Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers Reviews

We continuously expand our data center infrastructure with Dell PowerEdge Servers, deploying virtualization platforms across multiple data centers. As our computing needs grow, we consistently require additional compute resources, leading to ongoing expansion efforts. Each month sees the addition of new PowerEdge Servers to accommodate our evolving requirements.

The most significant benefit we've experienced is the simplicity of working with a single vendor. This streamlined approach has greatly improved our service level experience. Whenever there's an issue, we can quickly reach out to them and receive prompt replacements or support. With ProSupport, the reliability and responsiveness of Dell's support services are truly impressive. We have peace of mind knowing that our technical needs will be addressed swiftly, often with next-day solutions.

Efficiency and power consumption have seen improvements in the last generation of servers. However, it's important to note that these aspects are largely comparable across vendors when utilizing the same hardware components.

The cyber-resilient architecture is a crucial feature, particularly for security purposes. Its inclusion provides reassurance for us as hosts, allowing us to confidently communicate to our customers that we employ this advanced technology in our data centers. This enhances our credibility and serves as a point of trust when engaging with our clients.

PowerEdge Servers have significantly reduced unplanned production data shutdowns, particularly compared to our previous experience with Dell, when we encountered frequent shutdowns due to hardware malfunctions, but with PowerEdge, downtime has been consistently minimal for the past five years. This improvement has greatly benefited both us and our customers, as it allows us to provide services with much better SLAs.

The adoption of the OpenManage Console has impacted our productivity positively as we are currently in the process of rolling it out for our servers.

The standout feature is the remote control accessibility, which allows our team to access and manage the servers locally or remotely. We primarily utilize these servers for virtualization, running VMware to consolidate them into a large data center. This setup perfectly aligns with our specific requirements, and our technical team thoroughly enjoys working with it. We've experienced fewer issues compared to previous hardware solutions from other providers. With PowerEdge servers, our stability has significantly improved.

There might be room for improvement in terms of efficiency, particularly with PowerEdge servers. However, it's worth noting that this issue isn't unique to Dell but rather a general concern across the industry.

We have been using it for almost twenty years.

Stability is paramount, and it's the feedback we consistently receive from our technicians. When we seek their advice on hardware selection for various solutions, they consistently recommend Dell without hesitation.

Scalability is a strong suit, particularly for our high-demand usage scenarios. We leverage storage virtualization with VMware installation, initially setting up nodes with lower capacity. As our needs grow, we can easily expand storage by adding more nodes or increasing capacity. This scalability extends to our infrastructure, allowing for flexible expansion and adaptation as required.

In general, it's common to encounter issues, especially during late hours when support might not be readily available. However, we haven't faced significant problems with our PowerEdge servers. Any challenges we've encountered are more often related to client devices, such as laptops from Dell. When it comes to server support, our experience has been excellent, almost rating it a perfect ten out of ten.

Positive

When comparing Dell PowerEdge servers and services to other options on the market, it's challenging for us to provide a comprehensive evaluation because the majority of our servers in the data center are Dell. Therefore, our main frame of reference is Dell versus alternative solutions. According to feedback from our technicians, Dell is typically preferred over other brands like Dell due to its perceived stability. This comparison is primarily focused on hardware solutions rather than support services.

Deploying Dell PowerEdge servers is straightforward and efficient. It saves us a significant amount of time since it's mostly plug-and-play, with minimal setup required. Our technicians have become accustomed to the process, with approximately fifty percent of the time previously spent on setup now being saved. As we continue to set up numerous Dell servers, we find the process consistently easy and reliable, with no major changes in the setup procedure.

Our primary deployment model for PowerEdge servers revolves around virtualization. While we do have some servers deployed on-premises, the majority are situated in the data center, serving as the backbone for our virtualization solution.

We have a strong agreement in place with our parent company, that typically ensures favorable pricing terms for us, although occasionally we may need to negotiate with Dell representatives for further discounts to provide competitive pricing to our customers.

