Server Smackdown: Racks vs. Blades vs. Hyperconverged

Webinar HostsEarl “Poquito Grande” FollisGuy “Brutal Brutus” LuddenDaniel “Ginga Ninja” Flotten

December 8, 2015

SERVER SMACKDOWN: RACKS VS. BLADES VS. HYPERCONVERGED

Which Technology Will Exit The Octagon Victorious?

2| SERVER SMACKDOWN | DECEMBER 8, 2015

RACKS VS. BLADES VS. HYPERCONVERGED

Three competing physical server architectures

Blade servers

Rack servers

Hyperconverged servers


RACK 'EM AND STACK 'EM: RACK SERVERS

Rack servers were the first attempts to increase DC server density Commonly found in many SMB server rooms and enterprise DCs Allow for easy hardware upgrades and reconfiguration Offer widest variety of server hardware configs


DOUBLE-EDGED SWORDS: HIGH-DENSITY BLADE SERVERS

Provide maximum physical server density Ideal for physical server clustering

Common architecture in cloud computing and enterprises Can max out DC resources (cooling, power, network)


HYPERCONVERGED: PUTTING THE HYPE IN HYPERCONVERGED

Combine compute, network and storage in same chassis Tight integration means easier to deploy and manage, higher

performance Ideal for remote or smaller offices

Integrated management console


MORE ON HYPERCONVERGED SERVERS

Hype or not, hyperconverged has advantages Can lose a large % of useable storage to redundancy

Use various schemes to pool and cluster services Hyperconverged servers may not integrate with

legacy servers


EVALUATING SERVER TECHNOLOGIES

Where each architecture shines (or doesn’t)

Matching architecture to workloads

Performance metrics and comparisons

Physical vs. virtual servers


REDUNDANCY AND RESILIENCY IN THE RACK AND BLADE WORLD

Most rack and blade servers use OS-based redundancy schemes

Cluster/load balance your critical servers and storage Some offer proprietary resiliency Be sure to include networking redundancy


Most hyperconverged servers offer clustering

Distributed storage can be harder to manage

Specific backup/restore planning may be required

Keep spare chassis onsite for redundancy

REDUNDANCY AND RESILIENCY IN A HYPERCONVERGED WORLD


EVALUATING STORAGE CAPACITY IN HYPERCONVERGED SERVERS

Quoted capacity is not practical capacity with resiliency

Erasure coding vs. RAID Test and understand failover and failback capabilities

Distributed storage can complicate backup/restore


BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPLEMENTING RACK SERVERS

Plan your physical and logical implementation Rack servers can be ordered preconfigured Use traditional clustering and failover technology Be mindful of physical installation requirements Keep spare chassis on hand when possible


BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPLEMENTING BLADE SERVERS

Examine your DC resources carefully Track your blade server configs and workloads Hot spares are usually an option Keep cold spare blades in stock regardless


BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPLEMENTING HYPERCONVERGED SERVERS

Plan carefully as hyperconverged servers are not as flexible Spare chassis may be useful to support physical redundancy Distributed storage may have specific backup requirements Hyperconverged servers may support WAN replication


AND THE WINNER IS…

Best technological fit Best bang for your budget bucks Best hi-density computing fit Easiest to implement and manage

And now for a word from our sponsor…


BL465 8

DL385p G8

HP PROLIANT DL385P & BL465C GEN8 SERVER BLADE


HP PROLIANT DL RACK SERVERS


HP PROLIANT C7000 AND BLADE SERVERS

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwipxI_008rJAhUFHD4KHcoxD9wQjRwIBw&url=http://www.optiodata.com/promo/hp-proliant-bl460c-gen9-free-c7000&psig=AFQjCNHnFZgCTuV4cWBNLvdSRNJlbNQfHg&ust=1449608842492935


HP CS 200-HC STOREVIRTUAL SYSTEM

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwji4NiM1crJAhUKdT4KHf4JDHAQjRwIBw&url=http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/cs-solutions/product-detail.html?oid%3D7563552&psig=AFQjCNHOQUPKidaimpbB949wBnPgsoIubw&ust=1449609143766697


Final thoughts…

And now for the 13th Round!

It’s Q&A Time!Any questions?

For more information on AMD, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Servers, and PC Connection

Find out more at:http://www.pcconnection.com/brand/amd/servers

Or contact PC Connection directly at: 1-800-800-0014

THANK YOU!