On Jul 14, 2010, at 9:57 AM, Edward Ned Harvey wrote: >> From: zfs-discuss-boun...@opensolaris.org [mailto:zfs-discuss- >> boun...@opensolaris.org] On Behalf Of Edward Ned Harvey >> >> When you pay for the higher prices for OEM hardware, you're paying for >> the >> knowledge of parts availability and compatibility. And a single point >> vendor who supports the system as a whole, not just one component. > > For the record: > > I'm not saying this is always worth while. Sometimes I buy the enterprise > product and triple-platinum support. Sometimes I buy generic blackboxes > with mfgr warranty on individual components. It depends on your specific > needs at the time. > > I will say, that I am a highly paid senior admin. I only buy the generic > black boxes if I have interns or junior (no college level) people available > to support them. > > _______________________________________________ > zfs-discuss mailing list > zfs-discuss@opensolaris.org > http://mail.opensolaris.org/mailman/listinfo/zfs-discuss
At a previous company, I used to think a black box solution was equivalent to the enterprise solutions. I changed my mind over time as the black boxes aged. A few of the problems: 1. The lights-out-management of black box solutions is shoddy at best. 2. Microcode updates for black box solutions are simply awful to implement. I bricked a number of boards because I couldn't figure out which model of motherboard/bios was installed on the boxes. Network based microcode updates? No, try a floppy. 3. The black box 'fit' in the case caused problems over time. The cables were sub-par and routed poorly, and the airflow simply sucked. 4. The hard drives ordered from Newegg, Fry's or equivalent had more problems over time than their enterprise equivalent. 5. Even when supported, maintenance on the solutions (pulling them from racks, replacing boards, etc.) was far more difficult and time consuming than on their enterprise equivalent. As someone else pointed out, the black box solutions are cheap. I agree. They're cheap initially, but a pain to support over time. As you mention above, if you've got a number of people to handle the above problems, they may be a good fit. Otherwise, no way. As always, YMMV. ----- Gregory Shaw, Enterprise IT Architect Phone: (303) 246-5411 Oracle Global IT Service Design Group 500 Eldorado Blvd, UBRM02-157 greg.s...@oracle.com (work) Broomfield, CO 80021 gr...@fmsoft.com (home) Hoping the problem magically goes away by ignoring it is the "microsoft approach to programming" and should never be allowed. (Linus Torvalds) _______________________________________________ zfs-discuss mailing list zfs-discuss@opensolaris.org http://mail.opensolaris.org/mailman/listinfo/zfs-discuss
