Dell PowerEdge R-Series Reviews

We build cloud stacks on our Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

In order to achieve a greater degree of autonomy and self-sufficiency in our IT infrastructure, we opted to embark on the implementation of private cloud solutions. This strategic decision led us to adopt Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers as the foundation of our private cloud environment, thereby mitigating our previous over-reliance on publicly accessible cloud services.

Our procurement of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers was conducted through Dell itself, acting in its capacity as a service provider. This decision was influenced, to a certain extent, by the inherent proclivity towards recommending Dell products within the Dell ecosystem. Ultimately, the design we adopted adhered to the standardized guidelines established by Dell, ensuring seamless integration and compatibility within our existing infrastructure.

Given our tendency towards aggregated configurations, we are fortunate to be largely immune to periods of inactivity. However, it's important to note that this high uptime is not solely attributable to the physical infrastructure. From a hardware perspective, I can confidently report an absence of recurring malfunctions across all functional domains. This testifies to the remarkable stability exhibited by the PowerEdge Rack Servers.

The OpenManage console is an inescapably necessary tool for large-scale environments. It provides all the capabilities it's intended to, like seamlessly applying firmware updates through OME and handling other tasks with ease. It consistently functions exceptionally well, and I sincerely hope it continues to do so in the future. Frankly, the thought of meandering through the data center and manually adjusting everything is enough to make anyone shudder. Thankfully, OpenManage has been a true game-changer in that regard. It's quantifiably increased the productivity of our IT staff by eliminating the need for tedious manual processes.

The core strength of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers lies in their expansive connectivity and seamless integration with other offerings within the Dell product ecosystem. This synergistic relationship is exemplified by the successful interoperability between PowerEdge servers and backup solutions like Data Domain or PowerScale, further enhanced by the native integration of S3 functionality within the German market. This well-orchestrated interplay of components fosters an exceptionally efficient and cohesive IT environment.

I would advocate for Dell to incorporate by default a greater number of network interface cards that boast enhanced network connectivity within their PowerEdge Rack Servers. In older models, for instance, Melanox adapters remain a necessity, and they have sporadically caused complications. It would be fantastic if Dell could incorporate them by default, precluding the requirement for supplementary adapters.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for five years.

I have no complaints about the stability of our Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. They perform well, are powerful, and experience few failures.

Dell PowerEdge rack servers offer easy scalability, as evidenced by our continued expansion.

I've been consistently struck by the profound depth of knowledge exhibited by both the general representatives and the specialized cohorts within Dell's technical support team. Their remarkable facility for resolving any issue I presented with impressive celerity truly showcased their exceptional level of operational effectiveness.

Of course, unforeseen predicaments occasionally arise, but the team always responds with remarkable adaptability and graciousness. While some processes may necessitate a protracted timeframe for completion, I believe this stems more from the underlying organizational structure than any individual shortcomings. The on-site personnel were consistently exceedingly capable and demonstrably swift in their actions.

Positive

In a previous engagement, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a client whose IT infrastructure was predominantly comprised of Fujitsu servers. However, our current clients have already established a longstanding partnership with Dell for their hardware requirements.

We meticulously constructed the comprehensive foundation for a cloud service, laying each digital brick-and-mortar. Although the initial deployment presented a labyrinthine challenge, we were able to navigate its intricacies with measured steps. As anyone who has embarked on such an endeavor knows, erecting a full-fledged infrastructure, be it geographically dispersed for enhanced resilience or traditionally redundant for local fault tolerance, is no simple feat. It demands constant vigilance and adept stewardship to ensure its smooth operation.

We constructed the comprehensive network infrastructure, weaving the intricate cabling throughout the designated pathways. With resolute focus, we configured and installed the potent server hardware, ensuring its seamless integration. And most notably, we adeptly orchestrated the deployment of the robust cloud stack, paving the way for unparalleled scalability and agility. 

The cost structure associated with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers aligns closely with the prevailing norms established within the information technology hardware sector. In other words, the prices for these servers are neither exceptionally expensive nor significantly cheaper than comparable offerings from other major manufacturers.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a nine out of ten.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers demonstrably excel in fulfilling their designated function, even when configured in various arrangements. While it is certainly prudent to maintain vigilance regarding forthcoming advancements in the technological landscape, it is undeniable that these servers are already eminently well-matched to their intended applications.

The flexibility that customers experience comes primarily from the cloud stack we deploy on the servers.

Foreign Language:(German)

Bietet gute Leistung, umfassende Konnektivität und nahtlose Integration

Was ist unser Hauptanwendungsfall?

Um ein höheres Maß an Autonomie und Unabhängigkeit in unserer IT-Infrastruktur zu erreichen, haben wir uns für die Implementierung von Private-Cloud-Lösungen entschieden. Diese strategische Entscheidung führte dazu, dass wir Dell PowerEdge Rack Server als Grundlage unserer privaten Cloud-Umgebung einsetzten und damit unsere frühere übermäßige Abhängigkeit von öffentlich zugänglichen Cloud-Diensten reduzierten.

Wie hat es meiner Organisation geholfen?

Wir haben Dell PowerEdge Rack Server über Dell selbst in seiner Eigenschaft als Dienstleistungsanbieter bezogen. Diese Entscheidung wurde bis zu einem gewissen Punkt durch die inhärente Neigung zur Empfehlung von Dell-Produkten innerhalb des Dell-Ökosystems beeinflusst. Letztendlich haben wir uns für ein Design entschieden, das den standardisierten Richtlinien von Dell entspricht und eine nahtlose Integration und Kompatibilität mit unserer bestehenden Infrastruktur gewährleistet.

Dank unserer Tendenz zu aggregierten Konfigurationen sind wir glücklicherweise weitgehend gegen Phasen der Inaktivität geschützt. Es ist jedoch wichtig zu erwähnen, dass diese hohe Betriebszeit nicht nur auf die physische Infrastruktur zurückzuführen ist. Aus der Sicht der Hardware kann ich mit Gewissheit sagen, dass es in allen Funktionsbereichen keine wiederkehrenden Ausfälle gibt. Dies zeugt von der bemerkenswerten Stabilität der PowerEdge Rack Server.

