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IT Infrastructure division manager at LMT
Real User
Can serve different needs from virtualized web servers to dedicated databases
Pros and Cons
  • "They have served different needs for us from virtualized web servers to dedicated databases and application servers."
  • "There have been some hardware failures with them. These failures have since been solved by HPE support partners."

We have had several HPE c7000 BladeSystem chassis for more than five years. They have served different needs from virtualized web servers to dedicated databases and application servers. 

They run well. However, there have been some hardware failures with them. These failures have since been solved by HPE support partners.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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PeerSpot user
Technical Manager with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
I value the higher consolidation ratio.

What is most valuable?

I especially value the higher consolidation ratio.

How has it helped my organization?

This server comes with up to 2TB of memory which allows us to run more virtual machine on single server. We can leverage it for a higher consolidation ratio.

What needs improvement?

It would be better if the boot time during POST would be reduced.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used it for eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I did not encounter any stability issues. It’s a good product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I did not encounter any scalability issues.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would give them a rating of 9/10.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used to deploy IBM Blade Servers. The switch was due to company policy, although IBM products are also good.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is quite easy once you configure the Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) server.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It depends on the order size of other services we select during the procurement phase.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Cisco UCS.

What other advice do I have?

It’s advisable to use FlexFabric Interconnect for a converged network.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
HPE BladeSystem
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about HPE BladeSystem. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user1020 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Data Center at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Real User
HP ProLiant servers are one of the most durable and reliable servers ever made. Just make sure to stock-up on parts which might fail in the long run.

Valuable Features:

The HP ProLiant line has proven to be a very durable and reliable product. This is the greatest thing that I love about HP servers. They just work and keep on working. We have HP ProLiant servers which are almost 10 years old and is still working until today.We bought HP ProLiant servers as they offered us the best value for money in our part of the country. HP also has great support countrywide, and we didn't have any problem that the local support could not handle. This for me is the number reason why selected HP ProLiant for our servers in our part of the country. We felt more at ease with HP ProLiant rather than with IBM System X, as HP has better support.

Room for Improvement:

The only con I can think off with using HP ProLiant is the limited parts of the old servers. This is understandable though, as it is also not feasible for vendors to stock parts which might never be sold.There is also this thing about server management. Other vendors like Cisco has really taken leaps and bounds in overhauling server manageability and make it work. HP has had new products as of late, but I think they must have innovated sooner as they are now behind the competition in this regard.

Other Advice:

I would definitely recommend HP ProLiant servers. They are very reliable and very easy to configure. Just make sure that you stock-up on parts which you think might not be available any more in the foreseeable future. From experience, stock on the hard disks especially if you are still using the older technology, and buy redundant power supplies as these are the ones that normally fail after years of continuous operations.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user753234 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Governance at PeerSpot
Real User
Gives us good server density and a harmonized hardware solution
Pros and Cons
  • "The benefit is the density and the capability for global harmonization on the hardware, because all the hardware chassis are the same. We can also purchase the same network cards too, chassis by chassis, so it gives us a global solution."
  • "The scalability is limited because you only have a 16-server by chassis."

What is our primary use case?

My company is working in media and we offer a solution for TV channels. We use HPE for classic IT usage but also for broadcast systems, to transport and deliver the signals to the TV channel. We use a BladeSystem for TV channel transcoding.

How has it helped my organization?

The benefit is the density and the capability for global harmonization on the hardware, because all the hardware chassis are the same. We can also purchase the same network cards too, chassis by chassis, so it gives us a global solution.

What is most valuable?

The density. It's good to have a sixteen-server chassis.

What needs improvement?

I'm not thinking about what kind of new services we could have in the HPE C7000 because I have made the decision to go to HPE Synergy or Dynamic.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. We have used it for more than ten years now, and it has been a very good product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is limited because you only have a 16-server by chassis, so you have to add more chassis, and you can't have a domain fabric like HPE Synergy, for example. You would need to have a taskforce behind the chassis to make the network possible, between the chassis, rather than a solution which is fully integrated via a domain fabric network solution.

Behind a domain fabric, you can connect something like 20 chassis. With this technology, we will have a real scale-out possibility, rather than the C7000 chassis which does not scale out.

How is customer service and technical support?

We have contract support with HPE.

How was the initial setup?

It was not complex for us. We built our server installation.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend HPE BladeSystem.

I'm satisfied with HPE BladeSystem at the moment but we can imagine consuming Blade servers, metal-as-a-service. We have an entire environment refresh coming up at the moment. We need to make provisions for metal-as-a-service because we have a huge machine. We cannot re-authorize this machine, and we need to make the right provisioning for metal-as-a-service.

We're beginning to look at the Cisco UCS technology, with a domain fabric system. But at the moment we don't have an agreement with Cisco. My company is part of the Orange main group and we have an Orange agreement with HPE and Dell EMC. So we are looking at the HPE Synergy and the Dynamic systems.

Even if we are looking for HPE Synergy and Dynamic in the future, we're also looking for a hyperconverged solution like Nutanix or HPE Simplivity.

