For the past three weeks, we at the Dell TechCenter have been focused on the decoder ring for systems management. Starting today we are going to tell you what the best server is for virtualization. The reason it is going to take three weeks is that the answer for everybody is different. So we are going to talk about key factors, advantages of one type of server over another, and learn from the decisions and thought processes of each other. We are simply hosting the conversation and I do not have a "favorite server" -- although I must admit that I used to lean heavily towards 2-socket servers.

The decision for most seems to come down to 2-socket, 4-socket, or blades servers. I hope that we end up expanding the conversation and talk about lots of other possibilities including storage options, hypervisor options, and who knows what else.

In order to get things going are going to have some chat sessions, there is a topic home page, and a server selection matrix page to specifically lay out the facts about each type of server. I've started the page off with 2-socket, 4-socket, and blades as server categories with some basic tech specs and advantages for each type. This page will grow as additional pros, cons, and others ideas come up.

Todd