Die OpenManage-Konsole ist ein unverzichtbares Tool für groß angelegte Umgebungen. Sie bietet alle Funktionen, für die sie gedacht ist, wie z. B. die nahtlose Anwendung von Firmware-Updates über OME und die einfache Durchführung anderer Aufgaben. Es funktioniert durchweg außergewöhnlich gut, und ich hoffe wirklich, dass dies auch in Zukunft der Fall sein wird. Ehrlich gesagt, der Gedanke, sich durch das Rechenzentrum zu schlängeln und alles manuell einzustellen, lässt jeden erschaudern. Zum Glück ist OpenManage in dieser Hinsicht ein echter Fortschritt. Es hat die Produktivität unserer IT-Mitarbeiter quantitativ erhöht, indem es mühsame manuelle Prozesse überflüssig gemacht hat.

Was ist am wertvollsten?

Die Hauptstärke der Dell PowerEdge Rack Server liegt in ihrer umfassenden Anschlussfähigkeit und nahtlosen Integration mit anderen Angeboten innerhalb des Dell Produkt-Ökosystems. Ein Beispiel für diese synergetische Beziehung ist die erfolgreiche Interoperabilität zwischen PowerEdge-Servern und Backup-Lösungen wie Data Domain oder PowerScale, die durch die native Integration der S3-Funktionalität auf dem deutschen Markt noch verstärkt wird. Dieses gut koordinierte Zusammenspiel der Komponenten fördert eine außergewöhnlich effiziente und kohärente IT-Umgebung.

Was muss verbessert werden?

Ich möchte mich dafür einsetzen, dass Dell in seine PowerEdge-Rack-Server standardmäßig eine größere Anzahl von Netzwerkschnittstellenkarten mit verbesserter Netzwerkkonnektivität einbaut. Bei älteren Modellen beispielsweise sind Melanox-Adapter nach wie vor erforderlich, und sie haben gelegentlich zu Komplikationen geführt. Es wäre fantastisch, wenn Dell diese standardmäßig einbauen könnte, so dass keine zusätzlichen Adapter mehr erforderlich wären.

Wie lange nutze ich die Lösung schon?

Ich arbeite seit fünf Jahren mit Dell PowerEdge Rack-Servern.

Was halte ich von der Stabilität der Lösung?

Ich habe keine Beschwerden über die Stabilität unserer Dell PowerEdge Rack Server. Sie sind leistungsstark und haben nur wenige Ausfälle.

Was denke ich über die Skalierbarkeit der Lösung?

Dell PowerEdge-Rackserver bieten eine einfache Skalierbarkeit, was unsere kontinuierliche Weiterentwicklung beweist.

Wie sind Kundenservice und Support?

Ich war immer wieder beeindruckt von den umfangreichen Kenntnissen, die sowohl die allgemeinen Vertreter als auch die spezialisierten Mitarbeiter des technischen Support-Teams von Dell an den Tag legten. Ihre bemerkenswerte Fähigkeit, jedes von mir vorgetragene Problem mit beeindruckender Schnelligkeit zu lösen, zeigt wirklich ihr außergewöhnliches Niveau an operativer Effizienz.

Natürlich kommt es gelegentlich zu unvorhergesehenen Schwierigkeiten, aber das Team reagiert stets mit bemerkenswerter Anpassungsfähigkeit und Freundlichkeit. Auch wenn einige Prozesse einen längeren Zeitrahmen für die Fertigstellung erfordern, glaube ich, dass dies eher auf die zugrundeliegende Organisationsstruktur als auf individuelle Unzulänglichkeiten zurückzuführen ist. Die Mitarbeiter vor Ort waren durchweg äußerst kompetent und handelten nachweislich schnell.

Wie bewerten Sie den Kundenservice und -support?

Positiv

Welche anderen Lösungen habe ich bewertet?

Bei einem früheren Auftrag hatte ich die Gelegenheit, mit einem Kunden zusammenzuarbeiten, dessen IT-Infrastruktur überwiegend aus Fujitsu-Servern bestand. Unsere derzeitigen Kunden haben jedoch bereits eine langjährige Partnerschaft mit Dell für ihre Hardwareanforderungen aufgebaut.

Wie war die Ersteinrichtung?

Wir haben das umfassende Fundament für einen Cloud-Service sorgfältig aufgebaut und dabei jeden digitalen Baustein gesetzt. Obwohl die anfängliche Einrichtung eine komplexe Herausforderung darstellte, konnten wir die Schwierigkeiten mit angemessenen Schritten bewältigen. Jeder, der schon einmal ein solches Projekt in Angriff genommen hat, weiß, dass der Aufbau einer vollwertigen Infrastruktur, sei sie nun geografisch verteilt, um die Ausfallsicherheit zu erhöhen, oder traditionell mehrfach vorhanden, um lokale Fehlertoleranz zu gewährleisten, keine einfache Aufgabe ist. Sie erfordert ständige Aufmerksamkeit und eine sorgfältige Verwaltung, um ihren reibungslosen Betrieb zu gewährleisten.

Wir bauten die umfassende Netzwerkinfrastruktur auf und verlegten die komplizierte Verkabelung in den vorgesehenen Pfaden. Wir konfigurierten und installierten die leistungsstarke Server-Hardware und sorgten für ihre nahtlose Integration. Und vor allem haben wir die Bereitstellung des robusten Cloud-Stacks erfolgreich koordiniert und so den Weg für eine beispiellose Skalierbarkeit und Agilität eröffnet.

Welche Erfahrungen habe ich mit den Preisen, den Implementierungskosten und der Lizenzierung gemacht?

Die Preisstruktur von Dell PowerEdge Rack Servern entspricht weitgehend den in der IT-Hardwarebranche vorherrschenden Normen. Mit anderen Worten: Die Preise für diese Server sind weder außergewöhnlich teuer noch wesentlich günstiger als vergleichbare Angebote anderer großer Hersteller.

Welche anderen Ratschläge kann ich geben?

