This document is an overview of the architecture, features, and functionality of the PowerEdge MX networking infrastructure, including the steps for configuring and troubleshooting the PowerEdge MX networking switches in Full Switch and SmartFabric modes. Continue reading
Tag Archives: PowerEdge MX
Why Should You Consider Dell’s PowerEdge MX Blade Server?
As an Enterprise sales server technologist for Dell Technologies, one of the questions I get quite often is “why should I consider PowerEdge MX?” It is a great question especially since all of the top blade server vendor offerings have their advantages. In this post, I’ll share my thoughts on the top 3 key differentiators the PowerEdge MX blade portfolio has to offer.
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It’s About Time Cisco – A Look At the Cisco UCS X9508 and UCS x210c M6
Well, it’s about fracken time, Cisco! Today Cisco finally announced information about their next generation UCS chassis. Here’s what you’re going to want to know. Continue reading
Want 400GbE in a Blade Server? Here’s How
A few years ago, the thought of needing multiple 25GbE ports on a blade server was not even a consideration. In fact, I did a survey 6 years ago and got an overwhelming response that only a couple of 10GbE ports was needed for VMware virtualization efforts. Today there is now an option to have 8 x 25GbE ports in a 2 CPU blade server – but there are some things you need to know. Continue reading
If You Use PowerEdge Blade Servers You Should Know About This
If you are using Dell blade servers, I may have a little known resource that could help you. Ever heard of the “PowerEdge MX I/O Guide?” If not, I’m not surprised. It was primarily used as an internal resource, but now it’s available to the public. Continue reading
Dell EMC Launches Something New, But Don’t Refer to It as AI
Earlier this month Dell EMC unveiled their newest solution of products that combines all of their core products into one system known as PowerOne. This new system will be fully-engineered and highly-automated with autonomous operations and flexible consumption options and is being positioned as “Autonomous Infrastructure” – but don’t call it AI. If you haven’t heard of Autonomous Infrastructure before, it’s because it’s a new category for products that are beyond Converged Infrastructure. The Dell EMC PowerOne combines PowerEdge MX blade servers with PowerMax storage and connects it via Dell EMC Networking while protecting it with Dell EMC Data Protection. I’ll go more into the components at the end of this post, but first I want to focus on what makes PowerOne unique – the automation. Continue reading
Blade Server Comparison – August 2019
Below is an updated chart to help guide you to the best blade server for your project. This version includes Intel DC Persistent Memory (Optane).
Overview of the Industry Top Blade Chassis
It occurred to me that I created a reference chart for showing what blade server options are available in the market (“Blade Server Comparison – 2018“) but I’ve never listed the options for blade server chassis. In this post, I’ll provide you with overviews of blade chassis from Cisco, Dell EMC, HPE and Lenovo. One of the things I’m not going to do is try and give Pro’s and Con’s for each chassis. The reason is quite obvious if you have read this blog before, but in a nutshell, I work for Dell EMC, so I’m not going to promote or bash any vendor. My goal is to simplify each vendor’s offerings and give you one place to get an overview of each blade chassis in the market.
Behind the Scenes of the PowerEdge MX Plexiglass Chassis
If you’ve been to a trade show in the past year, you likely saw the Dell EMC PowerEdge MX blade chassis with a see-through, plexiglass design. One of the designers, Max Abelardo, recently published a video showing how they made the plexiglass chassis, and it’s quite impressive.
UCS vs PowerEdge MX – Comparison of Admin Tasks
Principled Technologies released a report earlier this month that compared certain administrative tasks between a Cisco UCS blade server solution and a Dell EMC PowerEdge MX solution and the results were quite surprising. Continue reading