Comments on: Five Myths About Blade Servers http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/ Open Source, Open Standards Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:47:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: thecolombian http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4691 thecolombian Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4691 Blades Cost More<br /> <br /> On the cooling and power side Blades to cost more if you do know own your own data center. If are space on one of the largest data center providers they will charge you the same amount of money for power regardless if your servers can run on lower power when not fully used. On an outsource datacenter you pay full price for the maximum capacity of a 120/20 and the corresponding cooling that is associated with that power. That is: <br /> <br /> Amps * Volts = Watts<br /> Watts * hours = watthours<br /> watthours * 3.41214148 = Btu Blades Cost More

On the cooling and power side Blades to cost more if you do know own your own data center. If are space on one of the largest data center providers they will charge you the same amount of money for power regardless if your servers can run on lower power when not fully used. On an outsource datacenter you pay full price for the maximum capacity of a 120/20 and the corresponding cooling that is associated with that power. That is:

Amps * Volts = Watts
Watts * hours = watthours
watthours * 3.41214148 = Btu

]]> By: gcreager http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4692 gcreager Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4692 Our experience with blades has been that while they're useful for HPC applications, they tend to concentrate heat discharge, making good thermal management a significant factor in planning and operations. Doing it over, I'd rather concentrate my systems in a multinode 1u chassis with more even rear-discharge air than a blade system with forced vertical exhaust. Our experience with blades has been that while they’re useful for HPC applications, they tend to concentrate heat discharge, making good thermal management a significant factor in planning and operations. Doing it over, I’d rather concentrate my systems in a multinode 1u chassis with more even rear-discharge air than a blade system with forced vertical exhaust.

]]> By: srikanth.cheruku http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4693 srikanth.cheruku Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4693 I think, manufacturers know that blades are not that great, but they are just trying their luck by advertising too much. I think, manufacturers know that blades are not that great, but they are just trying their luck by advertising too much.

]]> By: jskondel http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4694 jskondel Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4694 We currently have 21 Dell blades with RHEL 5 and WMVware ESX suite installed. Now we have over 110 VMware guests running and growing, ranging from Windows server to Linux to FreeBSD. We currently have 21 Dell blades with RHEL 5 and WMVware ESX suite installed. Now we have over 110 VMware guests running and growing, ranging from Windows server to Linux to FreeBSD.

]]> By: srikanth.cheruku http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4695 srikanth.cheruku Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4695 how much did you pay for the vm ware esx license? how much did you pay for the vm ware esx license?

]]> By: elittle http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4696 elittle Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4696 I have worked with the HP Blade systems in conjunction with an HP EVA 4400. This has been a winning combination for me and my company. I can get more out of a blade system running ESX using boot from SAN than I ever could with a bunch of 1U servers ever could. I think that this is the way to go and the ROI is there. I have worked with the HP Blade systems in conjunction with an HP EVA 4400. This has been a winning combination for me and my company. I can get more out of a blade system running ESX using boot from SAN than I ever could with a bunch of 1U servers ever could. I think that this is the way to go and the ROI is there.

]]> By: bongsf http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4697 bongsf Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4697 I never like the idea of having blades + VMware/virtualization for a fit all your 60 servers in 6U solution. Even though it sounded and looked cool, there're just to many drawback in it. Let's start with the hardware. As mentioned in the article, and contrary to what was written, IO is STILL a bottle neck. Just look at IBM's blade where there are limited to 2 Qlogic FC controllers per blade. This is already an indication it is never meant for high I/O demand. Remember we could squeeze 8 cores/32GB RAM in a blade, but we get a mere 8gbps total for disk access. This has not factor in the flexibility of design of SAN. As for the network interfaces where all blades are connected to a 6 ports Nortel switch. One really need to design the network carefully to segregate the bandwidth by configuring the switch for all the blades in order to not having all of them squeezing through a mere 1gbps uplink!<br /> As for virtualization, it's really about saving the money in hardware and send it to VMware. Look at the pricing of ESX, and it's RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Sometimes I just think there're too many trend followers dumping their money for a non-feasible solution. Where's the ease of management where all vm are running on its' own? And what is so much about hardware management cost? Do we expect to see a faulty component on all the individual server everyday? That's not including the case when one blade burn down 20 vm would just die at ONCE! When a 1u dies, ONE machine dies. I never like the idea of having blades + VMware/virtualization for a fit all your 60 servers in 6U solution. Even though it sounded and looked cool, there’re just to many drawback in it. Let’s start with the hardware. As mentioned in the article, and contrary to what was written, IO is STILL a bottle neck. Just look at IBM’s blade where there are limited to 2 Qlogic FC controllers per blade. This is already an indication it is never meant for high I/O demand. Remember we could squeeze 8 cores/32GB RAM in a blade, but we get a mere 8gbps total for disk access. This has not factor in the flexibility of design of SAN. As for the network interfaces where all blades are connected to a 6 ports Nortel switch. One really need to design the network carefully to segregate the bandwidth by configuring the switch for all the blades in order to not having all of them squeezing through a mere 1gbps uplink!
As for virtualization, it’s really about saving the money in hardware and send it to VMware. Look at the pricing of ESX, and it’s RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Sometimes I just think there’re too many trend followers dumping their money for a non-feasible solution. Where’s the ease of management where all vm are running on its’ own? And what is so much about hardware management cost? Do we expect to see a faulty component on all the individual server everyday? That’s not including the case when one blade burn down 20 vm would just die at ONCE! When a 1u dies, ONE machine dies.

]]> By: stoggy http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4698 stoggy Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4698 <p>blade management sucks, i hate those webpages.</p> <p>give me ssh or give me death! </p> blade management sucks, i hate those webpages.

give me ssh or give me death!

]]> By: shanedawg http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4699 shanedawg Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4699 <p>stoggy, you can do a lot on hp c class with the command line. For example you can upgrade 16 blades firmware with a couple lines of code. </p> <p>As for the article above, it\'s mostly quoted marketing BS. blades saving you money by having fewer cables? Give me a break. </p> stoggy, you can do a lot on hp c class with the command line. For example you can upgrade 16 blades firmware with a couple lines of code.

As for the article above, it\’s mostly quoted marketing BS. blades saving you money by having fewer cables? Give me a break.

]]> By: zwing http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4700 zwing Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4153/#comment-4700 <p>LMAO at:</p> <blockquote><p>blades saving you money by having fewer cables.</p></blockquote> <p>Blades are not for every one since they require additional planing (network, storage, cooling,etc)</p> <p>For example us, were a small data center and instead of having 60 servers ranging from 1U all the way up to 4U we bout an HP B-class enclosure with 4 Blades and a couple of redundant Aberdeen SAN\'s</p> <p>This occupies less than 1 rack!!!</p> <p>Sure the network configuration was a bit tricky but everything works out better that before,now we have HA where it wasn\'t possible before due to space limitation of the site.</p> <p>As far as ESX goes we are using ESXi and its more that enough for our needs.</p> <p>So blades for us did work out well enough, and we still have room to grow on that chassis. </p> LMAO at:

blades saving you money by having fewer cables.

Blades are not for every one since they require additional planing (network, storage, cooling,etc)

For example us, were a small data center and instead of having 60 servers ranging from 1U all the way up to 4U we bout an HP B-class enclosure with 4 Blades and a couple of redundant Aberdeen SAN\’s

This occupies less than 1 rack!!!

Sure the network configuration was a bit tricky but everything works out better that before,now we have HA where it wasn\’t possible before due to space limitation of the site.

As far as ESX goes we are using ESXi and its more that enough for our needs.

So blades for us did work out well enough, and we still have room to grow on that chassis.

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