Apple Servers

It’s the ultimate remote control. Power on or power off hardware. Reboot. Perform routine admin. All from a remote Ethernet connection. Xserve unchains you from the server room with new lights-out management. Embedded hardware sensors integrate with Apple’s sophisticated Server Monitor software to check the condition of all critical subsystems — such as memory, fans, power supplies, and Ethernet links — and notify you if there’s a problem.

Designed to work together

Gone are the days of having to trek down to the server room to power up a unit or reboot it. Xserve allows you to repair, upgrade, install or reload systems remotely from your Mac OS X desktop. Each management session is securely encrypted to ensure that your private data stays private.

Only Apple can deliver a tightly integrated hardware and software solution that is easy to use and packed with the power you need. With Xserve, everything is included — no need to purchase any additional hardware or software.

Up-to-date information

Apple’s Server Monitor application provides powerful remote management and monitoring features in an easy-to-use interface. Dedicated controllers and communication buses on the logic board process temperature measurements for hard drives, processors, memory, expansion slots, and power supply. If operating conditions for any component exceed predefined thresholds, Server Monitor can instantly send a note via email or email-capable pager or cell phone, so you can respond quickly to prevent or solve the problem. Using Server Monitor, you can instantly see status and performance details of various individual server attributes and subsystems:

Info. Lists key attributes of the server: name, IP address, device kind, operating system version, processor type, amount of memory, firmware, uptime, last monitoring update and hardware serial number.

Memory. Displays the size, speed and type of memory installed in each system, as well as ECC error counts.

Drives. Provides the status of each of the server’s hard drives, including SMART data for predictive failure notification.

Power. Shows the current, voltage, and power draw, as well as a historical line graph for each supply rail. It also provides Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) information and status and monitors the redundant power supply option.

Network. Indicates the status of active network links, network stack and link settings and provides a historical line graph for each link.

Temperature. Provides the values of the enclosure and processor temperature sensors, as well as a historical line graph for each sensor reading.

Blowers. Shows the revolutions per minute and status of the seven double-motor fans plus power supply fans, including a historical line graph for each one. In the case of a single blower failure, the other fans speed up to compensate, allowing the server to continue to run, while also notifying the system administrator.

Security. Displays the security status of the Xserve enclosure. Xserve features a hardware enclosure lock that prevents drives from being removed, as well as software-based I/O port security that allows administrators to disable optical disc mounting, use of USB and FireWire devices, or changing of boot parameters.

In addition, Server Monitor records a log of activities and messages for each monitored Xserve. The log provides the times Server Monitor attempted to contact the server and whether a connection was successful. It also shows changes in server status. For asset tracking or support logging, you can save a System Profiler report for single or multiple servers.