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Linux Now 25% of Dell's Server Business
Sam Haine '95 writes to mention a ZDNet article discussing Linux's place in the server market, at least for Dell Computers. Linux now makes up over 25% of the company's server business, and has become such a standard that they only need to confer with Red Hat for some 10% of service calls. From the article: "Linux and open source have been a blessing for Dell as it has struggled to make an impression, other than as a desktop and laptop supplier, in enterprise computing, According to Martin Hingley, vice-president of the European Systems Group at analysts IDC, part of the problem for Dell in the enterprise is that 'people don't like partnering with Dell.'"
Of course they don't mention that anyone who uses Dell OpenManage(TM) to install blade servers and probably other servers is actually using Linux to setup the RAID and install Windows. Since OpenManage is actually running on a Linux kernel. Somehow I find it reassuring to know that the Windows admins that I work with use Linux all the time to setup the RAID on a blade.
Plus, when buying servers, we often will buy them as "No Operating System Microsoft Configuration" even though we end up putting RHEL on them. I'm sure that they probably count that as a Microsoft install even though lots of Linux admins simply don't need to have RedHat on their server by default. They do have the option for "Red Hat Enterprise Linux - No Factory Installed Operating System", but I think when you initially read through the options its not obvious that that's a "no OS" install. Then of course you have people who choose VMware ESX server (probably a small percentage right now).
So I'd say that Linux probably accounts for closer to 30-40%, if not even 50% of Dell's server sales.
The original post said that Linux was 25% of Dell's server business, but the TFA said it was 25% of Dell's Enterprise business. There's a big difference there. Enterprise business also include high-end workstations, and server business also include small-business servers and such.
Its a win-win situation. As we would say:
Don't Fear the Penguin
.ogg
(to the tune of Don't Fear The Reaper, by Blue Oyster Cult)
Servers powered on
Hackers don't fear the penguin
Nor do the geeks, the nerds and the brains, we can be like they are
Come on baby, don't fear the penguin
Baby take my hand, don't fear the penguin
Baby I'm a slack man...
ISO burn is done
laptop powered on
Romeo and Juliet
Today would be kids of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women installed today, like Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women installed today, we can run fedora
Come on baby, don't fear the penguin
Baby read your man, don't fear the penguin
Your computer will fly, don't fear the penguin
Baby read your man
Love of ubuntu is fun
PCs, Macs and Suns
All of them can run a distro
Boot it up and watch the daemons run
The windows were cracked when linus appeared
Bill's users grew discontent over many years
Then one day acceptance of the GPL, happened to spur adoption again
And then linux, owned the desktop
And they ran to it, and bid their windows goodbye
They looked backward and said goodbye, she had become like they are
She had booted debian, she had adopted
Come on baby, don't fear the penguin
(no, I'm not bored. at all.)
Dell keeps growing while other companies are missing the mark. Basically, companies like Leveno announce that they will not support linux (only to retract it, for whatever reason; I would bet that Leveno lose more than 10% of their business just over that remark and retraction). And of course, small to medium size computer companies have the opportunities to grow in size by moving into Linux esp on the desktop (an area that Dell forsakes). But they would rather take the fork that everybody else does.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Now when will Dell start offering Linux as an alternitive on their main line laptops and desktops.
And more importantly when will their tech support stop trying to use the "we don't support linux" when you phone up for an obvious hardware issue under a warranty (like a dead cmos battery).
I know that when we order servers from Dell they are ordered w/o operating systems as we install Debian. We order about 15 a month, not a lot but here is the point: when we order and choose the operating system, there are two "no operating system" options -- No OS Microsoft Windows and No OS Red Hat Linux. It defaults to No OS Microsoft Windows and I know our admin person doing the auditing never changes it.
I would not be surprised to learn that the server sales are higher than they think.
-Charles
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
I nuked the DOS that my server came with, and replaced it with Linux. Does that 25% count my server? I expect not, nor many others.
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
We moved from Solaris 8 on E420R and Netra T105's to Debian Sarge on Dell 2850 and 1850's. Sarge installed without a hitch on these machines (granted I'm using the default 2.4 sarge kernels and not the 2.6 addon kernels) and most/all have been up without a failure/restart for nearly a year now.
They are only saying that Linux is 25% of their business sales. Which I could see Microsoft twisting to say that 25% of people that buy servers from Dell are pirating Windows Server 2003 to run on the machines.
(side note: Thanks for moving the Read More link and the Post Scores back to where they used to be)
Its not what it is, its something else.
I have a set of customers that require Dell servers. I install one about every 6 weeks. We order them without an OS and then install CentOS Linux. Does Dell only count the official Red Hat installs ordered with the servers. As an aside, Dell servers aren't bad. They are better than their desktops. However they are still cheap (in the bad sense). For example, if you order their server and DAT tape drive separate, you have to go through the hassel of locating a power cable! for the tape drive. My preferred server vendor (HP) always includes cables and rails in the base server package for most anything you would install. Another complaint would be an old one to anyone using Dell, that is they slipstream changes in hardware in the various models without changing the model numbers. Some of the last 2800s require downloading patches from Dell to make the Raid controller work reliably. I've never had to do that with HP. Posting anoynomously to keep the NSA guessing.
I ditched dell when I called support. 50+ laptops to set up, and all of them were blue screening when you plugged in the USB port replicator.
Dell's support suggested reinstalling the OS from the supplied CD. I did it and it still blue screened.
Dell's response
"Well, if reinstalling the OS did not solve the problem. You need to reformat the drive and reinstall the OS."
What a solution.
It is good to see them claming support of Linux, the question is will there support be better than it has been?
I wonder how many of their orders don't include an OS? When we order our servers from them, we don't get an OS. We then install Gentoo when we get them.
Brian.
dealnews.com
I have nothing but good experiences with Dell's Linux support. Granted, I have not asked them Linux questions. I have usually had a hardware problem. However, they have not choked on the fact that we run Gentoo. Their people seemed knowledgable about Linux in general. You could also tell they are not drones cause they answer the phone "Hello" not with some scripted speech.
Hey, that looks like one of the replies from Dell tech support! I always figured it was some automated robot. Now I know!
Where's the love for Netware?
1: Are non-Windows preloaded Linux servers as easy to find as Windows 2003 Server machines?
2: Does Dell try to convince you go buy Windows software anyway, even when you don't want it (to keep Microsoft happy)?
3: Has Dell ever reported purchases of non-Windows based hardware to the BSA, or any other such organization (haven't heard of it myself, but it's a valid question)?
4: Are comparable Dell Linux machines without Windows installed truly available at a price that fully reflects the lack of the Microsoft Tax?
5: Does Dell preload adware/advertising crap on their Linux boxes?
6: Do you get the same level of customer support for a non-Windows box as you do for a Windows loaded one?
That's some of what I'd like to know to assess just how well Dell treats its Linux purchasers.
We already know how well it doesn't treat those customers who must not be demanding AMD processors yet.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."