Ich würde die Dell PowerEdge Rack Server mit neun von zehn Punkten bewerten.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Server erfüllen nachweislich die ihnen zugedachte Funktion, auch wenn sie in verschiedenen Kombinationen konfiguriert werden. Auch wenn es sicherlich ratsam ist, künftige Fortschritte in der technologischen Landschaft im Auge zu behalten, ist es unbestreitbar, dass diese Server bereits hervorragend auf die vorgesehenen Anwendungen abgestimmt sind.

Die Flexibilität, die die Kunden erfahren, ergibt sich in erster Linie aus dem Cloud-Stack, den wir auf den Servern einsetzen.

Welches Modell nutzen Sie für die Entwicklung dieser Lösung?

Im Hause.

Mainly, we started using them when we implemented a cyber recovery solution with Data Domain, in which several Dell PowerEdge Rack servers are also involved.

By implementing this solution, we wanted cyber resilience. We wanted a 1/3 copy cyber recovery solution that would prevent us from losing all the data in the event of a cyber attack.

In terms of deployment, we use them on-prem, directly with Dell as our provider.

They provide the cyber resilience that we were looking for. They are working perfectly so far, and we are happy with them.

The PowerEdge Cyber Resilient Architecture approach to security is very good. Overall, Dell's approach to security is pretty good. I like using Dell products because they always have security configuration guides.

In terms of energy consumption, Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers can possibly be improved, but this is what I would say regarding any other type of server.

I do not know specifically about Dell's sustainability goals or how PowerEdge can help, but at the level of on-prem servers, it can always be improved by moving towards new virtualization to reduce the impact and perhaps reduce the number of servers.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped to reduce unplanned production downtime. In our case, we have planned a maximum downtime of one week in the event of a cyber attack. These are the ratios we use.

The OpenManage console has affected our IT staff’s productivity. It has helped in a positive way because it is a console that centralizes many things that our staff manages every day. In that sense, it is in a centralized console. It helps a lot.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have not impacted the overall flexibility of our operations or business. In our case, it is an isolated additional system, so it is not like adding an additional layer to improve the flexibility per se.

There is no specific feature that is more valuable than other servers for us. Because it is part of an overall solution that Dell has offered us, we opted for Dell's PowerEdge servers. Overall, it is a good solution. It works perfectly, especially in terms of availability and reliability, without any type of issue, which is why we are very happy with it.

The cost can be improved. For other use cases, we use Hitachi servers, which are a little cheaper but have similar functionality.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for approximately two years.

So far, we have had no stability problems. They are very stable.

The scalability is very good. We use them in several locations. The main department in which they are used is ours, which is for data protection backup. They are mainly used for a cyber recovery solution.

I would assess their support very positively. I have been working with them for several years, and I am very happy with their support.

Positive

We also use Hitachi. We have not switched. We maintain two brands.

It has simply covered our use case.

They can improve the costs.

We evaluated Veritas. We evaluated Netapp solutions. There were five or six different vendors. We did not see a critical difference. In general, they were similar, but Dell was more present throughout the process.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a nine out of ten.

Foreign Language:(Spanish)

Funciona perfectamente y proporciona la ciberresiliencia y seguridad que necesitamos

¿Durante cuánto tiempo utiliza los servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge?

He estado usando servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge durante aproximadamente dos años.

¿Cuál es su principal caso de uso de esta solución? (Incluya detalles sobre su entorno.

Principalmente, comenzamos a utilizarlos cuando implementamos una solución de recuperación cibernética con Data Domain, en la que también están involucrados varios servidores Dell PowerEdge Rack.

Al implementar esta solución, queríamos ciberresiliencia. Queríamos una solución de recuperación cibernética de 1/3 de copia que nos evitara perder todos los datos en caso de un ciberataque.

En términos de implementación, los utilizamos de forma local, directamente con Dell como nuestro proveedor.

Comparta cómo los servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge han mejorado su infraestructura de TI. Si no fue así, explique por qué.

Proporcionan la ciberresiliencia que estábamos buscando. Están funcionando perfectamente hasta ahora y estamos contentos con ellos.

El enfoque de seguridad de PowerEdge Cyber Resilient Architecture es muy bueno. En general, el enfoque de seguridad de Dell es bastante bueno. Me gusta usar los productos Dell porque siempre tienen guías de configuración de seguridad.

En términos de consumo de energía, los servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge son posiblemente mejorables, pero esto es lo que diría de cualquier otro tipo de servidor.

No sé específicamente cuáles son los objetivos de sostenibilidad de Dell ni cómo puede ayudar PowerEdge, pero a nivel de servidores locales, siempre se puede mejorar avanzando hacia una nueva virtualización para reducir el impacto y quizás reducir la cantidad de servidores.

Los servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge han ayudado a reducir el tiempo de inactividad de producción no planificado. En nuestro caso, hemos previsto un tiempo de inactividad máximo de una semana en caso de ciberataque. Estas son las proporciones que utilizamos.

La consola OpenManage ha afectado la productividad de nuestro personal de TI. Ha ayudado de manera positiva porque es una consola que centraliza muchas cosas que nuestro personal maneja día a día. En ese sentido, está en una consola centralizada. Esto ayuda mucho.

Los servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge no han afectado la flexibilidad general de nuestras operaciones o negocios. En nuestro caso se trata de un sistema adicional aislado, por lo que no es como añadir una capa adicional para mejorar la flexibilidad de por sí.

¿Qué características le han parecido más valiosas y por qué?

No existe ninguna característica específica que sea más valiosa que otros servidores para nosotros. Debido a que es parte de una solución global que nos ha ofrecido Dell, optamos por los servidores PowerEdge de Dell. En general, es una buena solución. Funciona perfectamente, sobre todo en términos de disponibilidad y fiabilidad, sin ningún tipo de problema, por lo que estamos muy contentos con ella.

¿En qué áreas se podrían mejorar los servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge?

El costo se puede mejorar. Para otros casos de uso, utilizamos servidores Hitachi, que son un poco más baratos pero tienen una funcionalidad similar.

¿Utilizó anteriormente una solución diferente? De ser así, ¿por qué la cambió?

