HP Proliant DL380 G4 - Can this server still perform in 2011?
Solution 1:
A DL380 G4 is almost useful if you already own one. However, if you're buying today, there are plenty of other options. I'd recommend buying a modern system and virtualizing.
A SINGLE ProLiant DL3xx series from G5, G6 or G7 would easily serve both duties if equipped with the right amount of disk space. Couple that with free VMWare ESXi and you'll be better off in terms of parts availability, warranty and a path to expansion.
There are good suppliers of off-lease and refurbished HP gear. Don't go with anything less than a G5 with quad-core CPUs at this point. For $1500-$2000US, you could find a server that meets your needs WITH more than enough disk space. And that's from a quick check on eBay.
Solution 2:
Having a couple of the G3 and the G4 servers, and all I have to add to this is the replacement parts are getting expensive..
Also when a disk broke (and they will.. eventually) we couldn't find the 3,5" disks in stock anywhere, so we had to go for a refurbished disk. It held up for probably 1-2 weeks then it went down again. Probably bad luck, but it could happen to you too!
Solution 3:
If you get the SAS-Model for under 700.00 it's worth it!
- HP Proliant DL380 G4 Dual (2) Intel Xeon 3.8 GHz 800Mhz 2MB Cache processors
- 8->12GB PC3200R ECC Memory
- 4->8 74GB/146GB/300GB SAS 10,000RPM Hard Drives
- Dual Power Supplies
- Smart Array P600/256 BBWC Controller
- DVD-RW
I have 8 G4-SAS with this setup running win200864-R2. I use the server's to store/route MRI/Cat-Scan images, PACS systems and everything works great. Now they are in a colo, the G4s are 75+DB and dump alot of heat so keep that in mind.
I can get a dl380 g5 with 1 QC 2.66GHZ, 6GIG memory, DVD-RW, dual power supplies with 3 year HP warranty for 1000.00. The dl360 g5 goes for around 875.00, so I would not buy a dl380 g4 unless it was a SAS model loaded and for under 700.00.
Hope this helps.
Solution 4:
The HP GL380 G4 is 64-bit however, HP does not support Windows Server 2008 R2. They do support Windows Server 2008 32/64 bit. It will "probably" work just fine, but you will not find support from HP with Windows Server 2008 R2. For $1500 you can probably find better systems suited for Windows Server 2008 R2. Try and work with a company that leases computing hardware, they usually sell the off lease machines cheap.
Solution 5:
The negatives on this server: x64 but not capable of virtualization (i.e. no Hyper-V), RAM options are restrictive as heck, you'll only be able to do 8 Gigs of dual-sided DDR2, or 16 Gigs of Single sided.
the positives are that it is server hardware: good nics, i would assume the disks are enterprise class, and you can anticipate quality throughput at those points.
what you can do with it? Run Ubuntu or VMware esxi, make it a unix based firewall / router, or turn it into a NAS ISCSI box if you have the disks.... I would not advise running 2008 R2, though. Too many limitations.