Hewlett-Packard Co is making over the low-end of its 32-bit Precision Architecture RISC 7200-based D-Class Unix server line with new uniprocessors using the cache-enabled PA-7300LC, and is cutting prices on other models in the line. HP pitches some D- Class models against Sun Microsystems Inc’s hugely successful Netra internet servers. The new D330, D320, D230 and D220 configurations use 160MHz and 132MHz versions of the 32-bit PA- 7300LC RISC, which was the first Precision Architecture part to be fitted with on-board cache – in this case 128Kb, with 1Mb secondary cache options. Claimed to perform at 500 SPECweb96 – or 60% better than Sun’s 170MHz Ultra Enterprise 1E server – the 160MHz D330 starts at $16,700. The 132MHz D220 costs from $8,900. Base configurations include 32Mb RAM and 2Gb disk. After slashing D-Class model prices last July, HP is trimming tags further; the $6,900 D210 is the new entry-price point for the line, 25% cheaper than the D200. At the high-end, D-Class servers can accommodate two 64-bit PA-8000 RISCs.
