I guess that was meant to be a little bit of hyperbole, but it does seem a little bit like Oracle doesn't want to help people use their hardware. At least not their older hardware.

First, some back story

Not too long ago I decided I wanted to update my server. I run a few different websites (like this one) and related services (like the database that this one uses) and other stuff on what is generally a series of hand-me-down workstations. I'd use a workstation until some plateau of performance was crossed and I'd get a new workstation; then I'd re-purpose that old workstation into a new server.

The workstation I have now is a 6-core beast with a lot of RAM and a big set of hard drive storage. I've not outgrown it. The server, though, is an old sub-2GHz dual-core system that's topped-out at 8GB of RAM. On it run about a dozen different servers or services, pushing that RAM to its limit. I'd like to get a little more RAM space, do a little more compartmentalization and virtualization, and generally just update the server.

I've looked into making a pretty robust server to create a lab machine with some power, and it isn't cheap by any standard. For less than a couple grand I can get a server set up with plenty of cores and maybe 32GB of RAM and a generous amount of storage.

In a previous venture I worked with a group that gambled on some Sun hardware. Sun made a (then) new set of multicore Sparc systems that beat out the x86 competition. In particular, a 6- or 8-core server running 4 threads per core, in the Sun Enterprise T1000. We ran a few of these things and were able to isolate our different software bits on the same machine into a private cloud, before the cloud was a thing.

I peek on ebay from time-to-time for stuff, and on a recent occasion sought the kind of server that would let me run this virtualization playground. I happened upon a Sun Enterprise T5220, which was the successor to the T1000. In addition to being a next-gen processor (an 8-core with 8 threads each, and a bunch of other CPU updates), the line had higher RAM limits and the server has more drive bays. Even more, the T5220 runs at about half the dB of the T1000, which is important since I planned to run it in my basement.

To be sure, the T5220 line has already been terminated by Oracle; the suggested replacement is the currently available T4 line, which is a rock-solid system, but is too expensive for my lab needs. On ebay I found an 8-core T5220 with 64GB of RAM and two 146GB HDD for about $200. I checked and saw that the server is certified current Solaris 11.2, and further, Solaris 11.2 has OpenStack available for virtualization. Pretty much the playground I was looking for.

I bit and bought one. It was delivered a couple of days later, and is currently running in the basement. Except it has no OS.

Now the trouble

Of course, the vendor or previous owner wiped the drives and reset the firmware. The drive wiping was surely to protect their data, but did result in removing the base installation of the OS that comes on the systems when purchased new. Fair enough; I was going to put an updated OS on there anyway. Peeking at the OS installation, the server needs a firmware update. I head to the Oracle site to fetch it only to find (or to be reminded) that Oracle, unlike Sun before them, doesn't offer the firmware to just anyone any more; you need to have a support contract.

I poked around the Oracle site and discovered that the firmware is available with an OS support contract, but that it isn't available if you pay for Solaris. Also, I was unable to find a way to simply purchase OS support. After too many calls and transfers, it came out that I have two options: $1000/year for a subscription to Oracle Support, or find an Oracle Partner who could provide the support for me.

After sending e-mail and requests for quotes via web forms to a number of Oracle partners found on their website and through other searches, I finally got one to respond saying that the $1000 subscription is really the only option; they or other support providers couldn't acquire the firmware without my contract, although they could do the work of performing the firmware upgrade. Further, he warned, the systems need to be certified before it could be added to a support contract. This he cautioned could cost $10,000; none of the Oracle Support people I talked to mentioned this certification, nor can I find evidence of it on their site, which isn't to say it isn't true, so I remain optimistic that its something I can avoid.

This, to be sure, is still cheaper than a new T4 system by half, and a T5 by a third. It's more than a T5 blade, but in order to run those you need a chassis, so it still isn't cheaper.

I'm going to give a couple vendors who haven't responded a little more time to decide to turn me down, or if the stars align offer me the support I need.

Additionally, I'll try to get more concrete information from Oracle and probably have to either spend the $1000 for support so I can download the firmware update, or abandon the T5200 and opt for one of the other systems I've found, like a nice Sun Enterprise X4600 (8 quad-core Opteron, also with 64GB) that don't require firmware updates (and in the case of the x4600 can run other than Solaris, too).