After you have set the network configuration, you'll find that HP's iLO system is one of the best management utilities in servers of this class. The iLO interface is both clear and intuitive. Because it exists independently of the installed OS, you can use it to boot up the server or to manage or restart a server that has crashed. However, iLO is all you get in terms of management tools -- there are no extra management utilities like some vendors offer.

iLO isn't the only means of servicing this device, though. The DL380 has hot-swap fans and disks, is equipped with redundant power supplies, and can support stand-by memory that will detect when there are too many errors in the ECC memory and switch to the backup memory automatically. The fans are also fully redundant, so if one of them fails, you're alerted through iLO, and an LED on the server will show you which one has died.

Serviceability is enhanced by the DL380's tool-free design. If you need to add a card to one of the three standard PCI slots, you'll need only to slide the machine out on the included rails, do what you need to do, and then slide it back. A hot-plug PCI-X slot is available as an option, as is a PCI-Express slot.

If you want to know what's going on while the DL380 does its job, you check the iLO. What's more important is what the DL380 does not do -- it does not make much noise.

Some of the previous HP servers I've seen were notable for the screech made by their cooling systems. This server simply starts up quickly and settles down to a quiet hum, making your employees -- and your OSHA compliance person -- a lot happier.