This IT equipment was originally designed as an email gateway applicance with extensive features for the control and filtering of email traffic - targeted at the enterprise user.
This equipment has reached EOL (2012 Cisco announced end of life for this product) but it may well be of use as the basis for an interesting repurposing project.
I have seen many online forums where users repurpose this equipment (flash BIOS and install Linux to create a new purpose for the equipment) it is afterall a basic Dell 2650 Edge Server under the control of special purpose software - research this aspect before purchasing this equipment, I do NOT include consultation with the equipment I am offering.
Keep in mind that this appliance is LARGE/HEAVY (details below) it is much larger and heavier than standard rack equipment!
Ironport is a company that Cisco acquired and subsequently installed this equipment in many of their large clients, this particular machine came from a large ISP here in Australia
Ironport C60 Email Gateway Appliance
Model C60
Released to market around 2005 (in the world of IT, this now makes it "ancient" but still very useful for a Unix/Linux project at a fraction of the original hardware cost which was US$63,500 per unit)
This equipment is designed (when used in conjunction with Cisco software) advanced threat prevention, block spam and viruses, and enable corporate email policy enforcement
If you set aside the Cisco software, in reality this is a dual processor server with good memory capabilites (12Gb), raid array, dual hot swappable power supplies, extensive internal cooling systems for long term reliability
The core operating system supplied by Cisco was AsyncOS which is founded on a UNIX based kernel - you cannot purchase this AsyncOS software any longer and why would you? Run the equipment under Linux and you have a lot more flexibility (and money in your pocket!)
Other software installed on this system was supplied by Symantec and Sophos
Standard 2RU height
THIS EQUIPMENT IS LARGE AND HEAVY:
Dimensions: 483mm wide x 720mm deep x 90mm height
Weight: 25Kg
Make sure you have rack rails to suit or sit the equipment on a VERY STRONG (Steel) tray within the cabinet - this will definitely not suit "front mounting" Ventilation is only from the rear so it doesn't matter if the top/bottom/sides are enclosed.
EXTERNAL OBSERVATIONS:
Drop down front panel reveals 4x drive bays, small status display and an ON-OFF-STANDBY soft touch button
The case was originally mounted on rack rails, these are NOT supplied
All metal case/frame construction, extremely robust case construction
Rear Panel:
2x AC power supplies (dual redundancy/hot swap)
2x power supply status leds
2x Gigabit Data ports (RJ45)
1x Serial port (DB9)
1x Management port (via an installed comms card)
Unscrew two screws on the front panel (clearly marked) and the top steel cover slides off to reveal the hardware inside
The motherboard is a DELL Edge 2650 (PPID CN-0N2933-13740-38L-0090)
7x internal cooling fans! This explains why the server sounds like an aircraft engine when fired up, a lot of fans are pushing air around inside. It appears that these are hot swap capable (prevents system downtime while maintenance is being undertaken)
2x Intel Xeon processors (533Mhz FSB) I do NOT know the speed of these Xeon's - I wasn't about to dismantle the heatsink and didn't access the machine through the management port but I suspect this will be a pair of 2.6Ghz Xeons (these boards can run Xeons from 2.0Ghz up to 3.02Ghz)
1x Adaptec AIC-7899 Dual-Channel PCI-to-Ultra160/Mb/sec SCSI Single-Chip Host SCSI controller chip
6x SRAM DDR memory slots - providing support for up to 12Gb - 4 slots have memory installed (2x 1Gb HB54R1G9F2U & 2x 512Mb EBD51RC4AAFA0)
1x SRAM memory slot (RAID memory) which is populated SAMSUNG 128Mb DIMM
2x Voltage Regulator cards CN-08R158
3x PCI-X slots - one slot is used for the Management NIC
1x CD ROM drive Samsung CD MASTER 24E (secured behind the front panel and not normally accessible by the user - remove the front panel and all is revealed)
4x SCSI (SCSI-3) Hard Drive Bays (Hot Swap) with all bays populated (4x Hitachi Ultrastar 73Gb 10K Model: IC35L073UCDY10-0)
While not immediately obvious, BEHIND the hefty front panel (right hand side) is an external devices PCB, this is connected but not normally accessible unless the front panel is removed from the Ironport applicance (4x screws) - this is the location of a PS2 port, VGA port and USB port.
COSMETIC CONDITION:
No casing damage, clean
No missing modules or missing/broken parts
TESTING:
I have undertaken basic testing, the only reason for doing the basics is that I feel it is extremely unlikely a user will be firing this up to use as an Email Gateway Server. I just wanted to check basic functionality only .... here is what I discovered
Upon start up, the front display is blue and displays IRONPORT in a scrolling display (it is a very small display)
No strange noises but LOTS of fan noise, not because the bearings are bad but there are 7 of them pushing a lot of air around! If you wanted to run this equipment in a quiet environment, quite frankly it is far too noisy for that sort of setup.
The machine proceeds through its POST, display changes to Orange background.
3 error messages are notified - none are of major concern although one does need attention ... read on
1: Power supply #2 failed - why? I did not have it plugged in! I swapped the power input lead from PS #1 to PS #2 and the error moves to PS #1 which means the power supplies are fine but I am supposed to supply AC power to BOTH power supplies at the same time, that is the whole purpose of redundancy.
So, this PS error is not really a problem, I am just a bit lazy to power up both power supplies!
2: Fan RPM error (#5) - I had a look at which fan this is, it sits next to the heatsink on one of the Xeon processors (each processor has two fans, sitting on each side of the heatsink) The fans are built for quick release, removal was easy and also it is easy to see the problem - the fan has seized. The fan type is AFB0612EH or in English it is a 12V 460mA fan, standard 3 wires (power plus speed sensor) measuring 60mm x 60mm x 25mm thick. These are not hard to find, just splice the original board connector onto the wiring for the new fan and you are in business - nicely cooled Xeon CPU.
NOTE: I noticed quite a bit a dirt buildup on the sides of the heatsinks, it would be worthwhile to give these a good cleanup to improve the cooling efficiency of both the heatsink and the fans.
3: Intrusion detection - this is easy, I had the top lid off and there is a microswitch which detects this, this is not a true error at all
Further to error #2, I will supply the original fan and its connector/mounting bracket along with the equipment.
There is a lot of information about accessing the system, via the Management Port usually but there is the serial port as well. A wealth of information is available online and many comment that accessing the equipment for software management is not a difficult task.
I did NOT access the system configuration or setup, couldn't see much point because it is extremely likely the new owner will NOT be using the current configuration at all.
Australia Post will NOT accept this equipment for delivery - it exceeds their weight limits. Courier quotations can be obtained, I just need the postcode for delivery.
SPECIAL NOTE: If a buyer is within the Sydney metro area, I am prepared to personally ship this to your location for $15 fixed price
I am defining the Sydney area as the area roughly bounded by Gosford to the North, Blue Mountains to the West and Sutherland to the South
Any delivery will only be made by arrangement and the item must have been paid for - no cash on deliveries (I used to do this but the receiver either wasn't at the location (doh!) or attempted to THEN bargain on the price - no payment no delivery