También utilizamos Hitachi. No hemos cambiado. Mantenemos las dos marcas.

Antes de elegir, ¿evaluaste otras opciones? ¿De ser asi, cuales?

Evaluamos Veritas. Evaluamos las soluciones de Netapp. Había cinco o seis proveedores diferentes. No vimos una diferencia crítica. En general fueron similares, pero Dell estuvo más presente en todo el proceso.

¿Qué aconseja a otros sobre el costo de instalación, el precio y/o la licencia?

Se pueden mejorar en cuanto a su precio.

¿Cuáles son sus impresiones sobre la escalabilidad de esta solución?

La escalabilidad es muy buena. Los utilizamos en varios lugares. El departamento principal en el que se utilizan es el nuestro, que es para la copia de seguridad de la protección de datos. Se utilizan principalmente para una solución de recuperación cibernética.

¿Cuáles son sus impresiones sobre la estabilidad de esta solución?

Hasta ahora no hemos tenido problemas. Son muy estables.

¿Has visto el ROI (Retorno de la Inversión)? En caso afirmativo, ¿de qué manera (es decir, métricas/puntos de datos)?

Simplemente ha cubierto nuestros casos de uso.

Cuéntanos tu experiencia con el servicio y soporte al cliente.

Valoro su soporte de forma positiva. Llevo varios años trabajando con ellos y estoy muy contento con su apoyo.

¿Cómo calificaría esta solución en una escala del 1 al 10 en cuanto a servicio y soporte?

8.

En una escala del 1 al 10 (1=peor, 10=mejor), ¿cómo calificaría los servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge? Por favor explique por qué.

Calificaría los servidores en rack Dell PowerEdge con un nueve de diez.

Our internal infrastructure for multiple networks on our large site uses Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers in VxRail clusters to support over 2,000 users, numerous labs, and development environments. These Dell servers function as the primary compute nodes within the VxRail hyperconverged infrastructure solution.

We implemented Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers because we were looking for a complete solution, and Dell was a strong contender. Their VxRail solution for SimpliVity offered implementation, upgrades, and support as a bundle, making it the ideal choice for us, and it has worked perfectly.

I put aside the monetary value. I'm seeking a more stable solution and fewer headaches for our IT professionals. Now that this solution is implemented, upgrades, additional solutions, and system stability are much easier to achieve. It's difficult to put a price on that, but it's an IT professional's dream come true.

To date, we have not encountered any issues with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers' ability to handle the evolving needs of high-performance workloads. Our data center has been primarily based on HP solutions for a considerable time, and we have only started incorporating Dell solutions into our infrastructure in the last three years. We are pleased with their performance, consider them a good product, and recommend them.

SimpliVity's most valuable features are its unified management and operational capabilities. It is amazing to have a single pane of glass to view, manage, and operate the entire environment without switching between Windows, software, or web environments.

The pricing always has room for improvement.

The support experience has room for improvement. As a secure site, we require personnel with specific clearances, and sometimes, the language barrier poses a challenge. English-to-Hebrew translation can impact various processes, particularly when troubleshooting errors necessitates collaboration with US or European teams across different time zones. Moreover, vendors occasionally request logs, which we cannot provide due to security protocols. The language barrier can make it difficult to clearly communicate our needs and issues to support personnel overseas. Therefore, we require more Dell technical support staff based in Israel.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for three and a half years.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers offer excellent stability. I implemented the Stretch Cluster as an active-active solution to handle scenarios such as a complete data center loss. To test the solution's robustness, I pulled the power cables from the server, simulating a potential real-world failure. Other vendors' solutions couldn't handle this, but Dell's appropriately performed, prompting immediate implementation. Now, I can confidently attest to its effectiveness. We've undergone data center and rack maintenance without any issues. Even during a complete networking loss over a weekend, the solution continued to operate seamlessly.

Dell's Professional Services are fantastic. I saw some people at the convention who helped us implement our environment because we faced some initial challenges as it was a new product. They were all amazing. The professional services team I speak to on the phone when I have a crisis, an upgrade, or even just a random error message is incredibly professional and helpful. I have nothing but positive things to say about them—they're amazing.

Positive

We use HP blade centers and rack servers as the foundation of our main data center. However, we are now transitioning to Dell Solutions, which offers comparable products from a different vendor, and we are happy with this change.

The deployment was moderately complex. Despite the installation manual provided by Dell to their professional services team, there were always additional tips and tricks not mentioned in the manual. However, the Dell Deployment Services team was highly skilled and experienced, allowing them to anticipate and address any issues that arose, resulting in a successful deployment.

Choosing an active solution that I implemented cost considerably more money. However, the return on investment was evident when something occurred on the weekend while we were off-site. No one experienced any disruption beyond a simple virtual machine reboot, which was remarkable. The work continued seamlessly. Even if someone worked over the weekend, they could still come to the office on Monday. I wasn't bothered with any calls about malfunctions or outages.

I rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers ten out of ten.

My focus is liquid cooling. We are taking the air-cooled PowerEdge systems and converting them to liquid cooling. That usually involves replacing and doing material compatibility, adjusting the thermal interface materials inside the systems, and adjusting the heat sinks. We turn off the fans and adjust the BIOS systems in some of the subsystems, such as PSUs.

This allows the server that has been designed for air cooling to be submerged in dielectric fluid so that it can now be cooled with dielectric fluid running through the systems. Because of the fact that it is submerged, all the subsystems are being cooled, but instead of air, it is done by fluid. It is far more effective at pulling heat out of the systems, taking that heat out of the unit, and then being able to use that heat for other purposes.

For the larger PowerEdge systems that have GPU integrations in them, we have seen a lot of trends in building those for AI systems. We have seen a generated interest in the PowerEdge system across the board for a majority of industries.

I am quite new to the company, but I see that customers keep asking for these servers. From our side, because of our relationship with Dell, we can take a server and convert it to liquid far quicker than with other partners. That has been a big advantage. The PowerEdge system is good in many aspects. Many times customers just want to deploy these systems, especially given the acceleration that we have seen in the AI industry. People just want to be able to get their systems up and running as quickly as possible, so sometimes, there is an advantage to the lead time of getting these things converted. We have been able to do that quicker through Dell than with other IT vendors. We have relationships with HPE as well as with Lenovo. We are dynamic. We are not tied to any particular vendor, and we can work with all customers to deploy different systems inside their environment for liquid cooling.

