Dell Targets Hosters With PowerEdge Microservers

poweredge-c5125

The PowerEdge C5125, the AMD-powered version of Dell's new microservers, featuring swappable shared power supplies.

Dell today continued the steady flow of new products from its Data Center Solutions (DCS) unit, introducing two new microservers as part of its PowerEdge C5000 line. The new products are designed for web hosting companies and ISPs seeking to improve the energy efficiency of their data center operations.

Microservers are a class of server designed for scenarios where multi-core CPU architecture and extensive virtualization are overkill, according to Dell cloud evangelist Barton George. "Micro servers are for people who want focused, dedicated computing resources," he said. "It's all about rightsizing for a specific opportunity."

George said the new offerings are the third generation of microserver designs for Dell DCS, with the first two generations deployed through its custom server program for large users. Both models feature up to 12 server nodes in a 3U chassis with shared power supplies, fans and cabling. The PowerEdge C5125 is powered by AMD Phenom II and Athlon II processors, while the C5220 uses Xeon E3-1200 processors.

Customized for Hosting

"These were built specifically for hosting customers," said Deania Davidson of Dell's PowerEdge C team. "They're hyper cost sensitive, and we want them to get a dense product with a shared infrastructure, so they save on racks and cabling and power supplies."

"The growth of various cloud computing models has resulted in many of these organizations grappling with the best way to optimize and scale the performance of their enormous data centers," said Reuben Miller, IDC Senior Research Analyst. "This new microserver series, through a shared infrastructure and energy efficient design, helps these customers maximize their IT environments while helping them adapt to change with a highly modular and serviceable design."

The PowerEdge C line of servers adapts designs originally developed through the Data Center Solutions division's experience building custom servers for the largest cloud computing providers. DCS, which this month marked the fourth anniversary of its launch, has now released eight PowerEdge C products in the past year.

"Over the last four years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the biggest data center operators in the world, whose complex environments require optimal efficiency," said Andy Rhodes. executive director of marketing, Dell Data Center Solutions. "Our new PowerEdge C microservers further solidify our position as the premier vendor of specialized server solutions, leveraging our experience working with this unique set of customers and placing that power into the hands of a broader customer base including Web hosting and IT service providers."