HP's Partnership With Foxconn Will Be Granting Us With Cloud Servers!

There's something to be said about businesses that join forces. It's almost like watching two super heroes join forces and become even more powerful. In that same way, this is exactly what it's like when two large firms join together to benefit both companies and provide products and services that both wouldn't be able to offer by themselves. Two such companies have come together to offer it's customers something that all 3 parties can benefit from. Everyone knows HP as a very well rounded computer and tech company. They've clearly made a name for themselves as they've been around for quite some time. Then you have Foxconn. The company that has been around for 40 years and has manufactured basically all of the electronics that we know and love. These two companies joining forces to provide us with cloud based servers is quite the big deal.

So what is the exact plan for these two super companies? As it stands right now, this partnership plans to provide new servers that have improved support and service, as well as being cheaper to own over all. These new servers are also being designed with cloud based functions and storage in mind. Should you already be using a pre-existing HP server already, know that these servers will also work in tandem with the your old servers. They will actually complement every server in the HP line currently. And yes, that even means the Moonshot servers as well.

Some of us may not know what cloud servers are exactly. Naturally, when you think of a server, you think of that big thing that makes noise and has a bunch of green lights in the company's basement. They are normally pretty large. Cloud servers are a bit different than these however. While most, if not every server you've come in contact with, is made up of hardware and software, cloud servers are just software. They are sometimes referred to as Virtual Dedicated Servers. While some VDS's can be linked up to a single hardware unit, this also puts them at risk of failure should the hardware malfunction in some way. A cloud server is different from this and benefits, since it's just running and operating based solely off of its software. It doesn't need to be tethered to server hardware in order for it to operate. Naturally, you can see where all of the benefits of having this could come into play.

President and CEO of HP, one Meg Whitman, understands that businesses and customers are rapidly moving towards the future. It's safe to say that we could see cloud based everything in the future. Cloud servers is just the next natural step. Many of these customers and businesses are adapting to these different styles of IT support and services. They need something that can work at high-volume work loads, and the normal servers these days may not be up to the task.

Since Foxconn already manufactures just about everything tech related that we use today, it would only make sense for them to work with HP to develop these new servers. Their reputation precedes them, and there is money to be made for both companies at this point.

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There has not been any pricing or product details released as of yet, but as time moves on, more information will be released.

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Lenovo Calms Server Team After Rivals Question IBM Deal

There is a lot of uncertainty over Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's server business, so much so that other companies are taking shots at IBM, trying to cause confusion and anxiety among employees and investors. However, Lenovo is taking measures against such things and even released a memo to its server sales team, urging them to ignore any "uncertainty and doubt" that rival companies are trying to sow over the decision.

According to the memo, "As the old saying goes, those who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones." The memo doesn't single out any company in particular, though Lenovo is probably referring to HP CEO Meg Whitman. Whitman had stated on two separate occasions that she hopes to take advantage of uncertainty surrounding not only Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's server business but also of Dell making itself private.

According to a statement by Whitman at a financial conference, "I have to say, we look like the paragon of stability in the industry right now and we aim to capitalize on that." Lenovo announced way back in January that it was buying IBM's x86 server business for a cool $2.3 billion. Upon completion of the acquisition, Lenovo stated that it had hoped to recreate the success it had integrating IBM's PC division. Lenovo bought IBM's failing PC business back in 2005 and has subsequently become the world's largest PC maker.

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According to Lenovo's internal memo, it is the other server makers that are unstable. According to Executive Vice President of the Lenovo Enterprise Business Group Gerry Smith, "Our competitors in the enterprise space are both in the midst of major corporate transitions. As their customers try to avoid the real uncertainty and doubt created by those upheavals, you should feel very confident in representing Lenovo and the great products and services we offer."

Lenovo went on to say that it plans on keeping IBM's x86 server business intact and continue offering customers the same products, service and support. "Most important, we are committed to IBM's product roadmap, and will extend support end-of-life for any current product offerings. We bought this business with the promise of continuity to customers, both ours and IBM's," Smith wrote in the memo.

Lenovo's current product line consists primarily of one and two socket servers purchased by SMBs (small to medium sized businesses). Lenovo was the world's 9th largest server vendor in Q3 of last year. In that time the company shipped 57,929 units, which is a poor stat compared to HP's 669,000 units. With this acquisition, Lenovo enters into the proverbial big leagues of the serer market. IBM is the second largest server vendor in the world, only slightly behind HP.

Using An HP X86 ProLiant Server? Say Goodbye To Your Free Firmware Updates

Free is a short word with a big meaning. When it comes to financials, if something is free, it usually means there is a catch that comes with it. Even so, free is still free. When having that something free taken from you though, it can leave a bad taste in your mouth regarding who took it. In this instance  it just happens to involve the HP X86 ProLiant Server and the people who use it. For the customers who have used this company and its servers before, they should be familiar with the free firmware updates that came with their products. Well time begets change as we all know, and there will be a change to the firmware update access as the time of "free" has apparently passed with HP.

