a look at the Dell PowerEdge R730 or if you need more storage, Dell's PowerEdge R730xd.