Specifications

©
2002, David K. Z. Harris
26
Pg. 26
© 2002
David K. Z. Harris
Supplemental Costs
Ø High Availability costs more
² Service Contract?
² On-site Spare Equipment?
Ø Ancillary Cables and Adapters
² CAT-5 cables for patching
² Patch Panels? Adapters?
² Distribution Wiring (Rack-to-rack)
² Test equipment (Signal Tracers)
When you come to depend on some infrastructure equipment, you want to
ensure that a hardware failure does not cripple that infrastructure.
If you are ordering a large number of smaller servers, you can probably afford
to buy an additional unit to keep as a “hot spare”. If a module or component
fails, you can swap a working part from your spare, and then pursue the RMA
for the filed component.
When you are using larger servers, that spares cost is higher, and the high cost
may be too much to bear. Your options can include paying for a higher level of
hardware support from the vendor, that can include short turn-around time for
RMA parts, and/or advance swap components. The cost of this higher service
contract will be a recurring cost, year after year, but it isn’t the single, big cost
for the spare unit.
Remember that the spare unit does not need to be fully stocked! If you have a
terminal server with multiple slots, you only need one or two modules for
spares use, rather than filling all of the slots.
When you are purchasing your terminal servers, remember to order sufficient
stock of RJ-45 adapters, and and needed patch cables (and patch panels?) that
you will need to deploy the terminal servers. You should also have an adapter
kit, with one of each standard adapter for that terminal server, as well as
passive signal tracers for troubleshooting.