[KLUG Members] Server recommendations?

[Adam Tauno Williams]

> >>> We are looking at upgrading some old (Linux/x86) servers here and 
> >>> would
> >>> like some hardware recommendations.
> >>> The IBM Blade Centers look interesting.  Anyone run Linux on them?
> >> What about this?  http://www.aberdeeninc.com/abcatg/Stirling-S10.htm
> > That looks like a nice box, but for servers I recommend to avoid 
> > assemble-it shops (which Aberdeen is).  Go here for this driver, there for that 
> > driver, over yonder for your BIOS or flash update, etc...  What permutations 
> > of these are happy with each other?  "Not our problem."  Also my experience is 
> > that assemble-it shops also tend to have problems getting things like 
> > cooling and cable routing right,  resulting in hotter and noticably LOUDER...
> what about an Apple XServe?, if you want power, etc. etc.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy an XServer, everything I've seen and everyone
I've talked to is very positive; and I work with PowerPC (but not Apple)
every day.  My only question there would be "Why the XServe?".  If your
willing to bite the PowerPC bullet, and your going to run Linux and not
OS/X, then pSeries offers more flexibility and per-buck-bang than
Apple's server line (no surprise, the pSeries and iSeries machines are
the servers of choice for every grunt-work-I/O-intensive application
I've encountered).  And for moving bits to-and-fro they'll kick the
livin' snot out of your stock-Intel(ish) server.

But there is always the looming question: is your app available for the
PPC architecture?  And in reality it AIN'T as easy as a recompile, as
Mono PPC users have learned.   But for "standard" apps like OpenLDAP or
Samba, sure.  When I retire my current primary file server (xSeries),
the replacement will most likely be a pSeries.  It won't be an XServe
because I want to be on the OS used at 95%+ of Samba installations.