Last days I was looking to buy 2 small servers for 2 remote offices.
Since the offices are small , I need nothing fancy, just 1 proc, 1-2 GB RAM, and a small RAID .
So I went shopping for ” cheap servers ” offers. I started with the first ones, under 1000 euro, or 1200 USD ( if you are living in USA, I live in Germany ).
Soon enough, looking on offers from : DELL, Siemens-Fujitsu , HP ( the most sold servers here in Germany ) I went crazy.
ALL advertized models of ” cheap servers ” are , in the standard configuration, like this :
1 proc ( ok ) , 256 MB RAM?! , 1 HDD , optional HW RAID controller, NO OS :-), etc…
I was buying servers 10 years ago, and then, a ” server “, even a cheap one, was … a server. The amount of RAM was according with the OS of that time, ( which was included in the price ), there were AT LEAST 2 HDDS , an HW RAID controller was mandatory, etc . Ok, they were not 1000 euro then.
Just put Win 2003 server on 256 MB RAM, make a sw RAID and expect performance from it. For 500 euro you receive 1 ( one ) HDD . BTW, HW RAID is always optional. They are pointing that you can always make sw RAID. Nice, isn’t it ?
If you start configuring your server , meaning to put a decent amount of RAM , a decent number of HDDs, HW RAID, etc, you will triple ( not double, triple ) the price in an instant.
And you will reach very fast the price of a ” decent server ” who has everything from the beginning. Or more :-).
I remember last month , when I went to buy a new car. Except basic functions that you must have in a car, everything else was an option. And the price just went up more than 30 % only with the options . Which, BTW, are nothing else than things everyone of us wants to have today in his car. At the end, I was amazed that all 4 wheels were in the basic , not in the options package.
We all know the stories of the used cars salesman.
I knew from some years that they apply them on new cars also. But I see them now also on servers.
Are DELL, HP, etc, making fun of us with this ” cheap servers ” ? Or thinking that we are stupid ?
Is selling a new server becoming also an ” used cars salesman ” mentality for HP, DELL, et co. ?
If you keep you eyes open, good for you, if not , your problem ?
