Tag Archives: Dell

Why Should You Consider Dell’s PowerEdge MX Blade Server?

As an Enterprise sales server technologist for Dell Technologies, one of the questions I get quite often is “why should I consider PowerEdge MX?”  It is a great question especially since all of the top blade server vendor offerings have their advantages.  In this post, I’ll share my thoughts on the top 3 key differentiators the PowerEdge MX blade portfolio has to offer.
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It’s About Time Cisco – A Look At the Cisco UCS X9508 and UCS x210c M6

Well, it’s about fracken time, Cisco!  Today Cisco finally announced information about their next generation UCS chassis.  Here’s what you’re going to want to know. Continue reading

Comparison of Ice Lake Based Blade Servers

(Updated 4.8.2021) Intel released the embargo on April 6, 2021 lifting the covers to the 3rd Generation Xeon Scalable Processor.  As expected, blade server vendors are starting to release details of their offerings based on this new CPU announcement.  Below is an updated chart to help guide you to the best blade server for your project.  This version includes Intel DC Persistent Memory (Optane).

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If You Use PowerEdge Blade Servers You Should Know About This

If you are using Dell blade servers, I may have a little known resource that could help you.  Ever heard of the “PowerEdge MX I/O Guide?”  If not, I’m not surprised.  It was primarily used as an internal resource, but now it’s available to the public. Continue reading

Why Blade Servers Could Be the Future of the Datacenter

One of my tasks as Chief Technology Architect at Dell is to talk with customers about future technologies.  When I reflect on my past vision of where the blade server is heading (“The Blade Server of the Future“) I’m surprised at how close we are to that vision becoming a reality.  Based upon where we are heading, the blade server format could be the perfect model for the future datacenter, so let me explain why. Continue reading

Integrating Dell Blade Servers into Cisco Nexus Environments

I recently had some discussions with a customer looking to connect a Dell EMC PowerEdge M1000e to a Cisco Nexus and I was quite surprised at the number of resources available to assist in the project.  Below you will find links to the documents I found with the hope it will help you out in the near future.

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GPUs and Blade Servers – A Good Idea?

UPDATED 9.23.2016 When looking at the blade server market, the options for GPUs are very limited – in fact only a couple of vendors offer them (more on this later.)  So you have to question, is it a good idea to put a GPU in a blade server?  Let’s review and find out. Continue reading

Which Embedded Management License Do You Need?

Whether you are looking at Dell or HPE blade servers, one important consideration is the type of embedded management license you need.  Too often, I’ve heard of blade server users having to go back to a vendor to get a license upgrade because the current version doesn’t do what you need it to.  The charts below are designed to help you proactively determine what license is needed prior to making your purchase.   Continue reading

VMware Virtual SAN Ready Node on a Blade Server

UPDATED I recently had to determine the best option for a customer from the Virtual SAN Compatibility Guide / Virtual SAN Ready Node guide and was a bit surprised to see only a single blade server vendor listed.  When it comes to choosing a server form factor, there are many reasons to choose blade servers, and several reasons not to choose them (see “5 Reasons You May NOT Want a Blade Server – April 2013.”)  If you think blade servers will fit for your infrastructure needs, here are a few options to consider.

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