Tag: datacenter

Yet Another AoE vs. iSCSI Opinion (YAAVIO)

rthomson Leave a comment

That’s right, folks! Yet another asshole blogger here, sharing his AoE (ATA over Ethernet) vs. iSCSI (Internet SCSI) opinion with the world!

As if there wasn’t already enough discussion surrounding AoE vs. iSCSI in mailing lists, forums and blogs, I am going to add more baseless opinion to the existing overwhelming heap of information on the subject. I’m sure this will be lost in the noise but after having implemented AoE with CORAID devices and iSCSI with an IBM (well, LSI) device and iSCSI with software targets in the past I feel I finally have something share.

This isn’t a technical analysis. I’m not dissecting the protocols nor am I suggesting implementation of either protocol for your project. What I am doing is sharing some of my experiences and observations simply because I can. Read on, brave souls.

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IT Watchdogs SuperGoose (WxGoos-2) Review

rthomson 2 Comments

Some time ago it became apparent that we would require environmental monitoring in our server room. The primary reason being that our server room was never initially intended to be a server room and the after-the-fact A/C unit installation (size, vent placement, etc.) is definitely less than optimal. Not to mention the A/C unit is likely overloaded as well, judging by some of the data we gathered after installing the environmental monitoring equipment and software. Basically, I needed to be made aware of any potential problems with the environment in that room so that should anything go wrong, I can act quickly. A secondary use of the data is to trend the environment changes in order to reveal specific patterns that may help with long-term planning.

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IBM Changed UPS Vendors

rthomson Leave a comment

Just recently, I discovered that IBM decided to quietly switch their UPS vendor from APC to Eaton (Powerware). We needed to replace a dead IBM UPS 3000 XHV (SmartUPS-3000) and so I ordered a new IBM UPS, the UPS 3000 HV (Eaton 5125). Upon receiving the UPS, I noticed that the battery and power module were rather different. So I boot up the UPS and start configuring the web management card and it hits me… this isn’t an APC UPS, it’s an Eaton! ARG! Why?!? WHY?!? :'(

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