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March 2008 |
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3:30pm – 4:30pm Windows 2008 by Sean Dring of Microsoft New Zealand
4:30pm – 5:15pm Server Upgrade Case Study by Mike Grant of ITCL
5:15pm – 6:00pm LTO & RDX Drives by Cheng Chuan of Tandberg Data
Windows Server 2008
Sean is a Technical Specialist for the OEM channel based in Auckland. Sean last addressed our peer group on 24 October 2007 on the same topic when Windows 2008 was only in a beta stage. Half a year has since gone. Is Windows 2008 still the same as what we learned last time? We need to be convinced that there are good incentives for us to take up W2008 in lieu of W2003 or in preference to Linux. Ask Sean. In addition to W2008, Microsoft has a full software release program for this year such as SBS 2008 and we may get more insight from Sean. Sean has supported Compucon consistently since year 2001.
Download Windows Server 2008 PDF (5.45MB)
Download Vista SP1 PDF (3.3MB)
Download WinXP SP3 PDF (0.15MB)
Server Upgrade Case Study
ITCL and Compucon joined hands to win a server upgrade job from a competitor recommended to the customer who has got not just a step in the door of the customer but has done 30 hours of free investigation work there for the job. When the customer declared practical completion of the job on 22 February 2008, the customer congratulated our team for the highest level of professionalism he has ever seen or heard about in the IT industry. We finished the upgrade job 2 weeks ahead of the plan, invoiced the client for less than 33% of the competitor quote, caused practically no interruption to the customer business operation during the process when the competitor expected to shut down the server for one or more days, and handed over some reference documentation to the customer at the end. Most importantly, we achieved virtually the entire wish list of the customer. Equally importantly, we earn a reasonable income from the job! To give you an idea of the size of the job, the service portion is estimated to take 120 hours. Let us hear direct from Mike of what he did and how he did it so well. Mike is a senior consultant of ITCL and has worked closely with Compucon for 15 years.
Download Server Upgrade PDF (1.4MB)
LTO and RXD Drives
Tandberg Data is a Norway based company with a global distribution network. Cheng Chuan is a senior regional sales manager based in Singapore. He oversees the Australia and New Zealand market in addition to a few other Asia Pacific areas. He recently appointed Compucon New Zealand as a direct Tandberg OEM account as recognition of the position of Compucon in the industry. Tandberg produces a range of storage products and notably the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) series of backup tape drives which are the standard for SMB backup at present. Cheng Chuan will also introduce a HDD based backup product called RDX Quickstor and a Network Attached Storage product to us. Please find out how we can benefit from his inside information. We will supply take-away brochures at the seminar.
Download Tandberg Tape Drives PDF (4.3MB)
Download Tandberg NAS PDF (3.2MB)
Download Tandberg RDX PDF (2.0MB)
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March 2008 |
| Motherboard Model: |
#SX7SBE Supermicro X7SBE |
| Motherboard BIOS version: |
1.0a
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| Document Date: |
10 March 2008
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| Download: |
BIOS files (ZIP format) |
Required Files
- The Flash Utility that corresponds with the motherboard BIOS chip (usually AMI or Award). This will be an executable e.g. phlash16.exe
- The binary file used by the flash utility for programming the BIOS chip. It is usually in an 8.3 file with the extension .rom. E.g. 7sb4b307.rom
- A flash verifier may also be present. This is typically named chkflash.com
- A batch file should also present to simpify the update process. This file is typically named flash.bat
Procedure 1 - for flashing the BIOS
- Create a bootable DOS-formatted USB drive.
- Copy or extract the all required files onto the USB drive.
- Boot the PC/motherboard using the USB drive.
- Enter the following command to flash the BIOS - this is usually just the name of the batch file followed by the binary file: "flash 7sb4b307.rom"
- Once the programming is complete, you should hear a long beep and the system will automatically reboot itself.
- The first reboot will result in a message similar to the following: "The CMOS has been reset; press F1 to enter setup or F2 to continue with default settings". Press F1 and follow the Procedure 2 (Step 2) below.
Procedure 2 - for configuring the BIOS
- Press [Delete] key during POST screen to enter BIOS setup.
- Go to 'Exit' menu. Choose 'Load Setup Defaults'.
