The Future of Servers
In a world run by servers., it is just natural that we all have a simple concept of what a server actually is. To the layman, and for those who aren’t really into tech stuff, a server is a hardware technology solution that “serves” file, data, print, to multiple computers, just like what runs on the back-end of this blog site. Though I don’t know what brand of server WordPress runs on, it would be typical for a company with a very large user base such as this, to have a powerful server behind it. The most popular server brands out there are Hewlett-Packard (HP), IBM, and Dell.
Assuming we all know what servers are, we are all but familiar with the typical tower servers and rack servers that abound. Companies buy these type of servers left and right, but for larger corporations that have a high demand for servers, where would you place them all? What if you have 30, 40, or more servers? Where would you put them and where would it fit?
Enter Blade Technology. What used to be just a buzzword, is now becoming a norm in every data center around the world. Blades have transformed the way the market and customers see servers. It allows you to consolidate the typical 12 plus servers that you have, and instead puts it in an enclosure/chassis that would house them! Instead of having to buy 12 separate servers, with power supplies, fans, each and every time you purchase, now you will never have to buy those parts separately again.
Welcome the servers of the future! Blades have been in the market since mid of 2000, but was never a market hit until the latter half of 2006. Customers started to embrace the new concept that allowed more than 12 servers to be housed in ONE enclosure and be able to outperform the servers the market was used to (status quo). HP and IBM have been neck-to-neck in this battle for blade supremacy, and are the undisputed front-runners of this industry. Each with its own unique advantages, and each with its own unique architecture that makes it different from the other, both HP and IBM are posing for the market to accept the product in full circle this year.
HP released a product called the c7000, as part of the c-class family for blades for enterprise customers and is capable of housing 16 blade servers! In the 4th quarter of 2007, HP also released the c3000, a smaller BladeSystem specifically built for SMB’s (small medium businesses) and was an instant hit! IBM, on the other hand, had initially released BladeCenter H, their enterprise chassis that could house up to 14 blade servers. They then followed suit with the BladeCenter S for SMB customers, and tried to release it early 4th quarter last year to match HP’s time in market, but to no avail. IBM was only able to release the actual product by mid-January, while HP had sold more than 1000 blade servers since its release late in 2007.
Though HP and IBM both tote the same concept on blade technologies, there are quite a few differences in the way both have implemented their products. I won’t go on talking about those in specific detail, as it would bore more than half the people reading this. But for the small percentage of people reading this who might have a semblance of interest in the two blade technologies, just give me a shout-out and I’d be more than willing to explain in-depth the two technologies to you. 
Some related links:
India Creates World’s Fourth Fastest Supercomputer using Blade Technology
Discover how IT can engineer better business outcomes: Eyes on Blades
Leave a Reply