Two specific topics come about when discussing the purchase of used servers and components-scalability and redundancy.
Why are these two factors so important to business technology infrastructures today? Both must be defined before their true benefit can be understood.
Scalability is the ability of hardware components to adapt as workloads expand or increase.
The components must be able to maintain current performance while having expansion capabilities for future operational requirements.
"Components" is used in this description since these properties can be a feature of entire systems, networking products, or individual processes.
The specific requirements must be defined for a server or additional components to meet expansion needs.
Redundancy involves the duplication of essential hardware or processes to reduce the occurrence of downtime caused by component failure.
Redundant components offer increased reliability by providing a failsafe for critical hardware employed within an infrastructure.
Servers typically apply this concept to fans, power supplies, hard drives, and additional components.
Hot swappable capabilities are another feature found in server environments because they prevent the complete shutdown of a system while parts are being switched.
These features are important when a business is selecting hardware to create an expandable infrastructure.
Used Servers: A Quick Look at these Indispensable Product Features An organization can purchase these to create a testing environment on a budget or to utilize specific technologies at a reduced expense.
Two general concepts must be considered when choosing a piece of equipment based on expansion properties.
Resources can be scaled out (horizontally) or scaled up (vertically).
Scaling out is accomplished by adding an increased number of nodes to an in-place system.
Nodes can consist of workstations, servers, applications, or various resources.
Sometimes referred to as cluster computing, this version allows a company to expand with lower cost systems to receive sufficient performance as growth occurs.
The approach creates an increased need for sharable data solutions with enhanced input/output performance.
Scaling up is the addition of resources to one node of a system and can entail items such as a central processing unit or hard drive space.
The vertical approach provides virtualization capabilities, promotes efficient resource sharing, and contains countless other desired computing features.
Horizontal versus Vertical Implementations Each has its own set of trade-offs.
The horizontal approach means increasing the complexity of system management within a company.
Issues can arise regarding throughput, latency, and application sharing.
The configuration required for vertical changes is far less detailed while the cost of each is comparable.
A used server can be purchased for either approach as long as it has been designed to support expansion possibilities along with the other discussed features.
Redundant hardware can be found or implemented to improve the reliability of any server.
Information redundancy through storage devices and software methods can be applied to enhance the dependability of an entire system.
In regards to hardware, the concept involves installing multiple hard drives and power sources to minimize failures.
Both design aspects are important when choosing used servers for organizational use.
A refurbished machine that offers redundant components better guarantees operational reliability.
Products with expansion capabilities help a business acquire quality technology for current processes while lowering future investment costs.