On 04/16/98 11:37:53 you wrote:
>
>On Thu, 16 Apr 1998 sirbruce(a)ix.netcom.com wrote:
>
>|On 04/16/98 09:10:23 you wrote:
>|>
>|>> >I know that Stornet has a slightly better price than NetApp, but it is
>|>> >still several times what I'd expect to pay for RAM.
>|>>
>|>> My experience has been that if you get third-party components, they are
>|>> going to be less reliable. Period.
>|>>
>|>
>|>That's a shame. You might try some other third-party vendors.
>|
>|Perhaps you'd care to tell us what "others" you refer to? I've had
>|experience with just about every vendor I can think of. What third-party
>|vendor have you found to be more reliable than Netapp's components?
>|Perhaps your experience with a given vendor differs from mine.
>
>I think you have a serious misunderstanding about "netapp components"
>bruce.
>
>Netapp uses:
>
>Dallas SEmiconductor NVRAM
>Samsung DRAM
>Seagate Hard Drives
>Alteon gigabit ethernet cards
>Eurologic storage shelves
>
>I would hardly call it "3rd party" if you buy the *EXACT* OEM
>equipment netapp uses.
>
Oh, I see what you are getting at now... as if "netapp components" don't
come from a third-party vendor in the first place. I'm afraid you're the
one who misunderstood; within the context of the discussion, we were
distinguishing between the original vendor of the component and getting it
straight from Netapp itself. Thus, when I say third-party components are
less reliable, I mean "If you get Samsung DRAM from Samsung, it's going to
be less reliable than if you get Samsung DRAM from Netapp" in this context.
You suggested another vendor was required; perhaps you didn't think I meant
Samsung in the first place. But that's what I asked... what vendor do you
think is more reliable, or at least the same reliability, getting it direct
than from Netapp? In other words, are you saying the Samsung memory you get
direct from Samsung is more reliable than the Samsung DRAM you get from Netapp?
As has been pointed out before, Netapp tests DRAM they get from Samsung before
it goes out the door, and does find failures, so I can't see how Samsung direct
could be any MORE reliable, unless Netapp somehow damages the DRAM in assembly
or shipment.
Bruce