I‘m thrilled you want to learn more about the Dell PowerEdge 2950 server! This iconic 2U rackmount system had a huge impact after its launch in 2006. I‘ve been waiting for the chance to share my enthusiasm about this amazing machine. Get ready, because we‘re going to take a comprehensive 4,000 word journey exploring every aspect of the legendary 2950!
First, let‘s briefly travel back in time to 2006…
In the world of servers, a technology arms race was underway. IBM and HP fiercely competed with Dell to deliver the most powerful and reliable hardware for data centers. Servers were almost exclusively used by large enterprises and institutions. Virtualization was in its infancy – most machines ran single applications directly on the bare metal operating system.
It was in this landscape that Dell released the PowerEdge 2950. Building on 10 years of experience since the first PowerEdge launch, Dell packed the newest tech into the 2950‘s 2U chassis. With its balanced performance, efficiency, scalability, and forward-looking features like hot-swappable drives, the 2950 became an instant hit.
Now, let‘s jump back to the present day so I can tell you all about this awesome server!
An Overview of the 2950‘s Standout Features
The Dell PowerEdge 2950 is a rackmount server that fits in a standard 19" data center rack. It‘s 2U tall, meaning it takes up two vertical rack units. This provides enough room for important internal components while maintaining a compact footprint.
Here are the key features that made the 2950 stand out:
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Dual Intel Xeon processors – The 2950 was built for serious processing power with support for high-end dual Xeon 5100/5200/5300 series chips. This put data center-class performance in a dense 2U size.
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Up to 64GB ECC RAM – With 8 DIMM slots supporting up to 8GB DDR2 sticks, the 2950 could be loaded with massive memory – a rarity among dual-socket servers of the era.
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Hot-swappable drives – All of the 2950‘s hard drives could be replaced without shutting down, offering new levels of uptime compared to typical servers.
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RAID support – Optional RAID cards enabled performance acceleration and redundancy through RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 and 10.
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Dual gigabit ethernet – The 2950 came with two integrated gigabit NICs for network connectivity and redundancy. Optional 10 gigabit cards were available.
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Embedded remote management – The 2950 was one of the first to feature Dell‘s new DRAC (Dell Remote Access Controller) for complete lights out hardware control.
This combination of performance, reliability, and forward-looking tech made the 2950 very appealing for growing businesses. Next, we‘ll rewind and see how the 2950 fit into the bigger picture of Dell‘s server evolution.
Dell Server History – The Story Leading to the PowerEdge 2950
Believe it or not, Dell only entered the server market in 1996 with the launch of the first PowerEdge models! While brands like IBM and HP had decades of experience, Dell started from scratch.
Despite being the underdog, the first PowerEdge servers surprised naysayers by earning positive reviews for quality and reliability. They proved Dell could compete in the enterprise server arena.
Over the next decade, Dell rapidly refined and expanded the PowerEdge family. Each new generation brought performance improvements along with innovative features.
By 2006, Dell was ready to unveil its 9th generation PowerEdge as a major evolution:
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PowerEdge 1950 – A 1U rack server focused on high density. Offered dual Xeon 5000 series processors.
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PowerEdge 2900 – A versatile 2U platform. Featured excellent I/O and storage scalability.
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PowerEdge 2950 – The most powerful 2U model. Designed for virtualization and demanding workloads.
The 2950 sat at the top of this new lineup. It served as Dell‘s flagship virtualization server, with an ideal mix of density, performance, and redundancy.
These 9th generation servers helped further Dell‘s momentum in the market. But the 2950 was undoubtedly the star of the show…now let‘s look under the hood!
Dell PowerEdge 2950 Specifications – Inside the 2U Machine
The 2950 packed a ton of technology into a compact 2U chassis:
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Processors – Single or dual Intel Xeon 5000 series chips. Supported cores ranging from dual up to quad. Top option was the blistering fast 3GHz Xeon 5320.
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RAM – 667Mhz DDR2 ECC memory. 8 DIMM slots with capacity up to 64GB.
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Hard Drives
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2.5" chassis – Up to 8 x 146GB SAS drives at 10K RPM
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3.5" chassis – Up to 6 x 500GB SATA or 4 x 300GB SAS drives
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RAID – Optional SAS 5/iR controller. Supported RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10. Included 512MB cache and battery backup.
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Network – Dual Broadcom NetXtreme II Gigabit NICs. Optional 10 Gigabit ethernet.
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Expansion – 5 PCIe slots + 1 PCI-X slot. Provided excellent flexibility.
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Remote Management – Integrated DRAC controller for lights out management.
With configurations spanning single through dual CPUs, 4GB to 64GB memory, and SATA or SAS drives, Dell provided a 2950 solution for virtually every need.
