HP MediaSmart Server LX195 Review


Design & Build Quality



It might be difficult to judge the size of the HP MediaSmart Server LX195 from photographs, but it's actually a relatively small device, sitting only 8.2-inches high, 8.0-inches deep, and 3.9-inches wide--it shouldn't take up too much room wherever you decide to place it. As it only requires power and an Ethernet connection, the options for where it will reside are plentiful--although the LX195 is a headless device (you don't attach a keyboard, mouse, or display to it), you'll still want to make sure it is placed in a well-ventilated area.

  

The entire chassis is made of plastic with a flat-black, matte finish. The front of the device includes three status lights, product labels, and a "recessed Status/Recovery button," which is accessed with the end of a paper clip. The three status lights are for power, hard drive, and health. As long as the device is operating as expected, all three lights glow green; if there are problems, the respective status lights will glow red.



The sides of the unit have a serrated look to them. The back of the server has an RJ-45 Ethernet jack, four USB 2.0 ports, the power input jack (the power supply is housed a small external power brick), the power button, and a Kensington Security Slot. The bottom of the unit includes the device's serial number and the OS product key--we were disappointed that the device's MAC address was not printed anywhere on the device.
 

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