Difference Between Blade Servers vs Rack Servers vs Tower Servers

BASIC DIFFERENCE BLADE SERVERS VS RACK SERVERS VS TOWER SERVERS

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BLADES, RACKS, AND TOWERS – EACH TYPE OF SERVER ESSENTIALLY PERFORMS THE SAME FUNCTION, SO HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH TYPE WILL BE BEST FOR YOUR BUSINESS? IF YOU’RE A SEASONED IT PROFESSIONAL, CHANCES ARE YOU’VE ALREADY TAKEN A STANCE ON THE TOPIC; WHETHER IT BE OUT OF PREFERENCE OR NECESSITY. BUT IF YOU’RE NEW TO THE SERVER GAME, OR ARE CONSIDERING AN OVERHAUL OF YOUR DATA CENTER, YOU MAY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHICH TYPE WILL BEST FIT YOUR NEEDS AND BUDGET.

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WHAT IS A BLADE SERVER?

A blade server is a server enclosure that houses multiple modular circuit boards called server blades. Most blade servers are stripped down to CPUs, network controllers, and memory.

Some have internal storage drives. Any other components—like switches, ports, and power connectors—are shared through the chassis. The enclosures typically fit rack unit measurements, which allows IT to save space. Admins can cluster blades or manage and operate each individually as its own separate server, such as assigning applications and end-users to specific blades. Their modular architecture supports hot swaps. Blades have small external handles, so it’s a simple matter to pull out or replace them.

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PROS & CONS OF BLADE SERVER • Low energy spend: Instead of powering and cooling multiple servers in separate racks, the chassis supplies power to multiple blade servers. This reduces energy spend.

• Processing Power: Blade servers provide high processing power while taking up minimal

Con space.

• Upfront s costs: Over time, operating expenses are reasonable thanks to simplified management interfaces and lower energy usage. However, initial capital, deployment, and configuration costs can be high.

• Energy costs: High-density blade servers require advanced climate control. Heating, cooling, and

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WHAT IS A RACK SERVER?

A rack server is a server mounted inside a rack. Rack servers are typically generalpurpose servers that support a broad range of applications and computing infrastructure.

The racks stack servers vertically to save data center floor space. The more equipment that admins can stack vertically, the more equipment they can house.

PROS & CONS OF RACK SERVER

• Self-contained: Each rack server has everything necessary to run as a stand-alone or networked system: its own power source, CPU, and memory.

This enables rack servers to run intensive computing operations.

• Cost-effective: Smaller deployments offer management and energy efficiency at a lower cost.

Con • Power usage: Densely populated racks require s more cooling units, which raises energy costs.

Large numbers of rack servers will raise energy needs overall.

• Maintenance: Dense racks require more troubleshooting and management time.

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WHAT IS A TOWER SERVER? TOWER SERVERS ARE SERVERS IN A STANDALONE CHASSIS CONFIGURATION. THEY ARE MANUFACTURED WITH MINIMAL COMPONENTS AND SOFTWARE, SO MID-SIZE AND ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS CAN HEAVILY CUSTOMIZE THE SERVERS FOR SPECIFIC TASKS. FOR EXAMPLE, TOWER SERVERS USUALLY DO NOT COME WITH ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS LIKE ADVANCED GRAPHIC CARDS, HIGH RAM, OR PERIPHERALS.

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PROS & CONS OF TOWER SERVER • Efficient scalability: Tower servers come with minimal configuration, so IT can customize and upgrade them based on business needs. They are less expensive to buy than a fully loaded server.

• Low cooling costs: With their low component density, towers are less expensive to cool than dense racks or blades.

•

Con s Upgrade

expense. Many customers buy tower servers for customization and not low capital costs. High-end hardware components and software will raise the ongoing price considerably.

• Large footprint: These servers do not fit in racks and consume data center space. They require opening the enclosure to

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