[ale] Server Hardware

[Jack Schneider]

On Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:38:07 +0000
hbbs at comcast.net wrote:

> In more recent years, I've advocated buying servers from
> manufacturers who use high-quality standard-issue motherboards to
> include the same manufacturers who make the motherboards themselves
> as opposed to the typical Dell/HP/IBM sourcing that's so prevalent in
> industry.
> 
> My experience has been that even though the Dell/HP/IBM warranty,
> support, and field service are supposed to be the big compelling draw
> and are supposed to justify the cost, in reality:
> 
> * Field service is often slow, ineffectual, and/or incapable of
> making sound technical evaluations of situations yet won't take your
> word for anything
> * Parts - from cooling fans to motherboards - are not typical COTS
> items, so you're dependent on the manufacturer and/or field support
> for even the slightest issue
> * Shoddy workmanship, poor QA, and shipping damage run rampant
> 
> On the other hand, manufacturers that integrate and produce servers
> out of COTS still give you a decent enough warranty but leave you
> able to source parts from where you feel like it for the sake of
> expediency or post-sale modification, and you can easily buy and
> store extra power supplies, RAM, mobos, drive sleds, and power
> supplies so that a server that has gone dead and won't POST can be
> brought back to life by on-hand staff in a few minutes' time.  
> 
> 1.  Is this valid today?  Was it ever?
> 2. What manufacturers have you had a good history with?  What vendors
> sell their products?  
> 
> I personally bought a Supermicro SuperServer from HL Computer locally
> a while back, and once I replaced its dodgy power supply it's been
> fine, running without a reboot up at QTS for over 500 days.  HL does
> not ordinarily carry such equipment so I'd like to find a vendor who
> has a good history of selling this sort of equipment.
> 
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