February 2008 - Posts

• Are you submitting for the ReGeneration Design Competition?

  Fri. Feb. 29, 2008
  by Hope Lawrence, Experience Design Group

  Just like a small plant, this competition has grown and flourished into a large movement from a very simple idea.   We were originally thinking about how to nurture an open and honest dialogue with academics and design students around the world about the designing for next level of environmentally responsible computing technologies.

  A big break-through came when we decided not to claim any intellectual property rights from the entries and instead share the ideas with the world so we could build a global community around what it means to be a green computing product, now and into the future.  Students make up a big part of what we’ve already received.

  One of the common inquiries  we’ve been getting is “what should I submit?”   That’s a good question.   The competition was purposely set up to allow for broad interpretation of what the future of green computing truly means so we wouldn’t blind people with current thinking and current paradigms.  We’re also looking for exciting ways in which to express these new ideas.  Sketches, a video, renderings, CAD drawings, photography, etc.  The judges for the competition were recently announced on the ReGeneration blog.  All we need now are your submissions. 

  What do you think?  What would make for a winning submission?

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• Dell and Windows Server 2008

  Thu. Feb. 28, 2008
  by John McVay, Sr. Mgr Microsoft Alliance & Prod

  Yesterday,  Microsoft introduced Windows Server 2008 (WS08), along with SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008. You can see more details on the Windows Server Division blog.

  Folks from Dell took part in Microsoft's "Heroes Happen Here" launch event in Los Angeles, kicking off a series of more than 225 other events that Microsoft has planned in coming months around the world. Rick Becker, our VP of solutions participated in a luminary panel during the event that focused on data centers of the future.

  We like that WS08 as it enables us to make further progress against our goal of simplifying IT for customers. In other words, WS08 on Dell is greener, more flexible and is easier to configure and deploy. It's greener because the power management features of WS08 combined with Dell's PowerEdge servers will enable a more energy efficient computing solution. For example, Dell's PowerEdge M-Series blade server solution running WS08 consumes up to 11 percent less energy and achieves up to 28 percent better performance per watt than similarly configured systems from our competitors. What this means overall is that WS08 on Dell enables customers to create more energy-efficient data centers and effectively deliver on their corporate green IT initiatives.

  Dell also makes it easier for customers to migrate to WS08 by leveraging a validated, repeatable migration process. Our infrastructure consulting services is a key component to all of this. Through Dell's unique Longhorn Early Adopter Program  our solution providers have obtained  hands-on expertise, preparing them to assist customers in the evaluation, assessment, design, migration to and implementation of WS08.

  PowerEdge servers with Windows Server 2008 will be available worldwide for order  in the first week of March.

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• Site Maintenance 2-28

  Thu. Feb. 28, 2008
  by Kara Krautter, IdeaStorm Communication

  This evening at 6:30 p.m. CST IdeaStorm will undergo regularly scheduled site maintenance and should be available by 7:30 p.m. CST. This maintenance will address some database updates and provide some tweaks to current functionality. 
  

   

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• Dell EqualLogic Discussions at VMworld

  Thu. Feb. 28, 2008
  by Kerry Bridge, EMEA Digital Media Communications

   

  On Tuesday, I attended the inaugural VMworld Europe in Cannes, France, where Dell was a platinum sponsor discussing the future of virtualization. It was held in the same conference centre as the Cannes Film Festival. I attended the opening keynote and then joined the Dell team on the exhibition floor to see what they were sharing with customers on the Dell booth and in the breakout sessions.

   

  Note from Lionel 2/28: This was originally published at 10am in the category area. Due to a publishing oversight, did not publish it on the main page. Re-publishing now.

   

  During the keynote session Diane Greene, president and CEO of VMware, shared VMware’s future vision for virtualisation and we also jointly announced that Dell will begin the process of putting VMware ESX 3i hypervisor across all virtualization-certified Dell PowerEdge servers starting in early April. One thing that impressed me was that customers will be able to purchase this solution with a single click

  , easing virtualization planning, deployments and management.  

  The other thing that really impressed me was that almost all the presenters focused on green IT. It’s great to see Dell as well as other companies putting such a focus on ReGeneration.

   

  At the Dell booth I met with John Joseph, VP of marketing for Dell EqualLogic storage solutions, and Tim Sherbak, Dell’s manager of virtualization solutions marketing. You can hear from the vlog that there was a lot of footfall and buzz in the Dell area.

  Format: flv Duration: 4:45

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG

    

  I also attended a breakout session with John where he shared that Simplifying IT with virtualization goes beyond the server. Storage infrastructure needs to be easy to deploy, manage and scale as well.

   

  It was great to meet our new EqualLogic team. I saw a demo of Site Recovery Manager (SRM) on the stand, an integrated snap-in to VMware VirtualCenter that provides a way to set up and test your disaster recovery strategy before you need it. Even at a first glance I could tell that with SRM, disaster recovery and business continuity are no longer expensive, complicated, uncertain processes. Another example of how Dell solutions do simplify IT.

