Broadberry CyberServe XE5-102S v3 review
Broadberry’s pizza-box server shows that good things do come in small packages
The CyberServe XE5-102S v3 delivers a mighty hardware spec in a tiny rack chassis making it ideal for hosting a wide range of business apps in the smallest of rack spaces
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Innovative chassis design; Remarkable hardware/size ratio; Low cost 10GbE upgrades; Good value
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Small storage capacity
External features
The server's I/O panel is packed with features as you get dual Gigabit plus a dedicated network port for remote server management. VGA, two USB 3 and combined PS/2 ports nestle in there, power buttons are located fore and aft while LED status indicators are provided for the drives and network ports.
Two knockout panels underneath the PCI-Express expansion plates accommodate an optional dual-port 10GbE mezzanine card. Cooling is handled well as both front and rear grills use the same efficient honeycomb design found in Fujitsu's Primergy rack servers.
A smart feature is the bright red Q-code display which provides at-a-glance hardware diagnostics. It shows the initialization status of key components during the boot phase and all the codes are listed in the Z10PR-D16 motherboard manual.
Asus has thought of every power permutation as you can plug it in from the back or front using standard C13 leads. It's also easy on the supply as we measured the server sipping 68W with Windows Server 2012 R2 in idle and peaking at only 111W under heavy load.
The integral ASMB8 management controller provides plenty of detail on all critical hardware components
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