HP NetServer
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Defunct | 2002 |
| Fate | Replaced by ProLiant series |
| Products | x86-architecture servers and workstations |
| Owner | Hewlett-Packard |
NetServer was a series of x86-architecture server and workstation systems marketed by Hewlett-Packard (HP) between 1993 and 2002. This product line represented HP's initial venture into the commodity local area network (LAN) sector.
The NetServer portfolio encompassed multiple models featuring diverse chassis designs and processor configurations.
In 2002, the NetServer range was succeeded by the ProLiant series, originally created by Compaq, which HP acquired that same year. Since 2015, ProLiant servers have been managed under Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
History
HP introduced the NetServer lineup in May 1993, launching the LE and LM series. The LE models were designed as affordable minitower systems beginning with a 33-MHz i486SX, 4 MB of RAM, and no integrated drives but equipped with a Fast SCSI controller supporting up to four internal drives; RAID options were also offered. More advanced LE variants included i486 and DX2 processors running at 33 MHz and 66 MHz respectively. The LM series utilized wider deskside enclosures capable of housing up to eight hard drives configured in RAID 0, 1, or 5 arrays, powered by processors such as the 33-MHz i486, 66-MHz DX2, or single/dual Pentium CPUs. Initially, NetServer competed against HP's own RISC-based HP 9000 workstations and Compaq's ProLiant servers launched around the same period.
Subsequent NetServer iterations incorporated single or dual Pentium II and Pentium III processors.
After HP's acquisition of Compaq in 2002, the NetServer product line was phased out in favor of Compaq's ProLiant servers, which became HP's main x86 server platform.