Gateway GR360 F1 review

Gateway is moving back into the server market in a big way and has HP clearly in its sights. In this review we see if the new GR360 F1 has the muscle to take on the establishment.

You can view details about all critical components and use LDAP and RADIUS servers to authenticate remote access. The RMM features aren't as sophisticated as HP's iLO2 chip, but they do work well and include KVM-over-IP remote control as standard and not as an optional extra.

Gateway's server deployment tools won't beat Dell's LifeCycle Controller, but its bootable Smart Setup disk does include a useful toolbox of utilities. These can be used to install an OS, configure the remote management controller, create RAID arrays and clone system configurations for use with multiple servers.

Our favourite 1U rack server is still Dell's superbly designed PowerEdge R610 and the Gateway GR360 F1 won't be changing our minds. However, it does compete strongly with HP's DL360 as it has equally good expansion potential but is significantly better value.

Verdict

Gateway’s new GR360 F1 has high storage capacity and plenty of expansion potential in a well-built 1U chassis. Remote management tools aren’t as good as those offered by Dell or HP, but the GR360 F1 costs a lot less than a similarly specified ProLiant DL360.

SPECIFICATIONS Chassis: 1U rack CPU: 2.13GHz E5506 Xeon Memory: 6GB 800MHz DDR3 expandable to 192GB Storage: 3 x 150GB WD Enterprise 10K SFF SATA hard disks in hot-swap carriers RAID: embedded ICH10R 6-port SATA controller Array support: RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 Expansion: Flex I/O, 2 x PCI-E Network: 4 x Gigabit Ethernet Power: 2x 700W hot-plug power supplies Management: embedded RMM with 10/100 port Software: Gateway Smart Setup CD and Smart Server Manager Options: 8-port SAS Flex I/O card; £479 ex VAT

Dave Mitchell

Dave is an IT consultant and freelance journalist specialising in hands-on reviews of computer networking products covering all market sectors from small businesses to enterprises. Founder of Binary Testing Ltd – the UK’s premier independent network testing laboratory - Dave has over 45 years of experience in the IT industry.

Dave has produced many thousands of in-depth business networking product reviews from his lab which have been reproduced globally. Writing for ITPro and its sister title, PC Pro, he covers all areas of business IT infrastructure, including servers, storage, network security, data protection, cloud, infrastructure and services.