The server came with 3 CDs

System Management
Server Assistant
Product Documentation

It seems that it will only support Windows NT/2000, Novell and Redhat.

Is the software that comes with the dell server very importantand useful? I don't want to make the mistake of installing freebsd and not be able to take advantage of this software.

I can install Redhat linux instead if it would be a better choice. What do you guys think?

A vast majority of real OS's work on that machine. That is just the only ones dell will accept exist. The software is not needed. Its nothing more then crap to fill a bookshelf with and to help you justify spending so much money on a piece of metal. FreeBSD performs quite well on a poweredge (and most anything else).

Originally posted by zerphyte
A vast majority of real OS's work on that machine. That is just the only ones dell will accept exist. The software is not needed. Its nothing more then crap to fill a bookshelf with and to help you justify spending so much money on a piece of metal. FreeBSD performs quite well on a poweredge (and most anything else). :)

Clustermania,

Nah, you don't need those cd's! Slap freebsd on there and get Plesk going and you'll have way more functionality than is on those cd's. ;)

BTW - nice choice with the Dell 1650! :) We use those (and their predecessor the 1550) almost exclusively and have been VERY happy with them. They are very well made machines, I'm sure you'll be very happy with it!

Yeah I heard they are solid servers so I decided to go with them since I could loose the money I save with some other server. I rather have customers on something reliable than save a few hundred and get headaches.

I am not sure about other OSs, but the CDs contain some management software and a "Quick Start" CD which makes OS installations a breaze.

Makes OS installations a breeze? I thought that pretty much every os was at the level that joe brain dead user can install it with a minimal amount of key strokes.... to the same key to avoid confusion to top it off.

What I call easy is being able to install and configure a OS without having to read the manual. Too bad the management software doesn't say it supports Freebsd. It seems to support Redhat though. Do I have to have a redhat cd or is it already on the disc?

Still trying to find out all the information before I give it a try.

http://www.linuxiso.org :)

Download the 3 CDs.. then burn them to disk... and away you go :D

On a Dell PowerEdge 1650 the PERC RAID card driver is important (if you have a PowerEdge with a RAID card). I know that RedHat 7.3 (and later) ships 'out of the box' with a working driver (and installation that detects the RAID card). Anything earlier and you've got to build the driver / kernel yourself to support the card.

Dan

Makes OS installations a breeze? I thought that pretty much every os was at the level that joe brain dead user can install it with a minimal amount of key strokes.... to the same key to avoid confusion to top it off.Not if you had to go looking for drivers, etc :) That is part of what the Jump Start CDs do.

FreeBSD - Mini (minimal boot install) 180MB
FreeBSD - Install (standard install) 578MB
FreeBSD - Disc 2 (Fix-it CD & CVS Files) 628MB
FreeBSD - Disc 3 (extra packages) 625MB
FreeBSD - Disc 4 (extra packages) 621MB


Wow so many disc. I started downloading last night and the standard install disc is still downloading. Talk about lot's of disc