This page is dedicated to any good deals that I find or hear about.  It is not limited to just the UK so if you see any deals on IT kit that you think others may also benefit from then please leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list. 

Also, if you are a hardware/software distributor and can offer TechHead readers a discount or similar on your products then please drop me a line and I’ll forward it on.  Check back as this list will potentially change regularly.

ps. Let me know if you find any of these discount codes of deal have expired – I will try to monitor them as best I can.  Thanks.

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Iomega ix4-200d Storecenter 4TB Network Attached Storage US$579.00

I can definitely recommend this NAS product as I run two of them at home.  One for my lab and one for everyday use.  The beauty of the iomega ix4-200d is in its functionality and ease of use.  It is literally a case of taking it out of the box, plugging it in (power and network), minimal configuration and then off you go!  In a RAID 5 configuration you will receive approximately 2.7TB of usable disk space – which for most normal users will last a while.

Here is a summary of some of the features found on this the ix4-200d:

• Easy file sharing, data backup and print serving from any networked Windows® PC, Mac or Linux workstation.
• RAID Support—: RAID 5 and RAID 10 – all with automatic RAID rebuild. JBOD mode also available.
• Network File Protocols Supported o Microsoft (CIFS/SMB/Rally) o Linux/UNIX (NFS) o Apple File Protocal (AFP) and Bonjour support o FTP o HTTP o HTTPS o SNMP
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet—Connectivity with Jumbo frame support and high performance embedded architecture.
• iSCSI Target—Provides block-level access for the most efficient storage utilization, especially for database and email application performance. It can be used in parallel with file-level storage access via CIFS/NFS.
• LCD Screen—A small front panel display provides quick information on the status of the StorCenter ix4-200d.
• Remote Access—Connect securely from anywhere in the world and get full access to the pictures, videos, files and administration of the StorCenter ix4-200d through a personalized web address.
• Active Directory Support—Functions as a client member in an Active Directory domain allowing the StorCenter ix4-200d to utilize the domain users and groups.
• Replication / Device to Device Copy Jobs

 

Those of us outside of the US can only look on in jealousy at this low price from Frys, for example, in the UK the same IX4-200d (4TB) costs over £800!

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50% Off – VMware vSphere 4 Essentials Bundle US$495.00 !

Yes, that’s right VMware are currently offering 50% off their vSphere 4 Essentials package until the 15th June 2010, this package includes:

• 3 licenses of VMware ESXi and VMware ESX (deployment-time choice)
• VMFS (Virtual Machine File System)
• 4-way Virtual SMP
• VMware vCenter Server Agent
• VMware vStorage APIs / VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
• VMware Update Manager
• VMware vCenter Server for Essentials

This is ideal for small businesses taking their first steps into server virtualization or for those companies wanting to try out VMware for a while (ie: longer than the free download trial period) before committing further.

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4GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800MHz (non-ECC) Memory – £67.99 inc VAT & Free Delivery.

Although this is not technically what I’d call a “hot deal” the price of large capacity DDR2 memory has started creeping up and this is the best deal I have seen around for 4GB (2×2GB) of memory that you could use in your HP Proliant ML110 or ML115 G5.

I should point out that I haven’t used this exact model of Corsair XMS2 memory before (mine has different colour heat spreaders – though is probably just an older design) though technically it should work without any problem.  It isn’t ECC memory though for a home or work lab type environment this would be fine.  If you are after ECC memory for your HP Proliant ML110 or ML115 G5 then I’d recommend taking a look at Crucial.

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Virtualization Pro 2010 Summit & Expo – Exclusive TechHead $100 Discount Code.

Here’s some exciting news for those of you contemplating attending the upcoming Virtualization Pro Summit which is happening between 15-19 March in Las Vegas.  TechHead readers have been offered an exclusive US$100 discount on the cost of registration!  This is in addition to the US$200 early bird discount for those who register before 29th January 2010.  So in total you could save US$300 on your registration cost which has got to strengthen your case of attending with your employer. 

