HardwareMag is a publication that focuses more on the consumer – centric products, desirable and easily attainable by the regular Joe and Jenny. Yet at the same time, of interest to many tech savvy people are hardware products that serve and perform from the background, without fanfare and fancy packaging. A quick commentary can be found here.

                                             This is what we usually show to our readers...

We strive to cover these products the same way we do to the more common consumer centric products because both types of products affect us in our daily ministrations, and improves the quality of our lives, although each type of product does it from a different perspective. In the case of HP and its Blade server infrastructure products, some simple ideas applied to it result in advantages for the general consumer that seems subtle at first, but ultimately yields a large scale result from a totally unexpected direction.

                                             - and this is usually the part we don't show...

I am referring to the rising awareness of companies to the effects of power consumption on their bottom line and the total cost of ownership, or TCO. TCO has been an oft-mentioned topic in HP’s product unveilings, but it is only in this recent product release of the BladeSystem c3000 Enclosure that power consumption has become a major topic directly affecting the former. We attended HP’s unveiling of the Blade infrastructure to see their response to this development.

                                             A typical server and its cables.

Although it is sometimes easy to see the logical method of obtaining a certain result, it takes smart implementation to see things through. The HP Blade infrastructure is what HP calls a “Complete Server Infrastructure In A Box”. The “logical method” mentioned before is surprisingly straightforward – putting everything into one box serves to minimize the number of interconnections between the components of a server-setup. In other words, HP made it so that all of the components usually found as a separate subsystem on a regular tower server is now integrated into the Blade infrastructure, and are easily plugged and unplugged according to the current requirements of the company network.

                                             "Server in a box" simplifies matters.

I have admittedly limited experience with large servers, but the ones I have seen usually employ rack and mount systems that use individual screens / power supply units / storage / networking devices to integrate into the whole server system of a company. Cables leading from each component to the other parts of the system make up a whole rattler’s nest of cables that each represents a point of contact that is susceptible to errors or malfunctions. In the Blade infrastructure, these interconnections are integrated into one simple “enclosure” that can accommodate “blades” – thus the name of the system – that constitute not just the expected swappable hard drive found in other rackmount servers, but also the power supply, tape storage, whole server processing units, and networking units.

                                             A "blade" component easily integrated into a c-class enclosure.

HP is justifiably proud of this product, as the Blade infrastructure represents a simple yet effective consolidation of components that not only results in fewer errors due to a smaller number of vulnerabilities, but also gives a direct and measurable advantage in terms of lower power consumption, which in turn improves the user’s total cost of ownership number. Also, less complexity = less things to go wrong. It also results in less space occupied, as well as better manageability of the units in question. When in previous products it was required for a server administrator to travel between locations to control or fix one unit, it is now possible, with a fast-enough internet connection, to control the server from a remote location and change settings / make adjustments just as if the administrator was on-site.

                                              This screen enables server control from any internet - enabled computer.

The question foremost in my mind after I absorbed all of the technical terms and specifications was: why just now? Why wasn’t this technology introduced earlier? As mentioned before, it seems to be a logical process to integrate everything into one package and have a software system integrating everything into an easily manageable package. The answer is two-fold – one is a question of scalability, and the other is the idea of “cost perspective”.

Scalability is important when a company is in the process of determining its present needs and future potential for growth. A company must buy only the resources or tools that will be used in the foreseeable (and financially attainable) future. The Philippines only has a limited number of large enterprises that utilizes HP’s full-scale server solutions, and no product aside from the old-style tower servers was available for the small and medium businesses. The Blade infrastructure aims to fill in this need.

                                             Server expandability was not a priority before...

Cost-perspective on the other hand, describes how the typical Filipino businessman spends funds for the improvement of the company. Initial layout (of capital) is usually the foremost concern of system developers here in the Philippines. TCO is oft neglected in the pursuit of savings in the here and now, indicating a short-term perspective for most local companies. More mature companies in other countries always take TCO into consideration, and thus HP server products are more prevalent in these places. Thankfully, TCO as mentioned above is taking a more substantial amount of mindshare in the local companies’ expansion plans, plus more and more Filipino companies are expanding into the world stage – necessitating a more flexible solution for networking.

Of course, another reason why this kind of logical “all-in-one” approach wasn’t introduced earlier is due to constant developments and improvements that are HP’s direct reactions to the market’s concerns. Power consumption is now a hot topic for companies, and thus this is the direction HP has chosen to go towards.

                                             A tidier setup makes for simple and efficient server operation.

HP’s Blade infrastructure will never be sold to an individual or even an enthusiast. Yet this product affects us as a country due to the advantages given to companies that translate to better business returns and thus a better economy. HP considers our market ripe for a product that is in-line with the general concerns of a world-class company – it is an indicator of the progress and potential of local companies and the eventual advantages that will trickle down to the individual.