I'm putting together a new rack which will contain a small network of systems which will run a mission critical aspect of the business I work for. These systems will be running a range of apps such as SQL Server, Terminal Server, varous streaming compression engines, db processing apps, web apps, etc.
My bosses have always spec'ed Dell equipment in the past and we've got a number of Dell racks and servers in place. This time, it's important that this system remain in place with a minimum of upgrades for a number of years and run very quickly. Since Dell and most of the other major OEM's are still producing only PIII XEON servers, my bosses have told me find a different vendor for the servers and componentry.
They, and I, want the fastest processors with gobs of RAM, big drive arrays, top quality construction, etc.
I'm probably going to purchase barebones 1U, 2U and 4U servers and or components (cases, motherboards, power supplies, hard drives, RAID controllers, KVM switches, cables, etc.).
There are a lot of vendors and components to choose from.
I'm considering various dual processor motherboards from the likes of Tyan, Gigabyte, Iwill, Abit, Supermicro, etc. I'm considering cases, racks and cabinetry from AIC, Appro, CCSI, Chenbro, ElanVital, evServ, Racksaver, SiliconRax and CI Design. I'm considering the IP based KVM's from Raritan and Avocent (Cybex).
I'd like to find one reasonably priced vendor that puts together excellent quality rackmount system that doesn't have 50 to 100% margins.
Do any of you have suggestions for vendors or components you trust for these types of systems?