Data Backup Digest

One of the main problems with configuring a server is the complexity of doing it all correctly. Fujitsu
has attempted to combat this with its cluster-in-a-box series and this article will look at how it does this and whether or not these ventures can be deemed successful. To help do so, this series will be
looking at the BX400M.

So what is the product? Essentially it is a large blade chassis containing everything required to run
within. It include two server blades with a 6 core Intel Xeon at 2.2 GHZ and 16 gigs of RAM. Storage
wise there are 6 HD SAS 1.2TB drives. These fit into a single blade, with an extra 6 slots should users
wish to add more blades with more drives. The compact nature of the box results in 70% less physical room space used than traditional servers. The entire box is also highly automated to avoid
human error.

The reduced complexity means savings on cabling and deployment of network connections. It literally means you won’t need an engineer to help configure anything and you won’t have to pay heavily for all the extra wires you would usually need to set up.

Not only is this at a reasonable price, it is also all inclusive. It ships with system center to and a
Fujitsu configuration wizard to immediately specify and set up all of your virtual machines.

Is there anything else the BX400-M can offer? The answer is indeed yes. It is estimated the overall
cost of owning one is 40% less just down to the fact it is Fujitsu. Fujitsu are famed for their greener,
more environmentally friendly setups. This attitude has multiple benefits, and not just for the state
of the planet. The overall lower power consumption can save hugely on expenditure. It should also
be noted that power usage is directly related to heat output. With lower outputs this directly
requires less cooling. Less cooling, of course, requires less power as well, so the benefits just
continue down the line.

The BX400-M has been hugely popular amongst customers looking to reduce the cost of setting up
and running a data centre. The lower complexity will remove the need for engineers as well as
saving costs on expensive cabling.

The overall aim of this product is to capture the business market that needs cheap and easy storage
– the BX400-M is also not lacking in upgradability. The wizard contains support for JBOD (just a
bunch of drives) to be added should the user fill the chassis with storage blades and still need room.
If that were the case though, it may well be worth investing in a second cluster-in-a-box as they are
relatively easy to interface with little to no expertise.

The only real down side is the fact that the Fujitsu products are designed on demand. This can take
up to a month, but does have the plus side of not having to stop along the way at any third parties
for further configuration. It is very much an everything-you-need all-in-one product.