back to article DellHPSunIBM unmoved by Cisco blades

As most of the planet now knows, Monday is D-Day for the "California" blade server launch from networking juggernaut Cisco Systems. This may not be the first time that Cisco has been involved in the server racket - it has dabbled a bit from the edges - but it is, if the rumors are right, the first time that the company will …

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  1. joe
    Coat

    True That!

    "Cisco may be on its way to discovering that it’s not only foolhardy to undermine the strengths of HP and IBM but very dangerous to take customers for granted and try and lock them into a high-cost, proprietary solution. IBM and HP have great relationships; offer open, low cost solutions; and have decades of experience delivering such solutions. It won't take customers very long to see through the 'Cisco's way or the highway' tactics."

    Yup! that's why Cisco will never be back in our enterprise again. CCNE and CCNA cults don't typically influence server teams so thankfully it is going to be a steep uphill battle for them. Any CIO/VPIT worth their title know their budgets and how, if allowed, much Cisco will consume if IT departments drink the green cool-aid.

    I don't have my coat but the Cisco rep will be grabbing theirs as we send them packing!

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Call me negative

    but I'm not entirely convinced that right this moment is the time to launch a version 1.0 high-on-functionality, high-on-capex product.

  3. Matt Bryant
    Pirate

    re: True That!

    you obviously don't work in the IT industry like me. cisco maeks great network kit and will make even better blades. next to HP there is no one to stop them. who? SUN? IBM? HP sells more blades than Sun and IBM put together. uprise the Cisco Fanbois

    laugh/point/laugh some more

  4. Name
    Coat

    advantage?

    Thought blades were power hungry beasts that you only installed when electricity was free and your colo charged by the U?

  5. Jonathan Schwatrz
    Stop

    I do have all the answers!

    Why is time being wasted on this upstart "networking" company? Only My SUN can provide The True Path to Computing Happiness! What would this... - Pisco? - know about computing? After all, everyone knows the computer is the network... or was it the network is the computer? Anyway, as long as it's a SUN server it is both a computer and a network... and maybe a toaster too. And they all make great coffee, virtual coffee... because SUN made Java, the island. Or was it code? Who cares! Just buy SUN, especially our blade servers.... Or you could buy those nice ProLiant blades now I jave Blessed them with Solaris. Anyway, back to work, peons, I have a tennis match with Jake! And he better let me win again.....

    You may kiss My Heinie,

    Yahdah, yahdah, yahdah,

    Yours Overlordingly,

    Jonathan I Schwartz

    (that's GOD to you!).

  6. Steve

    Hmmm

    Cisco undoubtably make great network kit. However from what I gather mixing their kit with other vendor is a nightmare, and it's bloody expensive too.

    We've just deployed a new VMWare farm (were running ESX 3.0.1) and as part of it we've replaced our switches with HP ProCurve, routers with Juniper and storage with EMC. FC Switches were from Brocade.

    All support true industry standards and getting the lot to work together was suprising easy.

    Every company need some sort of edge, and from my understanding of Cisco it's high quality kit with a high price tag, but they also innovate their own technology on top of standards which gives them the edge. Juniper and HP don't seem to play the proprietary technology card but otherwise seem to make equally high-quality kit at a slightly lower cost than Cisco.

    Same goes for the server market. Dell have upped their game in quality and support stakes, and HP have always been up there with the best when it comes to x86/x64 iron. What's going to make Cisco any better/worse? As far as I can tell it's probably going to be the same as it's networking kit which is if you buy all Cisco (servers and switches) then you'll get an awesome network though probably using proprietary tech. And it'll cost a little more.

    I'd rather have a mix of HP and Juniper at a lower cost that also results in a good performing and easily managed network.

  7. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Happy

    RE: re: True That!

    Ah, the Sunshiners are at it with the fake Matt Bryant login again. Looks like they'll post anywhere in an attempt to draw attention away from their setting Sun. Talk about obsessive, but then they always say you must be bang on target if they start throwing so much flak at you. Mind you, a Sunshiner post WITHOUT them saying that only Schwartz has all the answers! There may be (tiny) hope for them yet.

    My thoughts are that of all the responses, Brocade's "no comment until we see the announcement" is probably the most respectable vendor comment. The rest of the vendors' reps were doing their jobs - using the opportunity to plug their own kit whilst bashing the opposition - but it would have more of a semblance of honesty if they had waited until after the product launch.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Jim Ganthier @ Compaq?