   
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• This is a blog about my life in college. My story and lessons I've learned.

  Thu. Feb. 28, 2008
  by Jill Olney, University Relations Team

  After 8 years of being out of college, I can definitely say that the last 2 years have been a real challenge. In 2006 I decided to go back to school for my MBA. 

  After looking at different schools, my main goal was to find a school that did not have classes more than once a week.  I found a few but my focus was a program that worked with working adults.  Southern Nazarene University was the University that I wanted to put the investment in.  Classes were held one night a week (every Thurs for the last 2 years).

  In the beginning I was really gung-ho, I wanted to be on time with all assignments and I struggled to get the best grade.  I felt I needed to prove that I belonged there.  What I have learned is I am better at time management than I thought.  All my real life experiences have taught me more than I thought.  Many of your examples in Grad school are from my current position and from previous employment.  I am glad that I waited to go back for more education, I appreciate the learning now more than ever.    I have finally admitted to myself that I am more ambitious than I thought. 

  I now have 12 more weeks to go and I can only think about what I am going to do with my Thurs nights when I am done.  Relax, sleep more or go to the gym.  "Doing nothing...."

  For those of you that contemplate a higher education, these are some of the things to think about before making that decision.... Do you currently have work experience that relates to in a MBA environment?  Does your work support the MBA thought processes?  Can you advance in your position with a MBA?  Do you feel that is would be a good opportunity for yourself?  How much do you want it?  Are you ready to commit to the program?  After asking all these questions you will get a good idea of whether or not going back to school will benefit you. 

  I say when you make the decision give it your all.... Learn all that you can because it does go by real fast and the long term benefits that you may gain from it are more than you know....

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• Dell Joins The Climate Group

  Wed. Feb. 27, 2008
  by Tod Arbogast, Director—Sustainable Business

  Today Dell announced we are the first computer company to join The Climate Group, a leading global organization working with political and business leaders on carbon reduction strategies. We made the announcement at a conference in Houston organized by The Climate Group called: Challenges and Opportunities in a Carbon Constrained World.

  This move helps Dell meet goals outlined in our climate policies. We'll be connected with leaders from other companies and policy makers around the globe addressing carbon reduction and have access to shared resources on policy development and renewable power access. Dell will be involved with TCG working groups on carbon neutrality and supply chain operations.

  Dell's climate policy continues to address emissions from:

  • Supplier operations: We joined with the Carbon Disclosure Project's Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration late last year to make it easier for suppliers to report emissions. We began requiring suppliers to report emissions last June - the first step in a long term strategy of emissions reductions.Supplier operations: We joined with the Carbon Disclosure Project's Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration late last year to make it easier for suppliers to report emissions. We began requiring suppliers to report emissions last June - the first step in a long term strategy of emissions reductions.
  • Dell operations: Dell committed to making the impact of Dell owned and leased buildings and employee air travel carbon neutral beginning this year. We are meeting this goal through an aggressive strategy of driving efficiency, purchasing renewable power and where necessary employing offsets.
  • Customer product use: We continue to provide our customers that deliver the most performance per watt. Energy-efficiency of our products helps our customers meet their own emissions reduction goals and helps them save money. Customers can also join our Plant a Tree for Me program - through which they can offset the impact of using the computer products they purchase.

  We'll continue to report our progress on working towards our climate protection goals in this space.  As always I look forward to your comments and questions.

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• A “Green” Approach to Packaging

  Wed. Feb. 27, 2008
  by Ed Boyd, VP—Consumer Experience Design

  Blogger Christian Flickinger recently brought to our attention a blog post about excess packaging. Many customers share their ideas on how we can enhance the environmental-friendliness of existing packaging while reducing it whenever possible, and we appreciate their interest and insights. That kind of feedback fuels our drive for continuous improvement.

  Shipments can originate from multiple sources, such as Dell factories, software & peripheral partners or value-added resellers, so we're working to implement a single, comprehensive approach that includes:

  • Standards for space-efficient packaging
  • Regular reviews to confirm that the standards are being followed
  • Additional training for employees involved in packing and shipping, and
  • Consolidated shipping of equipment, software, documentation and other peripheral items whenever possible.

  We hope to have this fully implemented in the U.S. by May, and globally shortly thereafter. Beyond that, we're looking to do more.

  We continue to explore:

  • Giving customers the option to exclude all manuals and CDs, or to receive one set for multiple systems
  • Packaging alternatives, which could include both packaging materials and design

  In FY2006, we saved more than 24,000 tons of packaging material through reduction and elimination of corrugated, plastic foam and wood materials. Our Multipack program for server customers (announced last year) can eliminate up to half of the packaging materials and waste resulting during a typical installation.