Again, when we think of free, the next immediate thought is, "What's the catch". Well HP has their catch for those of you who want to get your firmware updates back. Unless your ProLiant Server is covered under a warranty plan, a support agreement, or the company's Care Service Pack, you can kiss your firmware updates goodbye. The vice president for the support technology services division of HP, Mary McCoy aims for this directive to further help maintain priority for the customers "who have chosen to maximize" their protection for their IT investments. McCoy goes on to acknowledge the fact that this is not how the company used to run its business, but continues to reassure that it is the "right choice" for the company's customers and business partners.

Decisions like these do not come without questions, retaliation, and a bit of resentment. And as is to be expected, many customers have had a few things to say in response to this change. One, Lindsay Hill, claimed that the firmware updates would come with "multiple rounds of reboots" in order to obtain all of the updates completely and effectively. Hill then went on to say that there was no "business value" in "fixing bugs that shouldn't have been shipped". Needless to say that this decision has not been met with a warm reception.

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Hill also made an effort to point out the arduous task of constantly checking to make sure that the warranties of each individual server system was up to date, along with checking to see if HP's support lists are actually completely accurate. Hill, like many others, fail to see where the possible "business value" of taking this free firmware update system away from those without warranty could come from. McCoy, however, has confirmed that the customers who have their servers currently under warranty will not be charged for their firmware updates. She has also acknowledged the idea that some think that this is a way to push their customers to purchase warranty packages for their services. She has stated that "that is, and always will be, a customers choice".

HP's decision to take away the free firmware update service may not have been the best one, as now many of the customers could choose to get their servers from other vendors. The fact that you must purchase a warranty to ensure that the product that you have already spent money can work seems like quite the slap in the face to loyal customers. HP may have to rethink their decision on this. Time begets change, and only time will tell.

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Top 3 Benefits Of Using A Dedicated Server

Alright, so you and your company are just starting out, and you are currently using a server that is sharing hosting with other companies. Not a bad start, especially if you are just now coming up and starting to generate revenue and business. You might not be expecting to have a lot of heavy traffic since you are just starting out, and there is nothing wrong with that. Every company starts somewhere. But with that being said, owning or renting your own server for dedicated hosting might prove to be beneficial to you and your company instead of sharing with other companies.

First and foremost, is Safe Storage
Servers are not to be taken lightly, no pun intended. These machines are very large and bulky and can take up very large amounts of space that many companies that are starting out may not have. These machines are also very delicate. They are susceptible to extreme environmental changes. Moisture from condensation can fry a server. Extreme high or low temperatures can also directly affect the performance of them. By taking the chance and keeping the server in your office while not being aware of the conditions, you are potentially putting all of your back files, and web services at risk. By going with a dedicated server, you are able to relax knowing that the people you bought or rented the server from are keeping it in a temperature controlled environment.

Secondly, we have Reliability
It is never a bad thing, necessarily, to go with a shared server hosting service, but when you go for a dedicated server, you keep all of the resources. When on a shared server, the resources and power from the server are distributed and shared for all those who are using the server. If, for example, you are on a shared hosting server and another company is larger than yours and has a more intricate web design or more traffic than yours, your website and traffic will suffer due to slower speeds. By switching to a dedicated server through renting or buying, you are able to control all the resources from the server, keep all of the space, and all of the speed for your company.

And last but not least, there is the Advanced Technical Support
It is no simple task to operate these machines, and sometimes that is where we need help. When choosing a dedicated server instead of a shared server, you are giving yourself access to a great tool; the tech support of the people hosting the server. These people will be here to help you with troubleshooting and keeping your website up and running. Those hosting the server are trained in how to run, fix, and troubleshoot these servers. When you have an issue, the company you bought or rented from will be able to help you and give extra attention to the problems you may be having. You may not get that with a shared hosting server.

Getting your company's new website up and running can be exciting. Through that excitement though, make sure to analyze and predict the amount of traffic you may be getting. If you know for a fact that you won't be getting that much due to the early age of the company, go with the shared hosting. However, if you are for sure that your site will need extra care and attention due to the predicted heavy traffic, dedicated servers are the way to go. Remember, sharing may be caring, but don't let your site suffer from it!

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openSUSE 13.1 Linux Offers Better Open Source Quality

The openSUSE 13.1 Linux distribution is available now, providing it's users with improved performance and brand new features.

The new release follows the openSUSE 12.3 release by about 8 months, which appears to be right on schedule. The new release of openSUSE 13.1 stands in contrast to the openSUSE 12.2 release that came out in September 2012, which ended up being delayed by two months.

The on time release of the new openSUSE 13.1 is a result of the improvements in the development process that came from the openQA effort. It performs automated testing for openSUSE builds.

Agustin Bethencourt, the openSUSE team leader at SUSE, said that the improvements done in openQA worked much better than expected.