In our business, we prioritize scalability over a plethora of features. Having identical servers across our infrastructure simplifies support and enhances technician familiarity. This uniformity streamlines processes, making it easier for our team to understand and manage the systems efficiently. Additionally, in our design and digital systems development, we lean towards utilizing Dell for its robust support and scalability, ensuring our solutions can easily scale as needed. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

Our primary use case is for Hyper-V server virtualization.

The reason we adopted Dell PowerEdge is because we wanted to simplify and streamline our IT infrastructure as much as possible. That is the challenge we were facing.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have made my organization much more organized. Before, we didn't have DRA cards or a centralized overview of servers, so managing them required local access. Now, I can centrally monitor and control server issues across all locations.

PowerEdge Server's Cyber Resilient Architecture approach to security, including silicon-based firmware, signed firmware updates, user access, and supply chain security and integrity is good. It's especially good with regular updates that instill confidence. 

I can't provide details on the processor architecture, as I'm not deeply familiar with it.

PowerEdge Rack Servers' handling of evolving high-performance workload requirements when equipped with the appropriate server is sufficient and very good. Although it's crucial for a customer to plan for future resource needs.

The servers have had an excellent impact on our organization's sustainability goals. The longer lifespan of Dell servers aligns well with the typical server lifespan calculation of five to seven years.

The OpenManage Console has affected the productivity of our IT personnel. It has become much more manageable. It's easier to administer servers, even for colleagues who are less technically inclined.

The DRA cards for server management is the most valuable feature. They provide a clear overview of server settings and issues. We also like that the notifications are well-organized.

The price could possibly use improvement. Dell servers are not the most affordable, and pricing is always a consideration. Otherwise, I don't see any specific areas for improvement.

In a future release, having a ten-gigabit LAN onboard from the start would be a significant advantage. It would eliminate the need for aftermarket upgrades.

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

The servers have good stability. Servers need to run smoothly, and Dell servers do that reliably.

Scalability depends on how you plan and allocate resources. With proper planning, it's scalable.

I would rate their support a nine out of ten. It would be even better if ProSupport for servers were integrated and didn't require additional fees or licenses.

Positive

We were previously using HPE ProLiant and Microtech servers. They were not as user-friendly or easy to manage.

We did the setup. We installed a Windows server and configured the hard drives.

The complexity of the setup is as complex as setting up any server. It's not as simple as a laptop but not excessively complex if you've done it a few times.

Our strategy was to set up the servers and then we migrated VMs from the old servers once the new ones were ready.

Microsoft licensing for Hyper-V servers is a challenge, but Dell's hardware may be slightly more expensive. Overall, it's manageable.

We looked at HP again but decided on Dell due to our positive experience with Dell laptops.

Also, Dell's Pro Support is something I find valuable, and I believe it's not available to the same extent as other providers.

PowerEdge Rack Servers' energy consumption depends on how the server is utilized. I can't provide specific details, but every server requires power.

The use of PowerEdge Rack Servers hasn't had a significant impact on the overall flexibility of our operation. If anything, it has ensured everything runs smoothly.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a nine out of ten. There's not much that needs improvement. Your success with it largely depends on how well you plan.

Foreign Language:(German)

Gute Sicherheitsarchitektur, einschließlich siliziumbasierter Firmware, signierter Firmware-Updates, Benutzerzugang und Sicherheit der Lieferkette

Was ist unser Hauptanwendungsfall?

Unser Hauptanwendungsfall ist die Hyper-V-Servervirtualisierung.

Wir haben uns für Dell PowerEdge entschieden, weil wir unsere IT-Infrastruktur so weit wie möglich vereinfachen und rationalisieren wollten. Das ist die Herausforderung, vor der wir standen.

Wie hat es meiner Organisation geholfen?

Mit den Dell PowerEdge Rack-Servern ist meine Organisation jetzt viel besser organisiert. Vorher hatten wir keine DRA-Karten oder eine zentrale Übersicht über die Server, so dass für die Verwaltung der Server ein lokaler Zugriff erforderlich war. Jetzt kann ich Serverprobleme an allen Standorten zentral überwachen und steuern.

