Parts that belong to this one model
A drive of the right size does not always fit, and neither does a power supply with the same wattage. In server hardware a part belongs to a model and sometimes to a generation within that model, and that is exactly where an order goes wrong at the moment it is urgent. This page says how to find the right part and what to put on the shelf in advance.
Five groups, and which is needed most
The first two together account for most of all requests.
- Power supplies and fansThe components that give up most often, because they move or get hot. They are tied to brand and model, and with redundant supplies the wattage matters: two mismatched supplies in one machine is a fault waiting to happen.
- Drives and caddiesA drive belongs in that model’s caddy and the machine has to recognise it. Buying a bare drive without a caddy is the most common mistake in an urgent order, and the caddy is then the weeks it takes.
- MemoryType, speed, rank and registration have to match what is already in there. Adding memory that is the same on paper but a different rank produces a machine that runs slow or does not boot.
- Controllers, batteries and backplanesThe parts data hangs on. Here the replacement unit is not enough: the settings and the firmware version have to come with it, or the new controller will not read the existing layout.
- Rails, bezels and cablesThe parts everyone forgets and that can hold up an installation for a day. They differ per model and they are available separately.
Three steps, and the first does most of the work
With the first step a request is right the first time. Without it, it goes back and forth twice on average.
Look up the machine’s service identifier
Every manufacturer has one: service tag, serial number or express service code. That fixes the exact configuration as the machine left the factory, and with it which part fits.
Give the part number of the failed component
It is printed on the part itself. A part number is unambiguous where a description never is, and it stops something arriving that merely looks like it.
Say whether new or refurbished is acceptable
For a machine with years left, new is logical; for a generation being phased out, refurbished is often all there is, and then it is not a concession but the market.
Three parts to keep on your own shelf
The sum is simple: what does the part cost, and what does the hour you spend waiting for it cost.
- One power supply per machine typeThe most common failure and the cheapest part. On a machine with redundant supplies this buys you the time to order calmly instead of urgently.
- One drive per type, caddy includedIn a RAID setup, a second failure during the rebuild is the scenario where it goes wrong. A spare drive on the shelf is the difference between inconvenience and data loss.
- For equipment out of support: a whole machineWhere parts become scarce, an identical second machine on the shelf costs less than a contract nobody can honour. That machine is then your parts stock as well.
Parts per brand
Parts are tied to a brand and within a brand often to a generation. This is where we source them.
- Server brandsDell, HPE, IBM, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Supermicro and Cisco. With the machine’s service identifier the matching part number is fixed; without it you are guessing from a description.
- Storage brandsNetApp, Dell, HPE, IBM, Hitachi Vantara and Quantum. Drives and caddies here are rarely interchangeable between two systems from the same brand.
- Network brandsCisco, Juniper, Arista, HPE Aruba, Extreme Networks and Brocade. Power supplies, fan modules and stacking cables can be ordered separately and are the most requested parts.
- ComponentsMemory from Micron, Kingston and Samsung, drives from Seagate, Western Digital and Samsung, processors from Intel and AMD and cards from NVIDIA.
What goes with this
Parts hang on maintenance, and on what is already installed.
Questions we get about this
The ones that come up most, answered briefly.
Can you find a part if I only have the serial number?
Yes, and that is in fact the fastest route. The machine’s service identifier fixes the configuration as it left the factory, and with it which part number fits. A description without that identifier averages two rounds back and forth.
Do you supply parts for equipment that is out of support?
Yes. For those generations the part comes refurbished more often than new, because the manufacturer no longer makes it. What you get back is the part number that fits, stating whether it is new or refurbished.
Is a refurbished part as reliable as a new one?
On parts without moving components the difference is small; on power supplies, fans and drives the running hours genuinely count. That is why we prefer to replace wear parts with new ones and keep refurbished for the parts where wear plays no role.
The right part, first time
Give the machine’s service identifier and the part number of what has to come out. You get back what fits, what the alternative is and what the lead time is at that moment.
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