So in the future, we will have both technologies, hyperconverged and the classic chassis Blade technology. We have two different needs. We have needs for virtualization, so hyperconverged is enough at first, and Nutanix or HPE Synergy is okay. On the other hand, we need to continue to consume metal-as-a-service, so HPE Synergy or Dynamic as a work product. HPE C7000 is limited in terms of having a real metal-as-a-service. From my point of view, the best approach for metal-as-a-service is HPE Synergy or Dynamic.

The most criteria when selecting a vendor are reliability, and their capabilities for the future: the right research and development for the product to be able to come out with new features in the future. They should also have strong support, of course, and have the right functionality to be integrated into modern information systems.

I rate HPE BladeSystem at eight out of ten. It has strong reliability and, for a mid-range company, it's a very good product.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Consultant at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Consultant
Improves diagnostics and monitoring installed servers becomes easier

What is most valuable?

OA management: Easy to manage from one console.

How has it helped my organization?

  • Management
  • Diagnostic
  • Monitoring installed servers becomes easier
  • HW maintenance and management becomes easier 

What needs improvement?

  • Management
  • Monitoring

For how long have I used the solution?

More than 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

None at all.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

None at all.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would rate technical support at a nine out of 10.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Yes, HPE DL Servers. We switched to blade for scalability, optimization, and to improve our datacenter power, networking, space, etc.

How was the initial setup?

It was straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Consult and check with the HPE pre-sales team before ordering and selecting the best products needed for your applications.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

No.

What other advice do I have?

Check your actual needs before ordering and starting with fewer number of servers and higher interconnect switches, and then having to add items according to your needs.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
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PeerSpot user
Storage specialist, Infrastructure Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
The longevity and modular factors allow for upgrading and continued usage.
Pros and Cons
  • "It also has a pretty solid design and management."
  • "HPE has a replacement system called Synergy, though it’s a more high-end system than the old C7000."

What is most valuable?

The longevity and modular factors allow for upgrading and continued usage. It also has a pretty solid design and management.

How has it helped my organization?

Getting more out of what you purchased. Like the virtualization of the product and especially the virtual connects allows for better efficiency in usage. There is also easy management and easy upgrades.

What needs improvement?

It is nearing the end of its development, so I think the question is a moot point. HPE has a replacement system called Synergy, though it’s a more high-end system than the old C7000.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution since the beginning of 2007.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Generally there are no problems with stability. However, updating firmware in the virtual connect in the older days caused issues. But they have been fixed for a while.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There were no scalability issues. When upgrading to higher speeds, the backplane could be problematic. For example, when going to 16Gb fibre and 40Gb LAN requires one to go from the G1 and G2 to the later G3. Upgrading to the new 32 and 128Gb SAN is not possible.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good to excellent. It is a solid product with a lot of years behind it and a BIG install base.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

in the old days, HPE had a horrifying type blade system. (I guess they were all horrible before this blade.) That was a long time ago. The C7000 set the bar for blade systems when it came out.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was quite easy to get going, although the virtual connects were a bit more problematic in the beginning.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Add OneView and ILO advanced to the base product. Don’t adjust the price, but just include them.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

You have to look at the newer options now, especially Synergy. Keep in mind that existing servers cannot be used in the new model since it’s a completely new type of product redesigned from the bottom up with new case and everything. If you are adding servers to an existing Blade System, go for that solution since it is cheaper and still allows you to utilize your assuages.

What other advice do I have?

If you are looking for a new system and do not have one in place, see the new products like Synergy.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are preferred HPE Partner of the highest level in our country.
PeerSpot user
it_user363378 - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Information Officer at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
We're able to add as much as we can to it without worrying about it going down.

What is most valuable?

It's scalable and reliable. We're able to add as much as we can to it without worrying about it going down.

How has it helped my organization?

It's improved our operation and efficiency with it's great uptime. Since implementing it, we experience very little downtime.

What needs improvement?

I'd like to see HP move more towards software-defined solutions because we're looking towards software-defined networks.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

It deploys perfectly.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any technical issues, so it's very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We only need to add more blades, which makes it as scalable as we can need or afford.

How are customer service and technical support?

They have the ultimate knowledge of their products.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were using Dell, and we switched because they couldn't provide us with service turnaround time for our environment that was sufficient for us.

What other advice do I have?

If you're looking for a solution that has near 100% uptime, these blades provide that.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user360378 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Architect - Infrastructure at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
It provides us with connectivity, saves us rack space, and enables us to have mobility for bring-your-own-devices enabled by Microsoft.

What is most valuable?

We got the C7000s because of connectivity and the rack space we save. You don't need one hundred cables. We're also able to have mobility for bring-your-own-device enabled by Microsoft.

How has it helped my organization?

It's a space saver and easier to manage, as we've gone from hundreds of cables to 13 racks. Previously, there were so many wires with 180 servers that we could trip up or fall over them.

What needs improvement?

The technical support itself is good, but you pay a lot of money for active services.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

We've had no problems with deployment.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's been stable for us.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's just about connecting more, so it's scalable in that way.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have a service contract, but we don't need it as we're small enough that we can deal with our own issues.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We're also using HP Brocade SAN switches.

What other advice do I have?

It's good and functional and there's a firewall on each.

My advice would be to go for it, but never mix vendors. We got HP servers and then added Dell servers and had to deal with double management of all the servers.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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