Hey Neil,
Is VA really solidly married only to Intel hardware? We're now
thinking it's time to do Linux on other architectures (following our
bad experience with Dell+RedHat). Whereas Dell has nice-looking rack
servers and in fact quality-built hardware, our guys are really more
used to multi-processor (RISC) Sparc boxes with high performance
backplanes, fiber-optic interfaces, and RAID arrays. They thought
that for incidental Unix needs, and because of our on-going
relationship with Dell (they make it REALLY easy for institutions to
order, blah blah), that we'd just buy Linux from them along with the
NT stuff we buy from them.
Buying from VA has always been an option--hell we have VA posters all
over the place here! But the thinking around here was, well to put it
bluntly, what different do you really get -- it's another Intel box,
right. Certainly the open source support philosophy and driver
support would be better--and we're learning that the hard way. But
does going through the pain of starting a relationship with a new
vendor offset that? I don't know.
Anyway, the Dell+RedHat deal has left a bad taste in our mouths and
we need to look around. Maybe at Alphas, Sparc, G4, etc.,
-Chat