    Wrt Cisco: http://www.billparish.com/ciscopyramid.html

    Wtf is "iPAQ switching"? Maybe someone's been fooled; Jim did have a connection with the non-existent and already-forgotten "Home Internet Appliance" market, when he was in charge of Compaq's "Inter-Connected Products" (?!) group.

    http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2001pmc/pr2001060503.html

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,6264,00.asp

    Well I suppose everyone's allowed a mistake occasionally, Tim.

  9. Muru
    IT Angle

    Who will fuel Cisco Blade growth .. read fully

    Those, just out of college kids with a Cisco certification does it with a huge price because they havent seen anything else. And the Governments , most of them accorss the world are one way or other corrupt .

    The real IT person always evaluates all the gears and finally buys Cisco with 80% discount ((sometimes at 89% highest i heard of ) because they are cheaper than the chinese gear .

    But it will be so different for the Servers . it will be HP & IBM

    Currently Cisco Ships both HP & IBM servers for all their server requirments for UC. With the Growth in UC , they must have realised they could get the same gear manufacturered in a Blade format by some third world factory and make same near 90% profit .

    Most probably they will give away the enclosure & the software when you buy a UC and try to Push more blades at higher costs when you want to do anything . But Cisco can fill in a whole 10 slot Blade enclosure for a Single UC Implementation . (2 UCM, 2 Unity, 5 for IPCC, 4 for Meeting Place , couple more for Network management ) . Hence HP & IBM will definitely see a decline in the factory revenues and unfortunately they are the one selling this servers to the customers . HP & IBM account for major share of UC shipped from Cisco .

    HP & IBM - You do have a way out ?

    Now that you got the Solaris on the Servers May be Mitel + SUN thin clients (a Real Phone built with a Thin client ) will be winning story. for all three of you .

    With the Dead of Itanium HP also can join the Fujitsu SUN Alliance on the SPARC CPU , and sure SUN can even help you port the HP-UX in the SPARC (if they havent done it yet) . Atleast you save a reliable OS.

  10. Phil

    CNE + VCP = ?

    Q: What if CISCO were to require all CNE's to become Vmware VCPs?

    A: "Server-only" admins would be rendered obsolete and server centric vendors would take a serious hit.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cisco

    Come now. Cisco has never made the highest performing network gear. Their routers were easier to configure and had more options. If their blades are easier to install and integrate with the outrageous number of VLANs some shop operate that could actually be a sales advantage. Customers sites I have been to have had significant pain integrating HP's internal switch with their backbone equipment. Did these customers read the instructions? Do they ever? Many fine products have gone into the marketplace crapper because the customer's "local tech god" would rather blame a vendor than admit they don't really know what they are doing.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    re: RE: re: True That!

    It's funny how Master Bryant always mentions Sun in the strangest of contexts. Single minded focus. It's impressive if used for something positive. Let go young Master Bryant. Let go.

  13. JT2008
    Flame

    It is Vaporware.

    California is a weak sister to HP's virtualconnect, among others. Their lock-out, and "all Cisco" mentality will not be a help, as every dacenter in the world is cross-platform and multi-vendor. It's a rip-and-replace technology. If you are willing to lose your job because you spent tens of thousands on a system that fails to deliver, go buy California.

    Me, I'll stick with something that actually exists, and works.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    Re: re: True That!

    Matt, you are an arrogant ass.

    This has got to be at least the 10th time that you have made, if not this remark, ones similar to it:

    "you obviously don't work in the IT industry like me."

    Everyone on this site probably either works in the IT industry or reports on the IT industry. Don't be such a twit.

  15. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Happy

    RE: Re: re: True That!

    "....This has got to be at least the 10th time that you have made, if not this remark, ones similar to it:...." Ah, but as my post shows, it was actually a remark made by you Sunshiners using a fake Matt Bryant login. So, most obviously, you are the ass or twit involved. Interesting that you guys feel so driven in your attempts to discredit anyone that doesn't toe your line that you'll post fake comments even on articles that have nothing to do with Sun. Feeling a little bit threatened, are we?

    Interestingly, our CISCO rep is very tight-lipped on the new kit. Maybe it's just not ready yet, or maybe he's sulking over the Procurves we bought last year.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This is foolish

    Cisco could have sent me that R&D money and got just as much out of it. No one in their right mind can possibly think that they can take on Sun, HP, IBM, and Dell in the blade market at this time. When we think of Cisco, we think of networking, not servers. It's going to take a long time to change that perception. If I want top-shelf blade enclosuers, I have four places to go to get mature products for a good price. Why on earth would I consider Cisco?

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