From our side, there is always a little bit of a challenge with the footprint. I am in an area where we are submerging these devices in tanks. We are in a situation where some of the server designs are a little bit deep. For example, PowerEdge R760xa has a slightly extended depth. It is not as long as PowerEdge XE9680, but PowerEdge R760xa is a beast in itself. It is influencing the infrastructure designers to change their footprint so that they can incorporate something like this in their AI systems. That is very impressive. This is the thing that so many people are talking about at the moment. We see a lot of potential in a device like this because of the fact that you can load H100 or H200 GPUs with NVLink. It is a complete system for AI training models.

We have our own challenges with firmware, but that is only because we sometimes have to adjust the firmware of things like PSUs. With the firmware that they have by default, there is a fan running inside that. When we run fluid through, we want to adjust the firmware so that the fan is turned off. We usually have to adjust the firmware to a very high version because we do not want someone updating the firmware to the new standard. That is because the moment they do that, the fans will start running again, and all the alarms are going to go off because a bunch of fluids are running through the systems. So, we have our own firmware challenges to work with, but Dell is strong in being able to help us with that information and get the firmware so that we can adjust it. It is not just one vendor who provides the PSUs, and firmware adjustments are far more successful than having to emulate the PSUs, which is something some people have done in the past, but they led to some failures inside the PSUs when they try to convert to liquid cooling.

In terms of energy consumption, because I am on the liquid cooling side of things, we turn the fans off. If we can get a PowerEdge system and convert it to liquid cooling, we can reduce the power consumption of that server by up to 40%. In data center environments, energy consumption is becoming an important ratio to measure when people are building up these large data centers around the world. Currently, in an air-cool system, power usage effectiveness (PUE) is 2.0 or 1.5. When you start to liquidate all these, that dramatically drops to 1.2 or 1 PUE. You can even get less than 1 PUE if you effectively reuse the heat. So, you get more environment-friendly servers. If you are reducing carbon emissions and your power consumption by 20% or 30%, that is incredibly attractive when you are trying to build out new systems. Not only that, with air-cool, to maintain strong air conditioning to keep these things cool, especially something like PowerEdge XE9680, air conditioning has to use up a lot of water, whereas, with immersion, you do not have to use up that water. You are using incredibly small amounts of water to cool. It is even zero in many cases. So, liquid cooling has a huge amount of environmentally friendly advantages, and the fact that we are able to do quite a lot of liquid cooling PowerEdge systems in turn makes PowerEdge a more environmentally friendly option.

Because we are able to change the standard with cooling, it gets purchased in positions where we can run the GPUs at their maximum performance. In fluid systems that we have tested using things like PowerEdge XE9680, we are able to achieve maximum frequency and maximum performance.

The Dell name holds a lot of weight on our position as a partner of Dell's when it comes to liquid cooling the systems. We have a great relationship with Dell, so we are able to exchange information very easily to be able to build these systems for our customers. When it comes to converting one of these to liquid cooling, we need to know a lot of information about the sub-components, the vendors, and the firmware inside PSUs. Without a strong relationship with our IT partner Dell, we would not be able to do that effectively and quickly to meet the lead times of our customers.

Dell PowerEdge systems are very strong or well-rounded systems. A lot of people like the 4th and 5th generation Xeon that has been implemented into PowerEdge. Xeon has a good advantage when it comes to the inputting element of AI systems, and, of course, Intel also has a good name. However, from our position, as a partner and as a systems integrator, the real strength is the relationship that we have with Dell and being able to exchange that information.

I have been a part of my current organization for a few months. I started at the end of last year. I have been acclimatizing to the PowerEdge systems. 

In the metrics that I have worked with, they have been very stable and reliable so far. We have not had cases where we have to go in and do maintenance work on our side of things. Usually, any issues that they have had from a liquid cooling side of things have mostly been down to people not doing the proper practice when it comes to installation. 

A lot of the time, we deal with customers who already have a pre-existing architecture. They perhaps have Cisco systems or HPE systems in their infrastructure. The challenge is to convert them to a new unit. The data center's presentation is such a big element of design. It is good if they stick with the same vendor and have the same relationship, but it is sometimes challenging to have someone change their traditional air-cooled infrastructure systems with the ones from Dell.

I have not heard anything negative about its deployment.

To those who are thinking about liquid cooling, I would strongly recommend it, especially in the EU. It is an environmentally friendly option. It is important to make sure that you have an integrator who understands liquid cooling to a strong degree. It is not something that you can just convert by yourself in the data center. It is something that needs to be done in a lab environment, and it needs to be supported going forward by someone who understands liquid cooling. You need a liquid cooling specialist who is able to assist with that, as well as being able to assist on the services and support side from Dell. We work fluently with Dell in those situations. We found that once the liquid cooling starts running in these systems, if there is going to be a problem, it would have happened in the first few weeks. It is usually down to installation practices, not the systems themselves.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a nine out of ten. It is a very strong solution. 

We typically use them for hosting in a private cloud. We use the 600 and 700 series.

I started using Dell servers when the 4th Gen came out. Currently, we are using 13th, 14th, and 15th Gen servers. Dell servers have grown a lot since the 4th Gen. When I buy Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, I do not have to worry about them and their stability. There is also ease of deployment. Everything is very easy. Their ship time is also pretty fast.

They have a TPM chip. A lot of our customers who use encryption use that capability, and it just works. There are no issues with it.

We run them in our own data center, and they are fine in terms of energy consumption.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are very good for handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads. We were able to use PowerEdge to scale a lot of our compute nodes. A lot of our customers need a lot of high compute, so we are pretty happy with it.

Dell PowerEdge Servers have helped to reduce unplanned production downtime. They are very reliable. We never have any big problems with them. Our production downtime is now two times better than five years ago.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are easy to use. They are very stable. They are rock solid. I am happy with them.

