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No-Brainer Networking

The Hewlett-Packard NetServer E50 is a case in point. The unit I tested (street price: $2589) had a 333-MHz Pentium II CPU, 64MB of RAM, and a 4GB Wide Ultra SCSI hard drive; the 4GB SCSI tape backup is a nice enhancement. Like many bargain-basement desktop PCs, the E50 comes without a monitor. More important, it lacks an operating system: You'd have to pay an additional $1129 for a ten-user version of Windows NT 4.0 Server, or $995 for a five-seat license to NetWare for Small Business 4.11.

You don't need advanced networking expertise to run the NetServer E50. About 2 hours after opening the box, I had it running without a hitch in my six-PC network. One key is HP Navigator (not to be confused with Netscape's browser), a bootable CD-ROM that automatically handles setup and installation of the NOS. The prerelease version I tested supported NT, Novell NetWare, IBM OS/2, Banyan VINES, and SCO UNIX. I simply inserted the CD-ROMs when prompted and answered a few basic questions; Navigator took care of the rest.

HP TopTools, the other key software component, continuously monitors the server software and hardware. If problems develop, pop-up warning messages appear on designated systems. To handle problems you can't fix yourself, the NetServer E50 includes still another utility that enables your dealer to diagnose the cause via modem.

Rounding out the E50's software bundle, Stac Replica automatically keeps a current tape backup of the server's hard drive. The NetServer E50 even monitors the condition of the tape drive and the storage media; all you need to remember is to change tapes.