Server Purchase Strategy

**458** · Oct 17th, 2011, 01:53 PM

Thought id ask two questions im having trouble answering. I need two domain controllers and two file/print servers. My questions are:

1. Should i buy four servers that are going to last 10 years as my company grows into a large amount of users/computers, or should I buy them to last 2 years and then continue to upgrade.

2. If I buy them to last 10 years there going to cost a good amount, should i buy them on credit. Ie. Dell credit

**LightHouse** · Oct 17th, 2011, 03:23 PM

Does your computing demand buying these machines vs having front end servers and using a "cloud" based back-end to do the computing? What about a single machine running VM's? ( i realize that puts you at a single point of failure).

All technology gets old fast, only you can predict whether your requirements over time will increase the need for stronger servers or added machines.

**458** · Oct 17th, 2011, 03:45 PM

Well for the file/print servers, there going to run raid 10 and be backed up in the cloud. Id rather not have client information just on a cloud. Over 10 years i expect to go from 10 users all the way up to 100-300 users. Since the evironment wont change in terms of size of office text documents i dont have to worry about processor speed and ram speed going out of date.

Whats important to me is down time, thats why id run redundant dual machines for both the domain controller and file/print.

**jzchristian** · Oct 17th, 2011, 04:17 PM

Sounds like you have your heart set on the ten year plan. Personally i would go with the two year plan.

**mcjon77** · Oct 17th, 2011, 05:15 PM

Who in the world buys servers to last 10 years these days? That is like expecting a gallon of milk to last 9 months.

Here is the thing you have to realize. Computers are not like factory equipment that is supposed to last 10, 20, or 30 years. Plan on upgrading every 2 to 3 years. You WILL NOT save money by trying to maintain obsolete computers for 10 years.

Have you ever heard of Moore's Law? Depending on who you talk to, Moore's Law states that computing processor power DOUBLES every 18-36 months. Using more conservative numbers, Processors will be at least 16 times faster 10 years from now. If you count the shift to multi-core and multi-processor systems, it could mean that the average server has 100 times the capacity ten years from now that it does today.

Having worked in technology for 11+ years, I can pretty confidently state that buying servers and expecting to run them for 10 years is a BAD idea.

**mcjon77** · Oct 17th, 2011, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by 458

Over 10 years i expect to go from 10 users all the way up to 100-300 users. Since the evironment wont change in terms of size of office text documents i dont have to worry about processor speed and ram speed going out of date.

What you will have to worry about is software system support. There is a good chance that 5 years from now, the version of the OS or other software that you are using on your server will no longer be supported and the updated version of the software won't run on your servers because they are now under-powered and obsolete.

**pro** · Oct 17th, 2011, 05:58 PM

458 - mcjon77 is right. I'm guessing you're over 40 years old?

If you're not convinced, I'd like to get your name and number so I can sell you some floppy disks, vinyl records and Sony Walkmans

**458** · Oct 17th, 2011, 07:11 PM

LOL. I guess i came off as a super noob in the computing department with this question but oh well. I know all about how speed doubles very quickly im typing this on a quad core attached to a 32 inch 1080p lol. I just wanted to get some input on server investments from business based minds. I guess ill go with the 2 year investment, thanks! Im guessing all cash would be best as well since depreciation is so high.

**458** · Oct 17th, 2011, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by pro

458 - mcjon77 is right. I'm guessing you're over 40 years old?

If you're not convinced, I'd like to get your name and number so I can sell you some floppy disks, vinyl records and Sony Walkmans

lol.... divide by 2

**911Carrera** · Oct 17th, 2011, 11:06 PM

Buy some decent servers now, and they should last your about 6 years.

I work in corporate IT of a large company and they upgrade their computers every 5-6 years. You won't need to upgrade every 2-3 years. Unless you're doing graphics/ encoding work that requires the faster PCs, you won't need to have the fastest that's available. I know computing processing power increases at a fast rate but you don't need the fastest for basic office applications like outlook/word/excel/powerpoint. XP pro is still the dominant business operating system in 2011, even tho Microsoft has released two operating systems since releasing XP in 2001. Windows 7 is picking up steam 2 years after its release in the business world. And look at Windows 8, I don't think many large companies will adapt it anytime soon. Windows 7 will be the dominant business OS for the next 3-5 years.

Manage your capital properly, you don't want to buy things just because you can. It has to make sense and improve business productivity.

**almafa** · Nov 18th, 2011, 06:59 PM

Why buy 4 servers? No point - high initial investment, no flexibility, you're the one who has to manage it, etcetc.
I don't know how critical the information is that you want to store on servers, but if you don't wanna go with cloud, get a dedicated server from leaseweb.com, softlayer.com, or if you wanna get really professional service, go to layeredtech.com. Co-location is not the way to go.

You said you don't need top notch computers for the tasks - lower end computers (dual cores) you can get for 30-40 bucks a month. Not a big deal imho.

Buying 4 servers and expecting them to work 24/7 for 10 years is like dreaming. Then if 6 years from now something goes wrong, you won't be able to buy the part that went wrong, as it's no longer available..

There is a reason why every single person in this thread is advising not to plan and buy for such a long term.

**RazvanRogoz** · Nov 21st, 2011, 12:47 PM

Common sense:
1. You don't know if you'll be in business in 10 years of if your servers will get outdated. The shorter the commitment, the better flexibility you have.

2. I think that for such an investment, there is a team of specialists from Dell ready to explain you every solution.

3. I don't suggest VPS either. Maybe you have your own security requirements or maybe you feel better having it in house.

The best idea I can give you is to lease the servers instead of buying them. This will give you the flexibility to get rid of them if you want / better results than VPS, cloud / less long term risk / far smaller investment.