In particular, the 2950 was perfectly geared for consolidation and virtualization – two of the hottest enterprise IT trends emerging at the time. Next, let‘s examine the processor options that gave the 2950 its strength.
Dell 2950 Processors – Dual Intel Xeon Powerhouses
The 2950 supported three generations of Intel‘s Xeon 5000 series processors:
Xeon 5100 Series – Based on the "Woodcrest" microarchitecture. Dual-core chips ranging from 1.6Ghz to 3GHz. Provided efficient performance thanks to a large 4MB L2 cache.
Xeon 5200 Series – Introduced quad core "Clovertown" designs. Delivered up to 3GHz speeds with a dual 4MB L2 cache. Optional virtualization enhancements.
Xeon 5300 Series – Improved "Harpertown" quad core chips. Up to 3GHz with 2 x 6MB L2 cache. 45nm manufacturing enhanced energy efficiency.
The entry-level option was the 3GHz Xeon 5160. But for maximum horsepower, the star of the lineup was the Xeon 5320. This blistering fast quad core chip cranked up to 3GHz.
With two Xeon 5320 CPUs, the 2950 delivered incredible performance for virtualized applications, databases, and enterprise workloads. Even today, eight cores at 3GHz is strong processing muscle!
In fact, Dell recorded 50% faster performance versus HP servers in virtualization benchmarks using dual 5320‘s. The 2950‘s potent Xeons made it a virtualization monster for the time.
Now let‘s move from the processing power to the data power – the 2950‘s flexible memory subsystem…
2950 DDR2 Memory Scales to Massive Capacities
The 2950 was notable for supporting huge DDR2 ECC memory capacities:
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4GB – The entry-level configuration used two 2GB DIMMs.
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8GB – An affordable upgrade adding two 4GB sticks for improved performance.
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16GB – The recommended memory for demanding applications.
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32GB – Large databases and virtualization benefited from 32GB configurations.
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64GB – The 2950 was one of the first mainstream dual socket servers to hit a capacity of 64GB.
This massive memory ceiling ensured exceptional performance scaling. With 8 DIMM slots, upgrading to 64GB only required affordable 8GB sticks.
Looking at competitive offerings, HP‘s DL380 G5 also supported 64GB RAM. But IBM‘s popular x3650 only scaled to 32GB. The 2950 boasted memory capabilities beyond its 2U class.
Why did this matter? Virtualization! More memory enabled larger and more virtual machines (VMs). This let businesses consolidate more workloads onto 2950‘s to maximize server utilization.
Now let‘s move from virtual memory to physical storage…
2950 Storage Subsystem – Flexible Drive Options
The 2950 offered both 2.5" and 3.5" hot-swappable drive configurations:
2.5" Drive Model
- Up to 8 x 146GB SAS drives at 10K RPM
- Organized in RAID arrays for performance/redundancy
3.5" Drive Model
- Up to 6 x 500GB SATA drives at 7.2K RPM
- Up to 4 x 300GB SAS drives at 15K RPM
With the optional SAS RAID controller, the 2950‘s disks delivered incredible performance:
- 8 x 146GB in RAID 10 – Up to 800MB/sec reads, 400MB/sec writes
- 6 x 500GB in RAID 10 – Up to 600MB/sec reads, 300MB/sec writes
Databases, virtualized applications, and other I/O intensive workloads could be driven at blazing speeds. The 2950 provided some of the best storage throughput in its 2U class at the time.
And the hot-swappable trays gave the 2950 class-leading uptime. Drives could be replaced without any downtime. Combined with redundant PSUs, fans, and network cards, the 2950 was built for 24/7 operation.
Let‘s move up the stack from the hardware to the software capabilities…
PowerEdge 2950 OS Support – Windows, Linux, and Virtualization
The 2950 shipped with Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 pre-installed. This optimized OS accelerated deployment of file servers and storage appliances.
Beyond that, the 2950 was certified for a wide range of Windows and Linux operating systems:
- Windows Server – 2003/2008 in Standard and Enterprise editions
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux – Version 4 and 5
- SUSE Linux – SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
This robust OS support enabled the 2950 to take on a diverse set of server workloads:
- Active Directory, DNS, and DHCP on Windows Server
- Web hosting under IIS, Apache, or Nginx
- Running MySQL, Microsoft SQL, and other databases
- Java application serving with Tomcat
- Messaging platforms like Microsoft Exchange
- File and print services
Importantly, the 2950 was also certified by VMware and Xen for virtualization duties:
- VMware ESX 3.5 and 4.0
- Citrix XenServer 5.5
- Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
With its balanced hardware and virtualization-ready design, the 2950 powered consolidation of Windows and Linux workloads using leading virtualization platforms.