I do not have any qualms or problems with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. However, when it comes to the software, some of their competitors are already feeding a lot of performance and availability data to an online platform. We have not seen that with PowerEdge. If it is there, we have not used it, but it would be nice if all this information is included as a part of PowerEdge. We can then see server performance and availability online. 

It has been a long time. I have used these servers before they were called PowerEdge. 

They are rock solid.

Their scalability is very good. Nowadays, you can put so much infrastructure into 1U or 2U servers, which is very impressive.

They are pretty responsive. I would rate them a nine out of ten.

Positive

We also use a lot of Supermicro servers. Supermicro is very good in terms of customizability. They can also be a lot aggressive in pricing, so we use Supermicro for the low-end servers and high-end servers. We use Dell servers for middle-end servers.

They are pretty easy to deploy.

We have seen an ROI. There is stability, ease of use, and not a lot of problems.

It has generally been very competitive. It is not the best, but it is very competitive.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a nine out of ten. They are very stable. They are very good.

Our Dell PowerEdge servers support a variety of workloads. We use them to host web servers, run internal applications, and manage virtual machines through VMware. Additionally, we utilize them for database storage.

The success of our entire business hinges on the reliability of our servers. Therefore, we require servers that meet our specific needs and minimize the risk of downtime. For this reason, we have chosen Dell PowerEdge servers.

We've automated the configuration process for our server racks. This allows us to easily and automatically apply the necessary settings during server installation. As a result, we can efficiently deploy multiple servers up to a dozen at once, and bring them up to standard quickly.

In terms of security, we primarily rely on firmware updates obtained from the Dell website. These updates are certified and considered reliable. However, we don't utilize many other security measures beyond this.

Regarding energy consumption, we haven't encountered any significant issues. The newer versions of the servers are demonstrably more energy-efficient than the older ones. We actively monitor and collect power consumption data to optimize power distribution across our server bays. The data from the PowerEdge servers helps us prevent overloaded bays and maintain balanced power distribution across the data center. Additionally, the server chassis allows us to effectively measure and distribute the load equally.

Unplanned production downtime has been significantly reduced thanks to the implementation of PowerEdge servers, particularly their robust monitoring capabilities. This allows us to receive comprehensive feedback on various aspects, including disk errors. Consequently, we can leverage the iDRAC feature to seamlessly switch to secondary servers in case of an issue, minimizing downtime. Additionally, the excellent support ensures timely replacements for any faulty disks, further minimizing disruptions. While disk failures may occur, the implemented solution effectively mitigates their impact on production.

We have only recently begun using the OpenManage console to centrally manage firmware patching and deployment across our chassis. This has significantly accelerated the update process. Previously, updates were cumbersome and often neglected. However, with the console, particularly in the data center where it is installed, patching is now much faster and allows for more frequent updates.

We particularly appreciate the iDRAC feature, especially in its latest versions, for its capabilities in remote server management and comprehensive monitoring.

Historically, servers required a large number of processors, with a maximum of four being accessible at a time. While processor capabilities have improved, some brands still offer servers with eight processors. Nowadays, with more powerful processors, the need for multiple processors has diminished. We've recently encountered more issues with graphics processing units. Access to specific card models can be limited, and sometimes we require smaller cards than those offered by Dell.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for 15 years.

I have never had any problem with the stability of the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. Our system has been running smoothly with no downtime for a very long time. Therefore, there have been no issues up to now.

Our scalability is currently good. We can easily add more servers as needed, so there are no concerns at that level.

Nowadays, we adopt a scalable approach to server deployment. This allows us to dynamically select the necessary hardware components, such as CPU and RAM, based on evolving needs. As our requirements grow, we can seamlessly add new servers to the existing infrastructure, similar to how video chains are extended. This flexibility ensures that we only allocate resources when required, optimizing costs and efficiency.

Regarding Dell's support, we haven't needed it much recently, which is a positive sign. We haven't had many issues with them in the past either. While there were some challenges in the past, they were mainly related to the support tools, which could become complex when dealing with multiple deliveries.

Specifically, the issue arose from the tool's organization. We encountered situations where eight different sites with the same delivery address were created due to an extra comma in the address. This made it difficult to configure the tools as they recognized each address with the extra comma as a separate location.

However, since we've consolidated our data centers and everything is now at a single location, these issues have been resolved. The complexity arose primarily during my initial onboarding when we had servers duplicated across four sites, making management cumbersome.

That being said, Dell's support itself was always helpful. The challenges stemmed more from the limitations of the tool, which didn't allow us to permanently remove these "ghost locations" and required workarounds like hiding them within the interface.

Overall, although there were initial hurdles due to the tool's limitations, Dell's support has been satisfactory.

Positive

We use HP servers in parallel to the Dell PowerEdge servers. We are already using several HP servers in production. However, we haven't conducted extensive testing on them. Occasionally, urgent needs may necessitate their use. For instance, we acquired our current HP servers during a period of tight supply when we needed a two-week delivery timeframe, while typical lead times were around two months. As a result, the supplier had HP stock readily available, which is why we chose them at that time. While each technology has its advantages and disadvantages, we are very satisfied with Dell's performance. Since we haven't encountered any significant issues with Dell, they remain our primary choice for the time being.

During the initial setup, especially for the iDRAC configuration, I created custom scripts to automate configurations for iDRAC, BIOS, and Syslog. This streamlining process allows for a quick server installation. Once placed in the bay and prepared, our team can efficiently install the operating system and other necessary components.

In terms of our deployment strategy, we configure everything directly on-site. This includes setting the IP address for the iDRAC based on its final location. I then deploy the system using a pre-defined password and run a script that configures the base settings. Following this, the NG systems, including both Linux and Windows, take over to install the operating system.

The implementation was completed in-house.

Regarding the pricing, it seems fair. However, it's worth noting that compared to some brands, it can be more expensive, particularly in terms of customization options. For example, with Dell, choices like the GPU might be limited, potentially driving up the cost compared to a smaller server from another manufacturer like Supermicro.

As project managers, we should explore alternative vendors that offer greater flexibility in hardware selection and potentially smaller form factors. However, no final decision has been made on this yet.

