Dell PowerEdge 2300 User Manual page 19

® ®
Dell PowerEdge 2300 systems are high-speed, upgradable server systems
designed around the Intel
2300 systems provide both high-performance Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) and Industry-Standard Architecture (ISA) expansion slots to allow for future
expansion of your system.
This chapter describes the major hardware and software features of the computer,
provides information about the indicators and controls on the computer's front panel,
and discusses connecting external devices to the computer.
The PowerEdge 2300 systems offer the following major features:
One or two Intel Pentium II microprocessors with an internal operating frequency
of 333, 350, or 400 megahertz (MHz) and an external bus speed of 66 MHz (333-MHz
processor) or 100 MHz (350- and 400-MHz processors).
The Pentium II microprocessor includes MMX
complex multimedia and communications software. This microprocessor incorpo-
rates new instructions and data types as well as a technique called Single
Instruction, Multiple Data (SIMD) that allows the microprocessor to process mul-
tiple data elements in parallel, thereby improving overall system performance.
A secondary (L2) cache of 512 kilobytes (KB) of static random-access memory
(SRAM) is included within the single-edge contact (SEC) cartridge that contains
the microprocessor. Math coprocessor functionality is internal to the
microprocessor.
Support for symmetric multiprocessing is available by installing a second Pentium II
microprocessor. Symmetric multiprocessing greatly improves overall system per-
formance by dividing microprocessor operations between the two independent
microprocessors. To take advantage of this feature, you must use an operating sys-
tem that supports multiprocessing, such as Microsoft
® ®
Novell NetWare 4.11 (and later versions).
NOTE: If you decide to upgrade your system by installing a second micro-
processor, you must order a microprocessor upgrade kit from Dell. Not all
versions of the Pentium II microprocessor will work properly as a second
® ®
Pentium II family of microprocessors. The PowerEdge
™
technology designed to handle
® ®
Windows NT 4.0 or
Introduction 1-1