Compatibility with Windows Server 2003

[djstan]

Hi all

Hope you can help.

Does anybody know if either the Sounblaster Audigy or X-Fi range of sound cards work with Windows Server 2003?

I'm having a blummin awful time trying to find out whether they will work or not!

Hope you can help

Cheers

[CeeBee]

Should work with the XP drivers. But why do you need it on a server? Creative drivers are sometimes buggy, you don't want a production server to crash for the sake of some beeps.

[djstan]

I hear what you're saying, but unfortunately this server needs a sound card - it's for some kind of voice-over-IP / message queuing facility

What alternatives are there then, if the creative drivers are buggy?

It's to go into an HP Proliant DL 380 - needs to be 3.5v (or is that 3.3v?) PCI rather than 5v and be supported by Windows Server 2003.

Cheers.

[CeeBee]

it's trial and error... I would use an older card (audigy) as drivers had some time to be fixed. On the other side X-Fi will be supportted longer...

[djstan]

Doesn't have to be a Creative card... anybody got any experience of others working?

[PBase001]

Either the software vender that you're considering have a suggestion or the hardware vender will have the solution built into their hardware, no?

What software and hardware are you looking at?

[djstan]

Either the software vender that you're considering have a suggestion or the hardware vender will have the solution built into their hardware, no?

What software and hardware are you looking at?

Sadly not, the vendor is as non-committal as they come, and the reason that I'm having to deal with it is that they don't have the capability to be able to resolve it themselves!

[slgrieb]

Always seems like the software designed for vertical markets (banks, auto parts store, etc.) is always the lamest. And, the more specialized the market and the more crucial the application, the lower the vendor's competence. Let me guess. This software does something like send voice alerts to high-ranking officials notifying them that a nuclear attack is in progress, right?

Well then. If you just need basic sound services and don't care about fancy stuff, I'd use any of the generic sound cards out there with Crystal, C-Media, or ALS/VIA chips in preference to any of Soundblaster's stuff. I've built several small servers with on-board sound using all of these chips, and they run just fine. I then disable the the sound 'cause it never gets used. But just as in your situation, someday it might be needed so I want to know it works if I have to trun it back on.

[WebHead]

I recommend going here: http://www.soundblaster.com/support/

and then run the autoupdate. There is a link there.

[houseisland]

With my toy 2003 server, I had problems getting newer sound cards to work. It eventually liked an old PCI 512 card I had at the bottom of box somewhere.

[djstan]

Always seems like the software designed for vertical markets (banks, auto parts store, etc.) is always the lamest. And, the more specialized the market and the more crucial the application, the lower the vendor's competence. Let me guess. This software does something like send voice alerts to high-ranking officials notifying them that a nuclear attack is in progress, right?

Well then. If you just need basic sound services and don't care about fancy stuff, I'd use any of the generic sound cards out there with Crystal, C-Media, or ALS/VIA chips in preference to any of Soundblaster's stuff. I've built several small servers with on-board sound using all of these chips, and they run just fine. I then disable the the sound 'cause it never gets used. But just as in your situation, someday it might be needed so I want to know it works if I have to trun it back on.

Something like that, yeah :flames:

Thing is the DL380 doesn't have any 5v PCI slots, so I can't use *any* old PCI sound card, which is why I'm having so many problems :(

[PBase001]

Call up HP and ask them for their recommendation. It's their hardware, so let's hope they have a solution.