Quoting Mark Walkom <[email protected]>: >> From the thread; > *"Yes, while on the surface I don't like the sound of it, the truth is that > "Dell-certified" drives have a special firmware on them that allows them > to respond correctly to advanced requests made by the controllers so that > operation of the machine can be guaranteed. Having been a technical analyst > for Dell servers, I can tell you that many issues arise from the use of > non-certified drives. So, while I don't like it, I can understand it.
I can understand making this a default which can be 'undone' by the admin. But not making it the only option. And here is why... We run a bunch of older machine still. I have a stable of Dell PE 2300, 2400, 2500, 2650, etc. machines that I still use. BUT, Dell no longer supports these things for parts or software (e.g. OMSA). So, if they block the non-Dell drives, and then Dell stops selling the needed drives, and you need to replace or add drives, you are then out of luck. And that isn't right. I know Dell probably hates that I'm still running 10 year old 2300 servers, but hey, they work! > Besides, Dell doesn't make the drives - they are made the top drive > manufacturers, but in order to guarantee compatibility/reliability, they put > a Dell-specific FW on them. Just a thought :)"* Yeah, but if Dell stops selling them, then what? You can't get them elsewhere... Your only choices are: 1) stock up now, in case you need them. 2) try to buy them used on ebay or somewhere Not how I like to do business. I'd rather be able to continue to buy and use drives even if Dell stops selling/supporting them. > Perhaps it's more the cost of the 'official' drives that is the issue here, > maybe Dell can make the prices a bit more reasonable. To me it isn't the cost, it is the fact that I simply don't trust Dell to support (sell) them as long as I think I'll be using their machines... And that leaves me stuck between a rock and a Dell... > I know I'd be happy paying for the drives if they had technical benefits > that weren't offset by stupidly high prices. And if you believe Dell will support them as long as you own the machines... Can't buy a DRAC II from Dell any more for my PE 2300/2400/2500 machines; I had to buy them used from a 3rd party instead. Don't want that to happen to my disk drives too... -- Eric Rostetter The Department of Physics The University of Texas at Austin Go Longhorns! _______________________________________________ Linux-PowerEdge mailing list [email protected] https://lists.us.dell.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-poweredge Please read the FAQ at http://lists.us.dell.com/faq
