> -----Original Message-----
> From: Testbed Support for GridPP member institutes [mailto:TB-
> [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mark Mitchell
>
> My logic was to have a reasonably spec'd device which would meet any of
> the monitoring requirements that we may have to support over the coming 3
> - 5 years. The device can support a 10 Gigabit interface if required.
>
Over the next five years it will be required, so we should have
at least a strong presumption in favour of just fitting it now.
The only caveat I can see there is the question of whether to
use SFP+ based cards or RJ45 ones, however, given the switches
that people are mostly buying I think we're almost universally
going to have SFP+ fabrics, so that should be the assumption for
everyone with the exceptions of people who already know they need
something different.
> However, there is a cheaper solution to this which is the Dell R610 for
> PerfSonar. The device is approximately £300 cheaper than the R410 below.
> It too can support a 10 Gigabit interface. It is theoretically possible
> that this device could also be used as the Gridmon client as well.
>
> Therefore, could we have a quick discussion on which device we wish to buy
> as we should have a standardised model across the UK for these devices.
>
I'd favour the R610, but not in quite such a parsimonious spec;
as far as I can see, the perfsonar standard box has a single disk,
no RAID controller, and a non-redundant PSU. If we want this system
to be reliable and hassle-free we should go for a basic, but proper,
service node spec. I've priced up an R610 with:
- Pair of E5620 CPUs,
- 12Gb memory,
- RAID 1,
- PERC H200,
- 2x 500Gb disks,
- Redundant PSU,
- Power leads,
- a 10Gb SFP+ interface,
- iDRAC6 Enterprise,
- 5yr basic warranty.
and that comes to £1496.66 (ex VAT) or £1795.20 (inc VAT), which
is still well within budget. I think shaving the spec for the sake
of a few hundred quid per node is an entirely false economy.
Ewan
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