  We're committed to becoming the "greenest" technology company on the planet and packaging is an important part of this. We welcome your thoughts and ideas on how we can work together toward going forward.

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• Mobile Workstation Brute on Steroids

  Wed. Feb. 27, 2008
  by Antonio Julio, Director - Dell Workstations

  If you do engineering design, analysis or create digital content you need a brute of a workstation.  And with more of us going mobile, that brute needs to go with you in a laptop form.  We've offered the Dell Precision M6300 for some time now, but based on feedback from customers we just stepped performance up to a new level.  You asked for performance that is more like blunt force trauma than mere brute force.

  The announcement today of the release of the refreshed Dell Precision M6300 mobile workstation takes performance to a whole new level through the addition of several "first ever" features.  It has all the functionality you would expect in a high-end, ultra-high performance notebook, but with some additions that we hope will rock your world.

  It is the first mobile workstation in the universe to offer the 32GB and 64GB ultra performance solid state drives that Sarah blogged about, so you can get up to 35% faster read/write performance than traditional 5400RPM hard drives and 22% faster than 7200RPM hard drives.  It also uses the new Intel 45 nanometer Penryn processors and the Intel Extreme Edition Core 2 Duo X9000 (2.80GHz) 6MB L2 Cache.  We have doubled the dedicated graphics memory by incorporating the nVidia Quadro FX 3600M with 512MB dedicated graphics -- the fastest mobile professional graphics card offered by nVidia.  It is also the first Dell notebook to offer 8GB total system memory 2 x 4GB DIMMs so you can work with even larger data sets.

  So let's review:  faster performance, monster hard drive, fastest nVidia graphics card, and huge memory.  We think this is more than a brute.  So if you carry your workstation around and need ultra-high-end performance, check this out.  And as always, we're looking for your input and ideas to make the brute even...well "brutier."  So comment below, on IdeaStorm, or on the Dell Community Forum, and reference the Precision M6300 Refresh.

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• XPS 630: Gaming Power for the Masses

  Wed. Feb. 27, 2008
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  I warned you. Today, customers in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Japan can order the XPS 630. It's a gaming desktop meant to pack a lot of power into a smaller chassis. Granted, smaller is a relative term—it's smaller compared to the XPS 720: the XPS 630 has a starting weight of about 39 pounds compared to almost 48 pounds for its larger cousin.

  Note: Clicking on either of these photos below will show a larger version. You can see more photos at the main Dell Flickr site here.

   The goal behind the XPS 630 was to provide great performance and expandability at a reasonable price point. We call it a mainstream gaming system. It supports many of the same high-end options that the XPS 720 does, with a starting price of $1,249. That's where the mainstream part comes from. 

  The Dell folks I talked to were pretty excited about the XPS 630, and based on early awards from CNET, PC Magazine and HotHardware, I'm glad to see they're not alone.

  But enough about that, let's jump into the more technical details. By popular demand, the XPS 630 utilizes a motherboard based on the popular ATX form factor. It's based on a Dell implementation of NVIDIA's 650i chipset, is the first OEM system to support NVIDIA's new Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA) and all units will come with a 750W power supply.

  It also supports Intel processors (initially we'll support the quad-core Q6600 processor and the and Core 2 Extreme QX 6850, with more coming soon) and several graphics card options from both ATI and NVIDIA. We'll offer certain dual graphics card options in Crossfire mode or SLI mode, depending on whether you prefer ATI or NVIDIA.

  In terms of memory, we also support Corsair DDR2 Dominator 800MHz Enhanced Performance Profile (EPP) modules that can be overclocked to1066MHz.

  For folks that want to take performance a step further, you will have the opportunity to overclock the parts of the system through the system BIOS and software like NVIDIA's nTune application, much like the XPS 720 today. Unlike the XPS 720, however, we will not ship the XPS 630 overclocked from the factory. Because there's a lot more to discuss on that front, we'll blog about overclocking soon. And look for an overclocking vlog in the not-too-distant future.

   

  In this vlog, I interview Lee Kinder from the XPS Desktop Team about the system overall. He also discusses design elements, talks specs, hardware and OS options, overclocking and more.

  Format: flv Duration: 6:08

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG

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• The Register Green Computing Debate

  Tue. Feb. 26, 2008
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Wednesday we're participating in The Register's "green" online computing debate, which will include presentations and conversations on topics ranging from energy efficiency, to virtualization, to recycling and companies' overall approach to environmental responsibility.

  Our Vice President of Power & Cooling Infrastructure Albert Esser will speak at 12:40 p.m. CDT about the benefits of energy efficiency and sound power management throughout the IT and data center infrastructures. His presentation will last about 15 minutes, followed by a round of questions from the audience.

  Registration is free and open to the public, so be sure to sign up here if you haven't already. We look forward to hearing your questions!

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