Linux Now 25% of Dell's Server Business 88
Sam Haine '95 writes to mention a ZDNet article discussing Linux's place in the server market, at least for Dell Computers. Linux now makes up over 25% of the company's server business, and has become such a standard that they only need to confer with Red Hat for some 10% of service calls. From the article: "Linux and open source have been a blessing for Dell as it has struggled to make an impression, other than as a desktop and laptop supplier, in enterprise computing, According to Martin Hingley, vice-president of the European Systems Group at analysts IDC, part of the problem for Dell in the enterprise is that 'people don't like partnering with Dell.'"
OpenManaged and the No OS option (Score:5, Interesting)
Plus, when buying servers, we often will buy them as "No Operating System Microsoft Configuration" even though we end up putting RHEL on them. I'm sure that they probably count that as a Microsoft install even though lots of Linux admins simply don't need to have RedHat on their server by default. They do have the option for "Red Hat Enterprise Linux - No Factory Installed Operating System", but I think when you initially read through the options its not obvious that that's a "no OS" install. Then of course you have people who choose VMware ESX server (probably a small percentage right now).
So I'd say that Linux probably accounts for closer to 30-40%, if not even 50% of Dell's server sales.
Re:OpenManaged and the No OS option (Score:5, Insightful)
They probably don't want to sound like they're exaggerating the Linux install base and anger their biggest partner. So they only state the stats that Microsoft can't possibly dispute.
ie7 (Score:1)
Because, like almost all things MS, it sucks?
Re:ie7 (Score:2)
Re:OpenManaged and the No OS option (Score:1, Informative)
Re:OpenManaged and the No OS option (Score:2)
The main sysadmin has been ill, so we haven't even taken the second one out of the box, but man, that first one is LOUD when you first turn it on. These are the companies first rack-mount servers and it's been quite an experience.
Totally off-topic, we are dumping most of our Windows machines (there's some software for 1 department tha
Re:OpenManaged and the No OS option (Score:3, Interesting)
Welcome to rack mount equipment. It's not designed to be where you are. it's designed to be in a different room, so they think nothing of taking 15 to 20 very tiny fans and making them spin at warp 12. The last Sun box I bough with 4 AMDs in it (can't remember the exact model...not at that company anymoew anyway) sounded a whole lot like you were sitting on the deck of a
Re:OpenManaged and the No OS option (Score:1)
What difference does it make that OpenManager uses Linux instead of Windows?
I'm sure that they probably count that as a Microsoft install eve
Re:OpenManaged and the No OS option (Score:1)
It's not obvious why this is a choice at all.
So they can verify that there are drivers available for your hardware choices.
Re:Geee what a surprise... (Score:2)
Please mod this back up where it belongs. (Score:2)
The fact that they produce volumes of crap, and charge a great deal for it, is on topic.
Re:Bad news for Red Hat? (Score:3, Insightful)
Its a win-win situation. As we would say:
Re:Bad news for Red Hat? (Score:2)
The fact that RH does get the business for the 10% of calls that Dell support can't handle on their own sounds like a good thing to me
correction (Score:5, Informative)
Re:correction (Score:1)
Re:correction (Score:2, Insightful)
Don't Fear the Penguin (Score:5, Funny)
(to the tune of Don't Fear The Reaper, by Blue Oyster Cult)
Servers powered on
Hackers don't fear the penguin
Nor do the geeks, the nerds and the brains, we can be like they are
Come on baby, don't fear the penguin
Baby take my hand, don't fear the penguin
Baby I'm a slack man...
ISO burn is done
laptop powered on
Romeo and Juliet
Today would be kids of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women installed today, like Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women installed today, we can run fedora
Come on baby, don't fear the penguin
Baby read your man, don't fear the penguin
Your computer will fly, don't fear the penguin
Baby read your man
Love of ubuntu is fun
PCs, Macs and Suns
All of them can run a distro
Boot it up and watch the daemons run
The windows were cracked when linus appeared
Bill's users grew discontent over many years
Then one day acceptance of the GPL, happened to spur adoption again
And then linux, owned the desktop
And they ran to it, and bid their windows goodbye
They looked backward and said goodbye, she had become like they are
She had booted debian, she had adopted
Come on baby, don't fear the penguin
(no, I'm not bored. at all.)
Re: Don't Fear the Penguin (Score:1)
Re:Don't Fear the Penguin (Score:2)
Re:Don't Fear the Penguin (Score:2)
Re:Don't Fear the Penguin (Score:2)
peace
Re:Don't Fear the Penguin (Score:2)
Sad for others (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Sad for others (Score:2)
Dell keeps growing while other companies are missing the mark.
You do know this was Dell's slowest growth quarter in a long time and that HP made a lot of progress towards catching up, right? I think Dell is at 16.5% and HP at 15% right now, with the rest spread among many other players.
Re:Sad for others (Score:2)
Re:Sad for others (Score:3, Insightful)
You thi
Re:Sad for others (Score:2)
Re:Sad for others (Score:2)
I dont know how they are doing in the server space but their products have gone from extradinary in reliablity and quality to crap. If I were an IT manager I would be weary of any dell products in the server room unless they are really alot better than the desktops/laptops/printers that they make.