- Change each of the settings listed in Procedure 3 below as applicable - for the specifications of the PC.
Procedure 3 - BIOS Settings
You MAY need to change the following options after loading 'Setup Defaults':
(1) Main menu -> Lagacy Diskette A -> 1.44M, 3.5 in (by default).
Please disable if your system lacks a floppy drive.
(2) Advanced menu -> Boot Features -> Quiet Boot -> Enabled (by default).
Please set this option to Disabled.
(3) Advanced menu -> I/O Device Configuration -> Serial port B -> Enabled (by default).
Please set this option to Disabled unless a second COM port is installed.
(4) Advanced menu -> I/O Device Configuration -> Serial port B -> Enabled (by default).
Please set this option to Disabled unless a second COM port is installed.
(5) Boot menu -> Boot Device Priority.
Please customise this according to your requirement.
1st Boot Device: USB key, 2nd Boot Device: CD/DVD, 3rd Boot Device: HDD, 4th Boot Device: PCI SCSI is our standard
(6) Main menu -> SATA RAID Enable -> Disabled (by default).
Please Enable this option if your are using HostRAID.
(5) Main menu -> ICH Raid CodeBase -> Intel (by default).
(SATA RAID Enabled Only): If you are using HostRAID, select either Intel or Adaptec.
End. Go to 'Exit' menu and choose 'Save and Exit'
Other Notes
- IDE HDD under the Recommended Boot Order is also inclusive of SATA HDD unless addressed specifically.
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March 2008 |
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Accent Tools is a modern company based in Albany and the distributor of Hitachi power tools for New Zealand. It is a medium size operation and it is expanding. The information systems there felt the stretch and started to produce some operational issues to the system administrator as well as staff users. The company decided to go for a server infrastructure overhaul of a scale that needs top management approval. The project has many challenges:
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Read more...
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March 2008 |
For those who have access to the price list of Intel processors, you will find a large range of CPU specifications and may wonder which one is the best for your intended use. We attempt to give you some guidelines herewith in appraising the differences.
| Single Socket |
E2000, E4000, E6000, E8000, Q6000 and Q9000 series |
| Dual Socket |
X5100, X5200, X5300 and X5400 series |
Single Socket
The good news is that Intel has adopted its Core architecture for the entire range and has eliminated the NetBurst core from the shelf. In brief, Core 2 has a much higher performance per wattage rating than NetBurst. The difference is so significant that we should rephrase by saying that the Core 2 has a much higher performance and yet a much lower electricity consumption rating than their previous microprocessor architecture. The six desktop series processors are classified in terms of the number of cores within the CPU, the Front Side Bus (FSB) speed in MHz and the amount of total Level 2 Cache in the CPU. Within each series are members with different clock frequencies. Please be warned that this classification is based on Supermicro New Zealand observation and is not an official Intel announcement.
Series
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# Cores
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FSB
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L2 Cache
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E2000
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2
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800
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1MB
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E4000
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2
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800
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2MB
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E6000
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2
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1066/1333
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2 / 4MB
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E8000
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2
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1333
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6MB
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Q6000
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4
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1066
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8MB
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Q9000
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4
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1333
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6 / 12MB
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Dual Socket
In July 2006, Intel announced the first Xeon processor based on the Core architecture with its "Woodcrest" line of CPUs. The previous Xeon 5000 series is based on NetBurst and whilst their clock speed looked good (scaling up to 3.7GHz in the Xeon 5080), their performance was not so hot. The latest based on the Core 2 architecture is the Quad-Core Xeon 5400 series.
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Series
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# Core
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FSB
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L2 Cache
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X5100
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2
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1066/1333
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4MB
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X5300
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4
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1066/1333
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8MB
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X5400
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4
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1333/1600
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12MB
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Electricity consumption is one variable. The good news is that all models shown in the table above consume less wattage and dissipate less heat than the previous generation Netburst architecture. All chassis, PSU and motherboard models from good brands are therefore adequate and we do not need to worry.
Another variable is the fabrication technology where in recent years, processors were still fabricated using a 65nm or even the 90nm process. Today the most advanced 45nm process is used for the E8000 and X5400 series. They affect the clock speed scalability of the processors that are already listed in the table as well as the cost of manufacturing.
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