Blades Are Sexy!
Are you trying to decide whether to use blade and chassis instead of rack mounted servers for virtualization? Here are the Pros and Cons of Blades vs Rack Servers…
Pros of Blade and Chassis for VMware vSphere
- First of all Blade and Chassis are Cool, especially UCS! (now that we have that out-of-the-way let’s move on).
- Uses fewer network ports (2 or 4 per chassis depending on storage type)
- Uses less power.
- Uses less cabling.
- Creates less heat.
- Uses less rack space (Approx. 10U for 16 blades).
- Uses less rack space and square footage for higher density DC.
- Centralized server management.
Cons of Blade and Chassis
- Cool is more expensive. (1 Chassis, 16 blades, and networking Approx. $300K)
- Higher density means a larger failure domain (Approx. 350 Virtual Machiness in 1 fully populated chassis would require 2 (3 would be better) more fully populated chassis running at 35 – 70% utilized. Remember when you maintenance these chassis, the VMs need to be vMotioned somewhere or powered off.
- Huge hassle when doing firmware upgrades of chassis, blades, and other chassis components.
- Networking and storage configuration can get tricky requiring training staff.
Pros of Rack Mounted Servers for vSphere
- Per server is cheaper (2 sockets, 24 core, 192 GB memory – Approx. $16K).
- If something fails, a smaller failure domain is easier to evacuate 1 host server (25- 30 VMs).
- Nothing new for DC staff to learn (easy setup).
- Easy firmware and driver upgrades.
Cons for Rack Mounted Servers
- Uses more network ports.
- Uses more power.
- Requires more cabling (copper/fiber).
- Causes more heat (high cooling bill).
- Uses more rack space (2 – 4U per server).
- Lower density per square foot of DC.
- Individually managed servers (more IPs).
Blades vs Rack Server Conclusion:
First, let me apologize to all my server hardware friends at Dell and HP, but I need to be honest here. There’s obviously a sales benefit to blade and chassis over rack mounted servers and that’s why many sales reps will push them.
If blade and chassis are already an established hardware standard then it’s a no-brainer to stick with the standard, however, if you are being sold blade and chassis right out of the gate and your IT operation is smaller than 1000 VM servers consider that HA will require spanning blade servers across 2 – 4 chassis. This is the main reason why the best servers for virtualization may be a rack server solution.
Rack mounted servers aren’t sexy but they’re much easier to scale capacity at a lower cost.
It can be frustrating when you’ve purchased your first two chassis with 4 blades per chassis, and then, later on, find out the blade server technology has changed and now requires you to purchase upgrades for the chassis in order to use new generation blades. This is a real world example and is an important fact to consider…
Here’s my simple formula:
- 1500 VMs or more – blade servers are the better solution and remember to plan for multiple failure domains, maintenance mode, and upgrades.
- 1000 VMs or less – rack mounted servers are a better solution and remember to build enough extra capacity into your environment to allow a host to be evacuated.
Best Blade Servers for VMware
Cisco UCS Blade Servers (Refurbished)
- UCS C220 M3 Rackmount Servers
- UCS B200 Blade Servers
- UCS B420 M4 Blade ServersSpecifications
- Storage Capacity: 300 GB
- Drive Interface: SAS
- 8GB KIT (2 x 4GB) DIMM DDR3 ECC Registered PC3-8500 1066MHz Quad Rank RAM Memory
- Genuine DDR3 Server Memory
- Supports Triple Channel.
- Designed For Cisco UCS Server Series.
- Lifetime Warranty
- 1.5TB ( 48x32GB ) DDR4 2133 MHz ECC Registered/Buffered 288pin Standard Voltage Dual Rank Random Access Memory Module.
- Every module is backed by a limited lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. We always have hundreds in stock!
- Free technical support from our experienced technicians. Not compatible with desktop PCs. Will only work with servers and select workstations
- Every single module is fully tested by the manufacturer and certified.
- Compatible with most major brand servers. Not sure if your server is compatible? Feel free to contact us. Our experienced technicians can verify if these parts will work for you.
- 1536GB ( 32GBx48 ) 2400 MHz ECC Registered/Buffered 288pin Standard Voltage DDR4 Dual Rank Random Access Memory Module.
- Every module is backed by a lifetime limited warranty from the manufacturer. We always have hundreds in stock!
- Free technical support from our experienced technicians
- Every single module is fully tested by the manufacturer and certified.
- Compatible with most major brand servers. Not sure if your server is compatible? Feel free to contact us. Our experienced technicians can verify if these parts will work for you.
- 64GB KIT (4 x 16GB) DIMM DDR3 ECC Registered PC3-8500 1066MHz Quad Rank RAM Memory
- Genuine A-Tech Memory
- Lifetime Warranty
- Designed For Cisco UCS Server Series. (See Compatibility List Below)
You may also want to learn about the best desktop for virtualization.
Share your input on Blades vs Rack Mounted Servers For VSphere!
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Nice One