VIA Puts Nano CPU in Compact Server

The forearm-length rectangular box contains a power supply and a Nano processor board (64-bit, 1-2 GHz, 1MB cache and 800MHz FSB). The almost square front includes a USB port and activated LEDs for hard drive and network activity. The back has two USB ports, two Gigabit RJ-45 LAN ports and a VGA monitor port. Two 3.5" SATA-II hard disks are inside that the manufacturer rates at a maximum 4TB. Memory is two DDR2 SSO-DIMM sockets at 533 and 667 MHz bus frequencies. VIA suggests the CompactFlash Type 1 socket makes for a bootable SSD.

Next to the three previous Windows editions, VIA has also tested Ubuntu, SLED and FreeBSD on the device and declares them compatible. The Taipei company sees usage mainly for backup, network video recording or logging services in home or mid-sized enterprises. The compact server is available for OEMs, with specifics as to regions or price not yet known.

The VIA M'SERV S2100 apparently wants to win some points for its design, although it has no new components. Its x86 Nano processor has been on the market since mid-2008, while the new 3000 series has just been recently announced. Details about VIA's Isaiah architecture are in a whitepaper linked from VIA's press release page. Graphics are handled by the VX800 chipset introduced in April 2008.