"We detected bugs earlier and our reports were more accurate thanks to the tool," Bethencourt said. "These improvements provided developers more time and better information to fix the problems"

Bethencourt also added that a amount of bugs that were reported and fixed are higher in 13.1 than in the releases before. The openQA effort aslo allowed the project to increase its efforts in other areas like real hardware testing, documentation and translations, and because of this, openSUSE is now more efficient than it ever was before.

"13.1 is the best release in a long time because, among other things, there has been no significant surprises during its development, integration and stabilization phases," Bethencourt said.

Features: At the core of the openSUSE 13.1 distribution is the Linux 3.11 kernel that first came ou in September of this year. The new kernel has the key focus on the ARM server architecture, which is seen in the openSUSE 13.1 release.

"openSUSE on ARM is not yet as mature as on x86/x64, though we are making good and steady progress," Bethencourt said. "We are working to bring those improvements and new ones to openSUSE 13.1 and will announce them when they become fully available."

The Btrfs filesystem benefits as well from the new performance and stability. Bethencourt said that Btrfs is already available for SUSE Linux Enterprise, so it is ready for production use-cases. SUSE has recently announced that it was raising the support length for its SUSE Linux Enterprise release from 7 years to ten years.

"What we have done in openSUSE 13.1 is include new Btrfs features," Bethencourt said. " Some of them are ready for production environments and some still need more stabilization effort; this is why Btrfs is not the default file system in openSUSE 13.1."

Moving forward a bit, Bethencourt also explained that in the tech area, the next big topic will come in December when the openSUSE community will talk about the introduction of significant changed in Factory to improve on the current development process.

"The goal will be to evolve Factory into a bleeding-edge rolling development process that is, at the same time, usable by a wider range of developers," he said.

Asetek Debuts New Inside Server Air Conditioning Server Cooling

Asetek is planning on showcasing its patented ISAC, or Inside Server Air Conditioning, reference design at the upcoming SC12 Supercomputing Convention. ISAC completely eliminates the need for CRAC, or Computer Room Air Conditioning, in a data center. All the air inside the server stays inside the server and recirculates as opposed to exiting and heating up the data center. In addition to that, each CPU is liquid cooled with Asetek's proprietary liquid cooling while a liquid-to-air heat exchanger inside the server cools the internal server air. Each component inside the server also sees the same temperature and air-flow as it would in a standard data center install.

According to Vice President of Engineering for Asetek Ole Madsen, "While this may sound complicated on the surface, this is brilliantly simple. The demonstration server we are showing here is a 100% standard Intel H2216JFJR 2U 4 node server and besides installing our liquid cooling system, we have not changed a screw, this is just engineering at its best."

The ISAC server will integrate with Asetek's RackCDU, which will provide substantial cost savings in data center infrastructure. Due to the fact that 100% of all the server's heat is being transferred into water, users can expect to experience savings of at least 60% on their cooling power bill with immediate payback often occurring. In addition to that, because the hot water generated can be reused for a facility's heating or cooling, data center operators can now achieve EREs of <1.

The ISAC, in addition to saving data center power, also has a strong value proposition where dust and other environmental factors are a challenge. Areas like military operations, field operations, container data centers and even Formula 1 paddock data centers can benefit from this type of sealed design.

Andre Eriksen, Chief Executive Officer of Asetek, added, "Up until now, if you wanted to remove 100% server heat by liquid, you would have to invest in very expensive and proprietary technologies with large cold plates covering the entire motherboard, memory modules, etc. ISAC has the potential to revolutionize the data center cooling market. Instead of cooling an entire building, you are now only cooling the tiny volume within each server and the associated benefits are obvious."

Source: Xbit Laboratories - Asetek Introduces Inside Server Air Conditioning Cooling Solution for Servers

Top Companies Looking at ELE Servers

Some of the top names in the computer industry, including Dell, HP and SeaMicro (which is owned by Advanced Micro Devices), are looking into developing low-power servers for data centers. Recent reports have indicated that extremely low-energy servers will take up 2.4% of the market for servers that run on Intel chips by the year 2015.

The key thing that these companies are looking into is energy costs due to the power needed to cool large server farms. Some of the newer data centers that have been built recently pack in tens of thousands of computer servers that generate internet content and cloud services.

According to Kiyomi Yamada, an analyst for Gartner, "Currently, the extremely low-energy server market consists of small providers, such as SeaMicro, now under AMD, and Super Micro. Some major OEMs including HP and Dell have announced that they would enter the market, as well as smaller vendors like Boston Limited."

AMD was a rather surprising addition to the market when it acquired SeaMicro back in February for $334 million. According to a recent report from Gartner, the worldwide server market reached $52.8 billion in 2011. Profit margins, however, were thin, causing vendors to look into branching out to emerging categories like extremely low-energy machines.

Source: Investors.com - HP, Dell, AMD Target Low-Energy Servers, A Hot Market