We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
mark
centos-bounces@centos.org wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
From a fast & furious google-fu workout, I conclude that the "System
Common Planar" is in fact the motherboard. Look at your configuration options ... Do you see another motherboard item there?
Insert spiffy .sig here: Life is complex: it has both real and imaginary parts. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
//me ******************************************************************* This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses. www.Hubbell.com - Hubbell Incorporated**
Brunner, Brian T. wrote:
centos-bounces@centos.org wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
From a fast & furious google-fu workout, I conclude that the "System
Common Planar" is in fact the motherboard. Look at your configuration options ... Do you see another motherboard item there?
Nooooo... but I was assuming the chassis, along with the embedded slots, NIC, etc, were all one item with the base price.
If they're charging for a m/b in addition, I'm appalled.
mark
At Tue, 17 May 2011 16:06:09 -0400 CentOS mailing list centos@centos.org wrote:
Brunner, Brian T. wrote:
centos-bounces@centos.org wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
From a fast & furious google-fu workout, I conclude that the "System
Common Planar" is in fact the motherboard. Look at your configuration options ... Do you see another motherboard item there?
Nooooo... but I was assuming the chassis, along with the embedded slots, NIC, etc, were all one item with the base price.
If they're charging for a m/b in addition, I'm appalled.
Are these 'blade' servers? If so, this 'motherboard' could be the backpane the servers 'plug into'. That is there is the large chassis that can hold a bunch of 1U servers. Instead of the 1U servers just being a something that mounts in a standard rack, with hot-swap (?) disks and some running lights on the front and the usual collection of places to plug in Ethernet, serial console, keyboard/mouse, USB, and power cord, there is some sort of grand connector thing that mates to a back plane connector, which in turn has a common place for a fat power cord, plus a built in Ethernet Switch and KVM / console switch. Or something like that. Just guessing here though...
mark
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
Robert Heller wrote:
At Tue, 17 May 2011 16:06:09 -0400 CentOS mailing list centos@centos.org wrote:
Brunner, Brian T. wrote:
centos-bounces@centos.org wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
From a fast & furious google-fu workout, I conclude that the "System
Common Planar" is in fact the motherboard. Look at your configuration options ... Do you see another motherboard item there?
Nooooo... but I was assuming the chassis, along with the embedded slots, NIC, etc, were all one item with the base price.
If they're charging for a m/b in addition, I'm appalled.
Are these 'blade' servers? If so, this 'motherboard' could be the
No, just an ordinary 1U server.
mark
On 05/17/11 12:49 PM, m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
indeed, Planar is IBM-speak for a mainboard. IBM has a lot of their own unique terminology. For ages disk drives were called DASD (Direct Access Storage Devices).
generally, on the IBM 'express' configurations, everything required is included in the base configuration. sounds like you were off in their custom build land, which is mostly intended for bulk orders and everything is /a la carte/.
I *highly* recommend working with an IBM VAR who will sort out the configurations for you.
John R Pierce wrote:
On 05/17/11 12:49 PM, m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
indeed, Planar is IBM-speak for a mainboard. IBM has a lot of their own unique terminology. For ages disk drives were called DASD (Direct Access Storage Devices).
Yup. I started on mainframes, and can think DASD.
generally, on the IBM 'express' configurations, everything required is included in the base configuration. sounds like you were off in their custom build land, which is mostly intended for bulk orders and everything is /a la carte/.
I got the base configuration, I thought, for something like $2100+, and was customizing it. I wonder what I got for that amount - the case, and (as my co-worker said) the IBM logo?
I *highly* recommend working with an IBM VAR who will sort out the configurations for you.
Yeah, well, we probably won't go with them; we'll probably do Dell, but I was looking around - when we get to ordering, we're required to have three competing bids.
mark
On May 17, 2011, at 12:49 PM, m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
If all you ned are plain old servers, check Aberdeen. They repackage SuperMicro and have great support.
- aurf
On Tuesday, May 17, 2011 01:52:37 PM aurfalien@gmail.com wrote:
If all you ned are plain old servers, check Aberdeen. They repackage SuperMicro and have great support.
I'd just PM'd a message to OP with this message. We have a slew of SuperMicros and they have been very stable and robust. Also good luck with SiliconMechanics.
On Tue, May 17, 2011 at 9:49 PM, m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
mark
If you're not too brand-aware then I would highly recommend SuperMicro. We also switched over to SuperMicro a few years ago after having just too many problems with Dell, to keep clients happy. I've never looked back since. They're hardware is top quality and and to confusing in terms of the terminology they use. It's so easy that even our junior techs could build them :) And their chassis are not flimsy, or "over-crowded" as many other brands sometimes are.
Rudi Ahlers wrote:
On Tue, May 17, 2011 at 9:49 PM, m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
We need to replace several servers, quickly - four of our Dell PE 1950's died in one week. (!!!) So, we're looking around, and I was checking out IBM. I customized to what we want, and hit 'continue', and suddenly there's another $800 for a "system common planar" that's "required". Googling only finds specs with it - does anyone know what it is? I mean, it's not like it's the motherboard, right?
If you're not too brand-aware then I would highly recommend SuperMicro. We also switched over to SuperMicro a few years ago after having just too many problems with Dell, to keep clients happy. I've
Actually, we really like Dell. The servers that died are four or five years old, and were only under a now-expired warranty. All had the same error (E171F PCIE fatal error B0 D3 F0), which indicates a pci-x error, which is weird. And that all of them failed within a week suggests, to me, a firmware error, maybe a counter that rolled over, or ran past the end.
And I not only got a Dell rep to chat about it, he even opened a case, knowing they were out of warranty. Maybe it's 'cause we're US gov't, but still....
never looked back since. They're hardware is top quality and and to confusing in terms of the terminology they use. It's so easy that even our junior techs could build them :) And their chassis are not flimsy, or "over-crowded" as many other brands sometimes are.
The other brand we've bought is Penguin, who are ok, too.
mark "with a cute, fuzzy penguin w/ each server..."
Actually, we really like Dell. The servers that died are four or five years old, and were only under a now-expired warranty. All had the same error (E171F PCIE fatal error B0 D3 F0), which indicates
a
pci-x error, which is weird. And that all of them failed within a week suggests, to me, a firmware error, maybe a counter that rolled over,
or ran
past the end.
And I not only got a Dell rep to chat about it, he even opened a case, knowing they were out of warranty. Maybe it's 'cause we're US gov't, but still....
I'd have done the same: Anything that drops four on the floor at your place can do so elsewhere... And I'd want to know why/how/what dropped those four *before* some in-warranty units proffered the same startling surprise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PnlWHdJGLM
You do not want your customers saying things like this about your product line. HP learned its lesson on this one, we should do the same *before* the "Instructive Experience" nails us between the eyes. *hats off to the Dell guy*.
Insert spiffy .sig here: Life is complex: it has both real and imaginary parts. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
//me ******************************************************************* This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses. www.Hubbell.com - Hubbell Incorporated**
-
aurfalien＠gmail.com -
Benjamin Smith -
Brunner, Brian T. -
John R Pierce -
m.roth＠5-cent.us -
Robert Heller -
Rudi Ahlers