Re: hardware advice - opinions about HP?

On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 9:14 AM, Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 10:51:46AM -0400, Franklin, Dan (FEN) wrote:
>> We're currently using Dell and have had enough problems to think about
>> switching.
>>
>> What about HP?
>
> If you need a big vendor, I think HP is a good choice.

This brings up a point I make sometimes to folks. Big companies can
get great treatment from big vendors. When you work somewhere that
orders servers by the truckload, you need a vendor who can fill trucks
with servers in a day's notice, and send you a hundred different
replacement parts the next.

Conversely, if you are a smaller company that orders a dozen or so
servers a year, then often a big vendor is not the best match. You're
just a drop in the ocean to them. A small vendor is often a much
better match here. They can carefully test those two 48 core opteron
servers with 100 drives over a week's time to make sure it works the
way you need it to. It might take them four weeks to build a big
specialty box, but it will usually get built right and for a decent
price. Also the sales people will usually be more knowledgeable about
the machines they sell.

Recent job: 20 or fewer servers ordered a year, boutique shop for them
(aberdeeninc in this case).
Other recent job: 20 or more servers a week. Big reseller (not at
liberty to release the name).