Der Sicherheitsansatz der Cyber Resilient Architecture von PowerEdge Server, einschließlich der siliziumbasierten Firmware, der signierten Firmware-Updates, des Benutzerzugriffs und der Sicherheit und Integrität der Lieferkette, ist gut. Besonders gut ist er bei regelmäßigen Updates, die Vertrauen erwecken.

Ich kann keine Details zur Prozessorarchitektur nennen, da ich mich damit nicht auskenne.

Die PowerEdge Rack Server können mit dem entsprechenden Server die sich entwickelnden Anforderungen an Hochleistungs-Workloads ausreichend und sehr gut erfüllen. Allerdings ist es für einen Kunden entscheidend, den zukünftigen Ressourcenbedarf zu planen.

Die Server haben sich hervorragend auf die Nachhaltigkeitsziele unserer Organisation ausgewirkt. Die längere Betriebsdauer von Dell-Servern deckt sich gut mit der typischen Berechnung der Betriebsdauer von Servern von fünf bis sieben Jahren.

Die OpenManage-Konsole hat sich auf die Produktivität unseres IT-Personals ausgewirkt. Es ist viel einfacher zu verwalten. Es ist einfacher, Server zu verwalten, auch für Kollegen, die technisch weniger versiert sind.

Was ist am wertvollsten?

Die DRA-Karten für die Serververwaltung sind die wertvollste Eigenschaft. Sie bieten einen klaren Überblick über Servereinstellungen und Probleme. Uns gefällt auch, dass die Benachrichtigungen gut organisiert sind.

Was muss verbessert werden?

Der Preis könnte eventuell verbessert werden. Dell-Server sind nicht die günstigsten, und der Preis ist immer eine Überlegung wert. Ansonsten kann ich keine besonderen Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten nennen.

In einer zukünftigen Version wäre es ein großer Vorteil, von Anfang an ein Zehn-Gigabit-LAN an Bord zu haben. Das würde die Notwendigkeit von Nachrüstungen auf dem Markt überflüssig machen.

Wie lange nutze ich die Lösung schon?

Ich verwende Dell PowerEdge Rack Server seit zwei Jahren.

Was halte ich von der Stabilität der Lösung?

Die Server haben gute Stabilität. Server müssen reibungslos laufen, und Dell-Server tun das zuverlässig.

Was denke ich über die Skalierbarkeit der Lösung?

Die Skalierbarkeit hängt davon ab, wie man die Ressourcen plant und zuweist. Mit der richtigen Planung ist sie skalierbar.

Wie sind Kundenservice und Support?

Ich würde den Support mit neun von zehn Punkten bewerten. Es wäre noch besser, wenn ProSupport für Server integriert wäre und keine zusätzlichen Gebühren oder Lizenzen erfordern würde.

Wie bewerten Sie den Kundenservice und -support?

Positiv

Welche Lösung habe ich vorher verwendet und warum habe ich gewechselt?

Wir haben zuvor HPE ProLiant- und Microtech-Server verwendet. Sie waren nicht so benutzerfreundlich und einfach zu verwalten.

Wie war die Ersteinrichtung?

Wir haben die Einrichtung durchgeführt. Wir haben einen Windows-Server installiert und die Festplatten konfiguriert.

Die Einrichtung ist so komplex wie die Einrichtung eines jeden Servers. Es ist nicht so einfach wie bei einem Laptop, aber auch nicht übermäßig komplex, wenn man es schon ein paar Mal gemacht hat.

Unsere Strategie bestand darin, die Server einzurichten und dann die VMs von den alten Servern zu migrieren, sobald die neuen Server bereit waren.

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

Die Microsoft-Lizenzierung für Hyper-V-Server ist eine Herausforderung, aber die Hardware von Dell ist möglicherweise etwas teurer. Insgesamt ist es zu bewältigen.

Welche anderen Lösungen habe ich bewertet?

Wir haben HP noch einmal in Betracht gezogen, aber aufgrund unserer positiven Erfahrungen mit Dell-Laptops haben wir uns für Dell entschieden.

