Today, let’s talk about something a lot of people wonder, but not a lot of people ask:
What’s a dedicated server?
A dedicated server is exactly that: a bare-metal server dedicated to you and you only. It’s allocated specifically for your use.
This is in contrast to a cloud server, where there will be multiple other people using the same compute resources within their own virtualized environment.
Dedicated servers offer you the ability to determine exactly how your compute resources are allocated. You can leverage any virtualization platform you desire (VMware, Xen, Hyper-V, OpenStack, etc.) and configure as many virtual machines as you like. You may also decide not to virtualize the compute resources at all. It’s completely your call.
The computational benefits of a dedicated server really come down to your unique and specific allocation of your resources. No one else’s compute requirements will have an impact on your dedicated server.
Your infrastructure partner should be able to help you architect your dedicated server configuration for critical and non-critical workloads, depending upon your unique requirements.
Like cloud servers, dedicated servers offer you the ability to save on purchasing and management costs that would otherwise go into developing and maintaining your own infrastructure. A dedicated server is paid for on a monthly basis, just like a cloud server, enabling the use of OpEx dollars v. CapEx dollars. The financial benefits are, essentially, equal.
Dedicated servers also support the ability to connect to cost-effective cloud storage. For many compute-intensive workloads, the use of shared or cloud storage may be sufficient. The uniqueness of the dedicated server remains with the control and management of the compute resources.
It’s worth repeating: Your infrastructure partner should be willing and able to help you architect your dedicated server configuration for critical and non-critical workloads, depending upon your unique requirements. This includes storage.
Let’s talk about high availability and redundancy.
Dedicated servers are not, by definition or default, high availability or redundant.
Can dedicated infrastructure be architected for high availability and/or redundancy? Absolutely. At SCTG, we design these types of solutions on a daily basis.
The first question to ask, however, is whether or not your applications are architected for high availability and/or redundancy. If not, this is a great place to start a conversation with an infrastructure partner.