We evaluated Supermicro servers.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers nine out of ten.

Foreign Language:(French)

Les Serveurs sont Éco-Énergétiques, N’Ont Pas D'Arrêts De Production Imprévus Et Sont Scalables

Quel est notre cas d’utilisation principal?

Les serveurs PowerEdge répondent à plusieurs charges de travail. Nous nous en servons pour l'hébergement des serveurs web, exécuter des applications internes et gérer les machines virtuelles à travers le VMware. On s’en sert aussi pour du stockage de base de données.

Le succès de toute notre activité repose sur la fiabilité de nos serveurs. Nous avons donc besoin de serveurs qui répondent à nos besoins spécifiques et qui réduisent le risque de temps d'arrêt. C’est pour cette raison que nous avons choisi les serveurs Dell PowerEdge.

Comment cela a pu aider notre organisation?

Nous avons automatisé le processus de configuration de nos racks de serveurs. Cela nous permet d’appliquer les paramètres nécessaires durant l’installation des serveurs plus facilement et automatiquement. On peut ainsi déployer efficacement plusieurs serveurs et même jusqu'à une douzaine en même temps et les mettre rapidement aux normes.

En termes de sécurité, nous comptons principalement sur les mises à jour de firmware qu’on obtient sur le site internet de Dell. Ces mises à jour sont certifiées et considérées comme fiables. Cependant, on ne se sert pas de beaucoup d’autres mesures de sécurité au-delà de ça.

Pour ce qui concerne la consommation d'énergie, nous n’avons pas rencontré de problème significatif. Les nouvelles versions de ces serveurs sont clairement plus économes en énergie que les anciennes. Nous surveillons et recueillons activement les données de consommation d'énergie afin d'optimiser la distribution d'énergie à travers nos baies de serveurs. Les données des serveurs PowerEdge nous aident à éviter un surchargement des baies et à maintenir un équilibre de distribution d'énergie à travers le centre de données. De plus, le châssis du serveur nous permet de mesurer et distribuer les charges de manière efficace et équilibrée.

Les temps d'arrêt de production imprévus ont été grandement réduits grâces à l'implémentation des serveurs PowerEdge et en particulier, leurs solides capacités de surveillance. Cela nous permet de recevoir des informations détaillées sur différents aspects, comme les erreurs de disques. Par conséquent, nous pouvons nous servir de la fonction iDRAC pour basculer aisément sur des serveurs secondaires en cas de soucis et minimiser ainsi les temps d'arrêt. De plus, l’excellent support permet des remplacements rapides pour tout disque défectueux, ce qui facilite une minimisation supplémentaire des perturbations. Bien que des défaillances de disques puissent se produire, la solution implémentée atténue leur impact sur la production.

Nous avons seulement récemment commencé à utiliser la console OpenManage pour une gestion centralisée de correction du firmware ainsi que pour son déploiement à travers nos châssis de serveurs. Cela a considérablement accéléré le processus de mise à jour. Auparavant, les mises à jour étaient fastidieuses et souvent négligées. Cependant, avec la console, et plus particulièrement dans le centre de données où elle est installée, le raccordement est désormais plus rapide et permet des mises à jour plus fréquentes.

Qu’est-ce qui est le plus utile?

On apprécie plus particulièrement la fonction iDRAC, surtout dans ces versions les plus récentes, pour ces capacités à gérer un serveur et faire une surveillance complète à distance.

Qu’est-ce qui peut être amélioré?

Historiquement, les serveurs nécessitent un grand nombre de processeurs, avec un maximum de quatre accessibles à tout moment. Bien que les capacités d’un processeur aient été améliorées, certaines marques proposent encore des serveurs avec huit processors. De nos jours, avec des processeurs plus puissants, on a moins besoin de plusieurs processors. On a récemment eu plus de soucis avec les unités de traitement de graphiques. L'accès à des modèles de cartes spécifiques peut être limité et parfois, nous avons besoin de cartes plus petites que celles proposées par Dell.

Depuis combien de temps j’utilise cette solution?

J’utilise les serveurs Dell PowerEdge Rack depuis 15 ans.

Quelles sont mes impressions sur la stabilité de cette solution?

Je n’ai jamais eu de problème de stabilité avec les serveurs Dell PowerEdge Rack. Notre système fonctionne bien et sans temps d'arrêt depuis très longtemps. Par conséquent, il n’y a pas eu de soucis jusqu'à présent.

Quelles sont mes impressions sur la scalabilité de cette solution?

Pour le moment, notre scalabilité est bonne. Nous pouvons facilement ajouter plus de serveurs si besoin et il n’y a donc aucun souci à ce sujet.

Nous adoptons aujourd’hui, une approche scalable pour le déploiement de nos serveurs. Cela nous permet de sélectionner les composants de matériel nécessaires de façon dynamique tels que les CPU et les RAM, en fonction de l'évolution des besoins. Alors que nos exigences augmentent, nous pouvons parfaitement bien ajouter des nouveaux serveurs à l'infrastructure actuelle de façon semblable à l'extension de chaînes vidéos. Cette flexibilité nous permet d’affecter des ressources lorsque nécessaire, ce qui optimise les coûts et l'efficience.

Comment évaluez-vous le service client et le support?

En ce qui concerne le support de Dell, nous n’en avons pas eu beaucoup besoin récemment, ce qui est est quelque chose de positif. Nous n’avons pas eu non plus beaucoup de soucis avec eux dans le passé. Bien qu’il y ait eu des soucis dans le passé, ils étaient principalement liés aux outils du support et cela peut devenir complexe lorsqu’on a affaire à plusieurs livraisons.

Plus spécifiquement, le problème est venu de l’organisation de l’outil. Il nous est arrivé qu’il y ait huit sites différents avec la même adresse de livraison à cause d’une erreur de virgule dans l’adresse. Cela rend la configuration des outils difficile car ils reconnaissent chaque adresse avec une virgule différente comme un site différent.

Par contre, depuis que nous avons renforcé nos centres de données et que tout se trouve désormais sur un seul site, ces problèmes ont été résolus. Les choses sont devenues complexes lors de l'intégration initiale avec des serveurs qui étaient dédoublés sur quatre sites différents, ce qui a rendu la gestion fastidieuse.