Außerdem finde ich den Pro-Support von Dell sehr wertvoll, und ich glaube, dass er bei anderen Anbietern nicht in gleichem Maße verfügbar ist.

Welche anderen Ratschläge kann ich geben?

Der Energieverbrauch von PowerEdge Rack-Servern hängt davon ab, wie der Server genutzt wird. Ich kann keine genauen Angaben machen, aber jeder Server benötigt Strom.

Der Einsatz von PowerEdge Rack Servern hat sich nicht wesentlich auf die Gesamtflexibilität unseres Betriebs ausgewirkt. Wenn überhaupt, dann hat er dafür gesorgt, dass alles reibungslos läuft.

Ich würde Dell PowerEdge Rack Server mit neun von zehn Punkten bewerten. Es gibt nicht viel, was verbessert werden muss. Ihr Erfolg hängt weitgehend davon ab, wie gut man plant.

We rely on Dell PowerEdge servers for our data centers, transitioning from VMware to Hyper-V Azure Stack. These servers support various functions, including backup, database management, and handling highly virtualized workloads.  

A significant benefit we have experienced with Dell PowerEdge is the flexibility it offers in customizing our services. The servers are designed to fit our specific requirements, allowing us to build and configure them according to our needs. 

This flexibility has been valuable, as we have been able to achieve everything we have asked from the PowerEdge line to support our organization's IT infrastructure. 

For our organization, energy efficiency is crucial, and Dell PowerEdge servers align well with our commitment to green IT. Dell works with customers to prioritize power-efficient hardware, and we have noticed savings when renewing parts of our infrastructure. 

The virtualization layer, coupled with Dell's efforts, has contributed significantly to improved energy efficiency, allowing us to achieve more performance for the same energy consumption. Additionally, PowerEdge servers significantly contribute to our sustainability goals by delivering high performance and efficiency.

I find the stability of PowerEdge to be its most valuable feature. Managing it is straightforward, and the scalability aligns well with the needs of our organization.

One area where PowerEdge could improve, and it might not be unique to Dell, is the challenge of keeping technology consistent over the years. Due to the natural growth of IT, there are differences in processors, memory, and technology advancements each year. When expanding our environment, it becomes a challenge to match the technology of the same line. A more seamless bridge between old and new hardware could simplify administration and enhance the overall user experience.

I have been working with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for almost over ten years.

PowerEdge handles the evolving needs of high-performance workloads quite well. Its flexibility allows us to attain the required performance and integrate new technologies seamlessly. The scalability within our current environment ensures that we don't hit the limits of the platform easily, eliminating the need to transition to another platform for now.

Dell's tech support has been good overall. While we rarely need assistance, finding the right entry point into their support system can be a bit challenging. However, when required, our account manager and available resources help navigate the process effectively.

We have seen a substantial return on investment with Dell PowerEdge. The servers' stability, ease of management, and standardized operations have reduced staffing needs and operational costs. Considering factors like energy efficiency and pricing, it has been a valuable investment for our organization.

I find the pricing for Dell PowerEdge reasonable for our company. However, licensing, in general, can be challenging to manage effectively. It would be beneficial for companies like Dell to reconsider their approach to licensing certain aspects of their equipment.

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

We use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel for research calculations. 

With Intel Xeon processors, the solution has helped improve our target workloads' performance by 50 percent at times, depending on the exact calculation we are doing.

It's great at handling high-performance workloads.

They have also done their job when it comes to security features. We haven't ever had a breach, although it is a closed network.

When it comes to energy consumption they're also very good. They don't use power because they're power-hungry, but because we use them very hard.

I don't know much about the new Intel CPUs, but they need to put more than two CPUs in the servers. It may be an Intel limitation, but I'm not sure.

I have used Dell solutions for six years.

We haven't had any downtime with them due to anything on Dell's side. So far, they haven't failed.

We have hundreds of them, and adding as many as we can is as easy as the first one.

The support has been great. We haven't needed it much because the servers just work. But when we had issues, I called Dell. If it was a malfunction of the hardware, we had a solution within a day, and that was usually because of my schedule, not Dell's schedule. I would tell them, "Okay, come tomorrow or the day after. That will be better for me."