Next, let‘s examine the forward-looking remote management capabilities that made the 2950 stand out…
Lights-Out Management With Dell DRAC
The 2950 debuted Dell‘s next-generation DRAC platform for comprehensive lights out server control. DRAC stood for "Dell Remote Access Controller".
DRAC was built right into the server – an integrated hardware component, not an add-on card. This allowed complete remote administration without dependency on a functioning OS or software agents.
Key highlights of DRAC included:
- Remote power cycling for rebooting hung servers
- HTML5 and Java web interfaces for full console and OS access
- Hardware monitoring with automatic alerts and notifications
- Virtual media for OS deployment and patching
- User account management including Active Directory integration
With DRAC, 2950 servers could be deployed in lights out data centers and managed remotely from anywhere. For larger deployments, DRAC enabled automation across fleets of PowerEdge servers.
Combined with grab-and-go drive trays and tool-less access, the 2950 delivered next-generation convenience and efficiency. Dell was heavily focused on ease of management, and DRAC was a big leap forward.
Now let‘s fast forward to the present to see how the 2950 was received when it launched…
PowerEdge 2950 Public Reception – Reviews and Market Success
The PowerEdge 2950 received strong praise and positive reviews right out of the gate. IT professionals were impressed by its blend of performance, scalability, reliability and forward-looking features.
Early reviews consistently praised the 2950 for:
- Density and efficiency packing dual Xeon 5000‘s in just 2U
- Class-leading storage with hot-swappable drive trays
- Innovative DRAC remote management
- Competitive pricing that stretched budgets
In one Dell-commissioned study by analyst firm Ideas International, the 2950 achieved:
- 50% higher performance per watt versus HP servers
- 30% better processor utilization during benchmarks
- 25% faster web serving and file sharing performance
IT departments noted how the 2950 consolidated multiple legacy servers in a small footprint while delivering compelling TCO. This accelerated adoption in data centers.
Dell‘s reputation for quality and support also eased concerns about migrating critical applications to the newer PowerEdge platform. By 2008 the 2950 helped Dell capture over 15% of the worldwide server market according to Gartner – firmly cementing them as a top player.
So in summary, the 2950 exceeded expectations and delivered phenomenal value. But is this ancient server still relevant in the modern world? Let‘s jump back to the present and see…
Buying a Dell 2950 Server in 2024 – What to Look For
Although the 2950 has been discontinued for over a decade, a lively secondary market exists thanks to its legendary status. However, finding one in good working order takes patience.
Here are the key points I recommend focusing on when shopping for a used 2950 server:
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Processor – Look for Xeon 53XX chips if possible. The quad core 5310 through 5320 offer good performance.
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RAM – At least 8GB, with 16GB strongly preferred. Maximum is 64GB if you can find affordably priced sticks.
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Hard Drives – SAS 10K RPM drives in a RAID 1 pair for the OS, then SATA for data.
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RAID Card – Must have a battery-backed RAID controller like the Perc 5/i or 6/i to ensure disk reliability.
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DRAC – Verify the DRAC remote management controller is enabled and functional.
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Dual PSUs – Redundant power supplies are a must for reliability.
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Physical Condition – Minimal dust/grime. No bent/ damaged components or fans. Ensure rack rails are included.
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Verify Operation – Seller should provide a picture of the 2950 fully booted into the BIOS to prove operation.
If shopping on eBay, focus on sellers with a high percentage of positive feedback, and those willing to provide a return policy. While not brand new, a refurbished 2950 can still make an excellent lab server, backup solution, or general experimentation system.
I hope this gives you some ideas of what to keep an eye out for when on the hunt for a 2950!
Closing Thoughts – The 2950‘s Lasting Legacy
Well my friend, we‘ve reached the end of our journey exploring the legendary Dell PowerEdge 2950 server. I hope you‘ve enjoyed this deep dive through its history, specs, performance and legacy.
While no longer sold today, the 2950 remains one of the most beloved and capable PowerEdge servers ever produced. It combined data center-class hardware, efficiency, and forward-looking tech like DRAC remote management in an affordable 2U form factor.
For IT professionals, the 2950 represents the pinnacle of price/performance and reliability during the mid 2000‘s era. It played a pivotal role in Dell‘s emerging strength in the server industry.
The 2950‘s DNA lives on in modern Dell EM C PowerEdge servers like the R740xd. It exemplifies the innovation and quality that make PowerEdge the most trusted server brand for businesses.
I hope this guide gave you a comprehensive look at this legendary 2U machine. Please let me know if you have any other questions as you shop for a PowerEdge 2950. I‘m always happy to help anyone still interested in this iconic server – it will forever hold a special place in my geek heart!