Most common server in use? Recommendation on lab

Hey Guys,

Im setting up a lab to study for my MCSE and Im considering purchasing some rack mount servers. (I know I can use virtual machines, but one advantage of having a real physical server is that I can also play/learn with the hardware - RAID, hot swap drives, etc, etc.....)

Question is: what is the most commonly used rack mount servers in use at small to medium sized companies today?? - Dell (eg. poweredge, etc), IBM xSeries, HPs.......

I want to say Dell, since we also used them frequently, but we were a small company - perhaps others admins with more experience can shed some light.

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Comments

astorrs

lespaulman74 wrote: »

Question is: what is the most commonly used rack mount servers in use at small to medium sized companies today?? - Dell (eg. poweredge, etc), IBM xSeries, HPs.......

"Yes"

All 3 of them, they are all very similar although the management tools, etc will differ (each has their strengths/weaknesses).

NetAdmin2436

We have all HP DL's at the small company I work for. Personally, I also picked up a couple older HP DL's off craigslist for my labs. I know Dells and IBM's are very popular as well. How about 1 of each?

Plantwiz

I see all 3 fairly frequently in use. Depends on the client. Larger clients 200+ users seem to have IBM while smaller clients I tend to see Dell 50 or fewer.

Not absolutely, but all three do have their place in the industry.

I don't see as many newer installs of Compaq/HP, however those running them have been running them several years now (and could stand to upgrade), but the longevity of those units I suppose speaks for the quality.

I prefer to spec IBM and if I must Dell for new installs/upgrades (though Dell's seem to be a little less costly as of late

tiersten

We're a majority IBM shop. xSeries, iSeries, pSeries and nSeries boxes with a handful of older HP Proliants. All the IBM gear is under IBM Global Services maint.

Ashenwelt

I would say IBM or HP. Dell is common, but larger deployments (20+) seem to be the IBM or HP.

RTmarc

I think you are going to be misusing your time and resources if you go after physical servers. Yes, they all differ a bit as far as hardware is concerned and they have different admin tools and utilities but on a whole, they are relatively the same. It's just like a CLI. Syntax and presentation differs by vendor but if you know one, you should have no problems feeling your way around the others.

Most likely, very little of your time is going to be configuring/modifying the hardware.

If you insist on purchasing a physical server, you can't go wrong with any of the big three; HP, Dell, or IBM. At my previous company we had a mix of Dell and HP servers. The company I'm just about to start with has HP blades.

dynamik

RTmarc wrote: »

The company I'm just about to start with has HP blades.

Off-topic, but congratulations on landing a new gig