Cela dit, le support Dell en lui-même était toujours efficace. Les problèmes venaient plutôt des contraintes de l’outil qui ne nous permettaient pas d’enlever les ‘adresses fantômes’ et qui nécessitent des astuces comme les cacher dans l’interface.

Dans l’ensemble, malgré quelques difficultés initiales dues aux contraintes de l’outil, le support Dell a été satisfaisant.

Comment évalueriez-vous le service client et le support?

Positivement.

Quelle solution ai-je utilisé auparavant et pourquoi ai-je changé?

Nous utilisons des serveurs HP en parallèle aux serveurs Dell PowerEdge. Nous utilisons déjà plusieurs serveurs HP en production. Nous n’avons par contre pas fait de tests approfondis sur eux. Nous nous en servons occasionnellement, en cas de besoin urgent. Nous avons par exemple, acquis nos serveurs HP actuels lors d’une période de tension sur les offres alors que nous avions besoin d’un délai de livraison de deux semaines et que la moyenne des délais était d’environ deux mois. De ce fait, le fournisseur avait un stock de HP disponible immédiatement et c’est pourquoi nous les avons choisis à cette époque. Bien que chaque technologie ait ses avantages et inconvénients, nous sommes très satisfaits de la performance de Dell. Etant donné que nous n’avons pas rencontré de problème particulier avec Dell, ils restent notre premier choix pour le moment.

Comment s’est déroulée la configuration initiale?

Pendant la configuration initiale et surtout la configuration de l’iDRAC, j’ai créé des scripts pour automatiser les configurations pour les iDRAC, BIOS et Syslog. Ce processus de rationalisation permet une installation rapide du serveur. Une fois qu’il est placé dans la baie et préparé, notre équipe peut installer le système de fonctionnement et les autres composants nécessaires de manière efficace.

En termes de stratégie de déploiement, nous configurons tout directement sur le terrain. Cela inclut le paramétrage de l’adresse IP address pour l’iDRAC basée sur son emplacement final. Je déploie ensuite le système en utilisant un mot de passe prédéterminé et je déroule un script qui configure les paramètres de base. Ensuite, ce sont les systèmes NG avec Linux et Windows d’inclus, qui prennent la relève pour installer le système d'opération.

Quelles sont vos impressions sur l'équipe d'implémentation?

Nous avons fait l'implémentation nous-mêmes.

Quelle est mon expérience avec les coûts et les licences?

Les couts semblent raisonnables. Cependant, il est bon de noter que comparé à d’autres marques, ils peuvent paraître plus chers, particulièrement en termes des options de personnalisation. Par exemple, avec Dell, les choix de GPU peuvent être limités, potentiellement faisant monter le coût comparé à un serveur plus petit d'un autre fabricant tel que Supermicro.

En tant que chefs de projets, nous devons explorer des alternatives de vendeurs qui offrent une plus grande flexibilité dans la sélection de hardware et potentiellement des facteurs de dimensions plus petites. Aucune décision n’a pourtant encore été prise à ce sujet.

Quelles autres solutions ai-je évaluées?

Nous avons évalué les serveurs Supermicro.

Quel autre conseil puis-je avoir?

Je donnerais une note de neuf sur dix aux serveurs Dell PowerEdge Rack.

Quel modèle de déploiement utilisez-vous pour cette solution?

Local.

We have our own applications. We are dealing with traffic technology solutions, so we have in-house applications. 

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are pretty good for handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads. They are scalable.

We have not experienced any security incidents or vulnerabilities with our Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. They are reliable. However, there has been no reduction in the downtime. 

It is reliable. We have not faced any issues.

I do not any have input as such, but there can be some AI capabilities.

We have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for 15 years.

We have not faced any stability issues. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are reliable.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are scalable. 

We did not use any third party or Dell Professional Services for deployment.

It is reliable. We do not face any new issues, which is a big deal.

We evaluated HPE but chose Dell because of our corporate strategy.

We use the OpenManage console, but it has not affected our IT staff’s productivity.

We have not yet implemented AI. We have not run any AI workloads on Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, but it is in the pipeline.

Overall, I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers in our environment a nine out of ten.

Our company offers various solutions, but for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, our clients had specific requirements such as a very new, unsupported CPU, extensive RAM support, and numerous PCIe lanes. Only Dell met all these needs.

The learning curve for Dell products is not steep due to the excellent support and easily accessible information. Compared to other projects I'm involved in, I found it much easier to learn and use Dell products. 

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have redundant power supplies that would help reduce downtime.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers offer flexibility due to their remote management capabilities, redundant components, and ease of diagnosis and repair.

The most valuable aspect of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is that they don't require support for card installation and offer extensive diagnostic software. I was able to work on the servers installed in our lab remotely from my office via the management tools. This eliminated the need for a physical display connection, requiring only an ethernet cable and power for remote access and management. 

Their servers are modular, but there are specific applications for which I wish they would publish the specifications, such as the specs of internal connectors. If Dell doesn't provide a connector, I'd like to be able to provide it myself.

The limited connectivity of the Rack Servers, due to having only three USB ports, is an area of improvement for Dell. Dell continues to use micro USB for the management port, and that cable type is increasingly more difficult to find. A shift to USB-C for the management port would be a welcome improvement from Dell.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for one year.

We sometimes build in-house using components from vendors we represent, but this project required something completely different, so we went with Dell. I hadn't worked with Dell before and had no prior experience. I had designed PCs based on Dell-style motherboards from one company and cards from another, handling integration, software support, and everything else. This was different because they didn't conform to usual standards and used their own products. There was a learning curve, but it was much easier overall.

I rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers nine out of ten.

We collaborated with Dell Professional Services to obtain cable design specifications. The power supplies used DC voltage, and we needed to determine the recommended cable thickness and any other pertinent design considerations. We planned to install our cards, which necessitated an internal power supply, so we needed the specifications to ascertain the maximum power draw from each connector.

Dell Professional Services were great compared to others I have used. I would rate them ten out of ten.