The end of the Dell C6100 era?

[Patrick]

Had a few feelers out to some of the C6100 vendors. The basic feedback is this:

• C6100's are running close to being out of stock. Much of the off-lease C6100 cloud decommissions seem to be done
• C6220's are still in use so it may be awhile before we start seeing more of those
• C1100's will still be available for the forseeable future
• We are going to start seeing a lot more of the highly-custom cloud configurations come off-lease this year, so less ability to simply re purpose like we did the C6100

There are still a few vendors that have some DCS C6100's out there but finding non-DCS versions will be harder.

 

[abstractalgebra]

Said to hear that news but I'm sure the community can find some new deals. Similarly the L5639 6-core Xeons seam to be more expensive to find both in servers and alone. I got the impression that Dell contracted out these servers based on a Supermicro design, so did any other Server Companies do the same that we can watch out for?

 

[mackle]

Onwards and upwards

 

[rnavarro]

Thanks for the update Patrick! Glad I dived in at the very last minute when I did....looking forward to some of the super custom solutions. I want to see what the big boys are up to in terms of custom hardware configs

 

[PersonalJ]

Maybe we'll see a second wave of end users selling off their C6100s and other hardware used such as AMD graphics cards once the whole cryptocurrency rush dies down. Otherwise, I sure would like a C6220 in 2015. What is the normal leasing schedule for enterprise hardware, 3 years?

 

[Chuckleb]

Can you refer me to a link or tell me the difference between the DCS and non DCS models, and how you can tell? Tried to search but was hard to find anything.

 

[BackWoodsTech]

I tried the other day too. I had asked about it, but I still wasn't clear because the DCS models were custom configs for various companies. I found this somewhat helpful though, or at least authoritative:
What is the difference between Dell Data Center Solutions (DCS) Systems and Dell PowerEdge C Systems

 

[Chuckleb]

Hey, thanks. Good doc! Now to confirm with vendor...

 

[Dirt Johnson]

pdneiman has a bunch more C6100's in stock again, as well as a few barebones C6220's, but those are out of my price range. However, my C6100 should be delivered today so I can join the club.

 

[Patriot]

Looks like the SL6500s are starting to get dumped now. 2011 hardware at a good price.

 

[dba]

Looks like the SL6500s are starting to get dumped now. 2011 hardware at a good price.

Price/performance now pretty much matches the c6100. I think that my next big order may be HP S6500s - or does their firmware/bios licensing rules make that a bad idea?

 

[Dirt Johnson]

Wow to the HP, I had not noticed their current price point. Though I am still glad I chose the C6100, primary because of the hotswap bays accessible from the front. But as a second server for my lab, I will definitely consider the HP in another four to six months. I do not have a four post rack yet, so all my Cisco gear is in a home build two post unit that lays horizontal. Makes for quick reconfiguring of the equipment when you don't have to use screws. Does any know how the SL6500s are on noise and energy use compared to the C6100?

 

[Patriot]

I can get you numbers for the SL6500, but I don't know what the C6100s are. I have 2 SL6500 enclosures, 2x SL270x, 2x 250s and 4x 230s.

 

[MiniKnight]

To me the C6100 is getting old.

 

[cheezehead]

The chassis for the S6500 is a possibility (can max with 8x 1/2 width blades), only problem are the blade prices. The SL390s' can be pretty cheap (xeon 5500/5600) but the sandy bridge blades are still holding a premium.

 

[Patriot]

The chassis for the S6500 is a possibility (can max with 8x 1/2 width blades), only problem are the blade prices. The SL390s' can be pretty cheap (xeon 5500/5600) but the sandy bridge blades are still holding a premium.

I have seen prices for a full 8 node chassis at 2k... granted barebones... but still.
HP Proliant S6500 4U 8 Node CTO Chassis w 8x HP SL230S G8 Barebone | eBay

Get a SB-E chip for flashing to latest roms, and fill it with V2 chips.
LFF non-hotswap in the back.

 

[neo]

I've always liked HP servers

 

[markpower28]

Just start looking into the thread. This is a much better upgrade from C6100!

I have seen prices for a full 8 node chassis at 2k... granted barebones... but still.
HP Proliant S6500 4U 8 Node CTO Chassis w 8x HP SL230S G8 Barebone | eBay

Get a SB-E chip for flashing to latest roms, and fill it with V2 chips.
LFF non-hotswap in the back.

 

[RandyC]

I should not have looked at these HPs on ebay. I haven't even finished setting up my c6100 yet.

 

[Chuckleb]

I assume these are iLO withbasic support (reboot, power on/off, ikvm)? Interesting to try. Remote mgmt is critical for us.