Positive

We used to have HP servers but they were horrible. We maintained them for about three years, but by the end of the three years, we didn't get all the features of the BIOS. The Dells, from day one, worked like a charm, with no additional fees or hidden costs, like we had with the HPs.

It's easy to handle. You just put it in, connect it, and it works. The average time it takes me to set up a server and get it to work is about 15 minutes.

We have seen ROI compared to cloud solutions. Similarly, compared to the HPs that we didn't select, we don't need to handle and pet them all the time. We didn't need another system engineer to handle the computers. I was enough.

The pricing is great; very competitive. That's the reason we bought hundreds of them.

We mainly evaluated HPs and Lenovos. Dell was the most cost-effective, power-efficient, and the easiest to handle.

The solution is a great service. They do their job. It requires minimal effort from my side as a system engineer, with very few errors or malfunctions.

My advice is to buy them. They are really good servers. They're straightforward. You don't need to research hidden definitions in the BIOS. They're simple to handle.

Our storage is on Dell and nearly all our use cases are on the Dell servers. We use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for almost everything. 

My company chose Dell because they were looking for something that is easy to manage, stable, and something we can trust. 

PowerEdge servers are great for high-performance workloads. We get excellent performance every time we use them.  

PowerEdge's management interface is easy to use. It's also a platform that we can trust.

I have been at the company and working with PowerEdge for three years. I know the company has been working with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for years but I don't know precisely how long. 

PowerEdge is a stable solution. If it wasn't we wouldn't use it. 

I rate Dell support eight out of 10. While we are generally satisfied with their service, we'd like more connections between meetings and proactive support. We had a session about two weeks ago, where we talked about areas they need to improve. 

Positive

We also use HP servers. 

The price is worth it for what you get from it. It's worth the cost. 

I rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers eight out of 10. 

We use it in the media industry.

Our customers have numerous benefits, including an array of features such as RAM quantity, CPU power, and storage capacity.

Our energy consumption was quite high five years ago when we were a service provider. Today, over the last two generations, our power consumption has decreased significantly. This reduction is highly beneficial for our operations.

The flexibility is commendable. Whenever we need to perform any task on our records or servers, the process is smooth and swift. In the twenty years of using Dell, we haven't encountered any troubles, problems, or issues, which speaks volumes about the reliability of their products.

The enduring stability and longevity offered by Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers stand out as their most invaluable feature. These qualities enable organizations to deploy and utilize the same server model for extended periods, bolstered by Dell's steadfast guarantee.

The pricing structure could be improved.

I have been using it for over ten years.

Stability is excellent overall. We've encountered only one issue, which pertained to a SAN rather than a server. This occurred due to a peak in energy, affecting the controller within the rack. Nonetheless, stability remains consistent for our servers.

Scalability is truly excellent, as we can start with a certain number of memory units, and when a customer requests additional memory or space, we can easily upgrade. This process is fast and straightforward, making it highly beneficial.

We've relied on tech support for at least twenty years, and every time we've reached out, we've received swift and effective solutions. I would rate it nine out of ten.

Positive

The advantage of Dell over other vendors lies in the fact that over the course of twenty years, we've consistently opted for solutions that include mission-critical assistance. However, we've only needed to utilize this assistance twice in two decades. This demonstrates the exceptional quality of Dell's hardware, which has been thoroughly tested and proven reliable—an essential feature and service for us.

Deploying was simple. We were assigned directly to the data center. As consultants, we began by working directly in the rack. We initiated the installation process, starting with the hypervisor, and everything proceeded smoothly.

Twenty years ago, we used to purchase directly from Dell. However, they later decided to sell only through partners in Italy. Consequently, when we transitioned to buying from partners, we also became partners ourselves. At present, the pricing seems a bit high for us. While we manage to procure products through competitive bidding, the list pricing remains challenging for us. This difficulty primarily arises when selling to customers, especially medium-sized ones requiring only two or three servers.

Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

We've never had any issues with using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for everything we need. Essentially, they're our go-to brand for servers.