What about desktops and laptops (Score:2, Interesting)
And more importantly when will their tech support stop trying to use the "we don't support linux" when you phone up for an obvious hardware issue under a warranty (like a dead cmos battery).
Re:What about desktops and laptops (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:What about desktops and laptops (Score:1)
I see the same thing happening at Dell with Linux when you target it at Joe End User...
Re:What about desktops and laptops (Score:2)
Skewed a bit (Score:3, Insightful)
I would not be surprised to learn that the server sales are higher than they think.
-Charles
do they count my server? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:do they count my server? (Score:2)
Re:do they count my server? (Score:2)
Re:do they count my server? (Score:2)
Also I may had customers buy linux preinstalled where freedos isn't an option (US I think) and install windows on them so they dont have to pay twice.
For a server or a pc in Asia you do not have to pay the MS tax anymore as this was part of the DOJ deal. FreeDOS is included because MS just changed the agreement to include any os and were n
Re:do they count my server? (Score:2)
Windows volume licenses are not full licenses. [microsoft.com] I.e. you must already possess a full version of Windows, be it retail or OEM. The applicable text from the link:
If you thought their MSFT support was lacking.... (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:If you thought their MSFT support was lacking.. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:If you thought their MSFT support was lacking.. (Score:1)
That's absolutely not true (Score:2)
If you're running an unsupported distro, you expect Dell to fix it? Fix it yourself, you've got the source code.
Likewise, it you are paying $$$ to RedHat or Suse for a supported distro, you'll get decent answers as I understand it.
Granted, their embedded RAI
love my dell servers (Score:3, Informative)
Does that really mean admins are using Linux? (Score:3, Interesting)
(side note: Thanks for moving the Read More link and the Post Scores back to where they used to be)
Re:Does that really mean admins are using Linux? (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't think anyone in their right mind would pay $799 (or something like that) for RedHat enterprise and then delete it, and install a pirate copy of windows. Businesses are always on the BSA radar.
Re:Does that really mean admins are using Linux? (Score:2)
Re:Does that really mean admins are using Linux? (Score:2)
AN old friend used to work someplace that had their servers come with SuSE standard edition(not enterprise). THey just wipe them and install Windows.
The OEm knows this and dont care. As long as they include an OS to make the MS contract they signed valid they dont care.
Re:Does that really mean admins are using Linux? (Score:2)
Plhuuuuease......
I'd wage the opposite (wiping out Windows something-or-other) for Linux is far more common. Most business over ~30 employees or so (at least in the developed world) don't balk at paying software costs anymore; the costs of switching to Linux are generally smaller than the costs of a BSA audit.
Re:Does that really mean admins are using Linux? (Score:2)
Re:Don't be fooled (Score:2)
So i'd say it's quite feasible.
Also, our video network runs entirely on a customised Linux-based O/S.
Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)
Re:I am Linux thank you (Score:2, Funny)
Under the radar (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Under the radar (Score:3, Informative)
Interesting, things must have changed. The last time when I purchased servers, which was 2 or 3 years ago, HP didn't included jack in the basic server package. Rails, cables, etc... all had to be ordered separately. I didn't purchase directly from HP, and the sales rep from my vendor had a difficult time figuring out what we needed to order. I have little love for Dell, but
I gave up on Dell (Score:4, Insightful)
Dell's support suggested reinstalling the OS from the supplied CD. I did it and it still blue screened.
Dell's response
"Well, if reinstalling the OS did not solve the problem. You need to reformat the drive and reinstall the OS."
What a solution.
It is good to see them claming support of Linux, the question is will there support be better than it has been?
Re:I gave up on Dell (Score:3, Interesting)
No OS orders? (Score:2, Interesting)
Brian.
dealnews.com
No OS != Linux (Score:2, Funny)
Re:No OS != Linux (Score:2)
every new dell server runs linux (Score:1)
How Fair is Dell to Linux Purchasers? (Score:4, Interesting)
1: Are non-Windows preloaded Linux servers as easy to find as Windows 2003 Server machines?
2: Does Dell try to convince you go buy Windows software anyway, even when you don't want it (to keep Microsoft happy)?
3: Has Dell ever reported purchases of non-Windows based hardware to the BSA, or any other such organization (haven't heard of it myself, but it's a valid question)?
4: Are comparable Dell Linux machines without Windows installed truly available at a price that fully reflects the lack of the Microsoft Tax?
5: Does Dell preload adware/advertising crap on their Linux boxes?
6: Do you get the same level of customer support for a non-Windows box as you do for a Windows loaded one?
That's some of what I'd like to know to assess just how well Dell treats its Linux purchasers.
We already know how well it doesn't treat those customers who must not be demanding AMD processors yet.
Re:How Fair is Dell to Linux Purchasers? (Score:2, Informative)
Umm... yeah its just a radio button See http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx ?c=us&cs=555&l=en&oc=MLB1675&s=biz [dell.com]. There are actually more linux options than windows.
2: Does Dell try to convince you go buy Windows software anyway, even when you don't want it (to keep Microsoft happy)?
Some "operating system additions" but that is stuff like CALs and if you select linux and select one