On Mon, 12 Jan 2004, Nick Reinking wrote:
I'm not saying you can't build a similar system for cheaper (possibly a couple thousand dollars cheaper). But, do we want to spend a lot of time building and debugging hardware?
Uhhh, we're already doing that for a brand new server.
Do we want to be responsible for paying for any unforeseen hardware problems, or do we want to have some kind of support contract with someone? Imagine how much this Penguin Computing system would be costing us in time and money if we had to pay for all the replacement parts (especially when we are unsure where the problem lies.)
It'd cost exactly what it's currently costing. Everything in that server is new and thus supported both by the people who sold it to us and the people who made it. A pair of drives from Maxtor purchased 1.5 years ago were replaced in 48hours from the time requested the RMA. (it usually takes a week.)
Building your own hardware is great when you're desperate to save a few bucks, but if we've got the money, we might as well spend it on making things as reliable as possible. I think we would be doing a disservice to all those who made donations otherwise.
This isn't "penny pinching". The cost savings is enormous. And you're using hardware someone else has burned-in. Of course, you have to has some trust in the source of the gear.
If you want spankin' new, go price a shelf from IBM, DEC/Compaq, or Dell. A quick look at Dell shows a SCSI shelf with 14 36G 10k drives, dual 600W power supplies, rails, cables, etc. for ~6k. (ETA 8days.)
--Ricky