From what I've gathered, it seems that they're heading in the right direction by implementing silicon-based hardware updates, enhancing user access security, and optimizing the supply chain. These developments are sensible, especially for environments like data centers and research facilities, as they prioritize both security and efficiency.

I'm highly impressed by the energy efficiency of Dell PowerEdge Servers. Having worked with servers for a long time, I remember their high power consumption. However, the new Dell products have drastically reduced energy usage, which is not only remarkable but also makes them much quieter.

Primarily, what we value most is the stability of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. We appreciate the confidence of deploying them in production, knowing they'll perform reliably without any issues.

There might be room for improvement, especially in the software aspect, such as firmware updates. While it's relatively straightforward now, it would be beneficial to have a solution that allows updating the server firmware without taking it offline.

I have been working with it for approximately fifteen years.

It provides excellent stability capabilities.

Scalability isn't particularly relevant to our use case.

Before switching to Dell, we used to rely on HPE servers. Unfortunately, we experienced increasing instability with their hardware over time, particularly noticeable in critical components like storage controllers, which are crucial in my line of work. 

We also encountered numerous issues with the mainboards. As a result, we had to explore alternatives from different vendors. Although we also tried Supermicro servers, which showcased some innovative features at the time, we found Dell to offer better stability overall. While Supermicro was aiming for rapid innovation, they struggled with stability issues in their servers.

We managed the deployment in-house, and it was remarkably straightforward. Setting up the racks and mounting the hardware, including the components inside the servers, was hassle-free. Overall, it was a seamless process.

I believe the return on investment with Dell servers is positive. While I may not have a precise answer, a strong indication for me is the ongoing satisfaction in receiving the necessary components and support from Dell.

Overall, I would rate it ten out of ten.

I use a mixture of versions of this solution including R440 and R430.  I also use FX2S for the blade chassis and FC630 and 640 for the actual blade servers.

We use the blade solution as a host cluster environment for virtualization of multiple servers and the standalone R440 and 430 for best practice when we don't want to necessarily complete virtualization. We use physical servers in different locations in order to have different firewall contexts, so we can push data across. We use the physical servers as simulated distant ends in a test environment out at the actual sites.

This solution has helped us reduce our rack footprint. It reduced our power consumption including size and weight. For example, we could increase the number of systems we were deploying in Iraq if we needed to. 

The solution decreased the time it takes to deploy systems due to needing less hardware. When we started to manage all of our servers in a cluster, it increased our oversight management. Ease of management with a smaller hardware footprint has equaled faster deployment.

The most valuable feature of this solution is the fact that it is a reliable server and does the job we implemented it to do. 

We are leaning away from this particular product because Dell's VxRail solution makes us buy four nodes at a time which is not scalable. Other solutions such as Cisco offer more innovation on this front. 

The switching for this solution is lagging behind other products. Cisco has built the best iOS that other solutions need to match. Dell has recently done an overhaul to allow networking switches but it still can't scale the way we need it to. 

I have been using this solution for seven years. 

This is a stable solution. 

Blade servers are not scalable anymore.

The initial setup is not complex but it is counterintuitive, specifically the chassis. The FX2S chassis holds up to four half widths blades and has a pre-built two-module network card and eight ports that mirror each other.  

The PCIe slots on the back of the chassis are hardwired and challenging to set up.

We did not use the automated server of OS deployment features. We installed the hardware and then installed the software manually. We are a dark site. Dell could be a little bit more friendly to dark site management. There's a huge customer base out there that just cannot utilize a lot of their solutions in a classified environment.

The pricing for this solution is reasonable. We pay a basic premium with a military premium on top of that. 

This solution has met my needs. We have not run with the latest versions of this solution due to security concerns. 

This solution has helped me to view the health and status of our environment in a user-friendly way. The TPM features have helped us a lot because, from a configuration management standpoint, there are trusted platform modules that operate consistently.

For anyone considering this solution, I would recommend looking into all the finer details to understand how it could be integrated. Ensure every facet of the solution is going to meet your needs.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.