On Fri, 14 Jan 2011, Roy McMorran wrote:
I'm seeking recommendations for x86 based servers. Historically we have been a Sun shop, and although it's probably been 4+ years since I've bought any SPARC-based hardware, I have purchased several of their Intel-based servers over the past few years. Since Sun were swallowed up by Oracle their prices have gone up (or should I say the discounts have evaporated) so it's time to consider other vendors.
I made my living at PC repair at one point, and was trained on various vendors products.
the big names definantly have nicer engineering in them, which translates into better airflow and cooling, so if you are packing your datacenter as tightly as you can with 1u boxes, the big names are best.
however, the airflow through a slightly bigger, whitebox version tends to be just about as good and very few datacenters are space limited (they tend to be power or cooling limited. the larger fans are also quieter than the screamers in the 1u boxes.
when it comes to replacing components, it's a mixed bagthe big names tend to be easier, once you figure out the custom attachements that particular model uses, but you may have to poke and prod to find how a machine comes apart. whitebox systems at least all go togeather the same way.
I also _really_ don't like the fact that when I order a server from the big name vendors I get a basic server and a stack of boxes of components to install, the 2nd tier vendors will test the systems before they ship them to me.
I've also had grief with the big name vendors not offering what I need in a server (5-6 years ago they would not offer a CD/DVD burner, only a reader, last year they would not offer me a SSD)
even if there is a reliability advantage (which after many years of using whitebox vendors, I'mnot sure of), the fact that the big names are 50-100% more expensive than the whitebox vendors for the same specs can cover quite a bit in replacement parts (or entire machines). If you have lots of special machines that you cannot easily rebuild and need to have fixed and put back online, the big names are better, if you can image a spare box and slap it in place in less time than it would take the tech to arrive, being able to afford the additional hardware that whitebox prices let you have is very nice
if you keep using a vendor long enough, you will run into problems with them. I have one model where after several years, the power supplies are starting to die regularly, but as a point of comparison, about 3 years ago we had a similar problem with the RS6000 IBM machines (and you cannot call those cheap in any way)
David Lang
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