Clients setting up smaller offices want to invest in the same type of technology as their larger competitors. Larger clients setting up remote branches need compute power not only at their head office, but also at distributed locations where key decisions that impact the local operation are made.This white paper compares the IBM BladeCenter S offering to the HP c3000 offering and articulates why IBM BladeCenter S is the best choice for small blade chassis platforms.
IBM Systems & Technology Group November 1, 2007
Why you should choose IBM BladeCenter S over HP c3000
IBM BladeCenter S vs. HP BladeSystem c3000 Clients setting up smaller offices want to invest in the same type of technology as their larger competitors. Larger clients setting up remote branches need compute power not only at their head office, but also at distributed locations where key decisions that impact the local operation are made. So IBM created ®BladeCenter S. While it utilizes the same base BladeCenter design for blades, switches, management modules and other modular devices, IBM BladeCenter S has features that small business and distributed enterprises need at an affordable price. These features can include up to 9TB of flexible storage, built-in keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch, low noise signature, a specialized rack that includes air filtration and additional noise suppression and available layer 2-7 secure switching. The HP c3000 lacks features that are specific to small business and distributed enterprise clients. Looking at the HP c3000 chassis, it appears that HP simply took their c7000 enterprise chassis design, cut it in half, turned it on its side and called it their small business product. HP BladeSystem c3000 Product Manager Barry Sinclair confirmed this in a recent video broadcast, stating "...the only thing that's really different about this enclosure is one, it has fewer bays so it has fewer devices, two, it's easier to 1power on......and other than that it works exactly the same." IBM BladeCenter S vs. HP c3000 Feature Comparison 1. Cost a. IBM understands that small businesses and distributed large enterprises require cost-2effective solutions. The entry cost for an IBM BladeCenter S solution is $2,599. A fully 3outfitted chassis with power supplies, fans and storage enclosures retails for $4,499. b. The HP c3000 is expensive with an entry cost of $4,299. The initial expense can reach 4$6,609 after adding required fans, power supplies, rack rails and DVD drive to equal what is already included with IBM BladeCenter S - and that doesn't include the additional storage capacity or the optional KVM.
2. Storage a. BladeCenter S provides up to 9TB of flexible storage within the BladeCenter S chassis - in addition to the 146GB of storage that can be installed on each blade. This storage can be allocated in one-drive increments, allowing up to 9.15TB of storage on an individual blade or up to 9.8TB total per chassis. BladeCenter S also offers the option of solid state drives, which are up to 3x more reliable and use up to 87 percent less power than standard mechanical hard drives. HP currently has no solid state drive option. b. The HP c3000 allows for the maximum installation of 292GB of storage on each blade with eight blades in the chassis. Optionally, in trade for one server slot, additional expansion storage of up to 876GB can be added to an individual blade. The maximum storage any individual HP blade directly attached is 1.16TB. This allows for a maximum configuration of eight blades with 2.3TB total per chassis or four blades with 4.64TB total per chassis - less than half of what IBM BladeCenter S offers. 3. Standard KVM a. IBM recognizes that while small businesses and distributed enterprises will value the remote KVM-over-IP capability provided with BladeCenter S, daily management is typically done locally at the servers. This type of management is made easier and less costly by a standard internal KVM switch built into the IBM BladeCenter S chassis. b. HP has no local KVM capability offered standard, and the only local interface for each blade is a dongle that must be plugged separately in to each blade, keyboard, monitor and mouse. If local KVM capability is required, the HP client must purchase an optional, but not yet available, KVM interface module. The client then has to plug the module in to an external KVM switch at a base price of $769 plus eight $99 KVM adapters for a 5minimum of $1,561 to duplicate what IBM includes standard with BladeCenter S. 64. Noise level a. IBM BladeCenter S typically operates at 69dB standard and at 65dB when installed in the Office Enablement Kit. b. HP c3000 is louder than BladeCenter S. Normal operation for this product is typically 75dB, which is 10dB louder than BladeCenter S with the Office Enablement Kit and it offers no additional option for noise suppression. This could be an issue in... [download for more]
