On 09/04/97 00:34:43 you wrote:
I might agree with you if I didn't have experience with netapp's RMA department. We have been shipped replacement motherboards with *mismatched* DRAM simms in them from netapp.
Mistakes do happen. I've gotten motherboards with bad onboard ethernet, slots that didn't work, etc. But by working with Netapp these are put into the corrective feedback loop and prevented from happening again (at least in theory).
All accessories we put in our netapps are *Exactly* the same part numbers as what netapp uses. Down to the same Samsung Simms that netapp does, the same Seagate drives that netapp does, the *same* DEC Storageworks canisters, the *same* dallas semiconductor nvram.
I don't think the nvram simms are an approved component for customer buy, but that may have changed. I mean, you think it's the same because of the serial number, but how do you know there isn't something else Netapp changes? Nvram is probably a bad example of this but you can easily think of other examples.
Guess what...it all works *perfectly* as expected
So far... what are you going to do if it doesn't?
I was not talking about unapproved components. I would *never* risk the chance of a failure due to an unapproved component. I do however have a problem with paying 200-300% *more* for the same accessories.
Again, I didn't think nvram was an approved component (as in approved for customer buy), although I know that some memory is. But what about future filers that have memory that isn't (I think the F630 is that way now?) or the new 9GB cannisters? I dunno if those are readily available elsewhere.
I agree 200% is steep, but I would have no qualms about paying 150% for the same component I could get elsewhere but had been tested or modified by Netapp to work properly with their equipment.
Bruce