“This conference – with a focus on Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware solutions – will feature independent industry experts (as well as speakers from Microsoft and VMware) discussing VDI and desktop virtualization, server virtualization, application virtualization, virtualized storage, high  availability and disaster recovery, and the dynamic data center.“

This is the first year that this conference has been run so I am unable to give any opinion or feedback on it though from the impressive line up of speakers, with the likes of Steve Riley (Amazon Web Services, ex Microsoft), Greg Shields (Concentrated Technology) and John Savill (EMC) it should prove to be a good event.

To claim your TechHead US$100 discount just provide the word ‘TechHead’ during the registration process.  Feel free to pass this discount code on to friends and colleagues who may be thinking about attending.

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Data Robotics – Drobo Discount for US, Canadian & European TechHead Readers.

The kind folks over at Data Robotics have provided me and my fellow attendees at the recent  Gestalt IT Field with dedicated discount codes to pass on to our readers for some healthy discounts on the range of brand new Drobos.  These codes were supposed to be valid until the end of 2009 though as of today (14th January 2010) these codes are still working so if you’ve been thinking about buying yourself a Drobo now is a good time.

Before I go any further I’d like to make it clear that I in no way financially benefit from any Drobo sales using this code – it is just intended for those of you thinking about buying a Drobo for home or work.

So you’re probably wondering how much discount do you get?  Here’s a summary for the US and European DroboStores.  Note: These prices were current at the time of writing this article and do not necessarily include tax and delivery.

 

	US $	US $ Discount	US Discount Code
	$3,499	$3,149	SEAGRAVE
	$1,499	$1,349	SEAGRAVE
	$799	$749	SEAGRAVE
	$399	$349	SEAGRAVE

 

	Euro €	Euro € Discount	Euro Discount Code
	€2,439	€2,195	SSEAGRAVE1
	€1,089	€984	SSEAGRAVE1
	€569	€517	SSEAGRAVE1
	€289	€254	SSEAGRAVE1

 

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COMPLETE HP PROLIANT ML115 G5 & VMware ESX VIRTUALIZATION BUNDLE

I am often asked to recommend hardware for a good work or home IT lab.  Something that won’t break the bank but will have the ability to emulate most IT server scenarios for either testing or learning.  As you know I am a real fan of the HP Proliant ML110 and ML115 range as they offer great value for money and can accommodate most IT lab or small SMB IT requirements.

Those of you that have read my VMware ESX articles will know that when mentioning the ML110/ML115’s that I sometimes recommend checking out  Servers Plus when considering buying your own server.  The reason for this, and why I use them myself, is that they offer competitive pricing and I find that they have really good friendly after-sales service in the event of any issues which these days is hard to find especially with online stores.

 

With working with my own IT home lab I quite often find myself needing a second machine for either shared iSCSI storage or a second virtualization host which will allow me to use exciting VMware ESX features* such as vMotion, DRS, HA or even Fault Tolerance (FT) (*Note: when using a additional shared storage).

That is why I have worked with the team over at Servers Plus to put together a complete virtualization lab bundle for a decent price which includes all the necessary components to get your own environment up and running in no time.  It includes:

• 2 x HP Proliant ML115 G5 Quad Core Servers each with 4GB memory and 160GB hard disks
• 2 x Copies of VMware ESXi on USB sticks
• 1 x Linksys (Cisco) SLM2008 8 Port Gigabit Smart Switch (with VLAN capability)

I have and use all of these items in my own home lab environment and put it through its paces on a regular basis so I know it works well.

I’d like to point out that I make no money on referrals or sales and do this to hopefully make things easier for my readers looking at investing in a multi-server IT lab whilst having peace of mind that I am making a referral to a decent supplier.

Note: Most HP Proliant ML110 G5’s (and not the ML115’s in this bundle) you can buy new in the UK now only have the desktop based E2160 CPU which doesn’t have VT – see my article here for more details.

 

FREE DELIVERY:

The team over at ServersPlus offer TechHead readers FREE (UK based – but if you call them they have been known to deliver into Europe) delivery on all any HP Proliant ML110 or ML115 they purchase.  To redeem this free delivery offer you have to place your order with them over the phone (as opposed to via their website) and mention ‘TechHead’.

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Here are some Microsoft TechNet discount codes for both the US and UK.  If you live outside any of these countries you  may still want to try them as they may also work.

Let me know if you know of any other region specific codes and I will add those to the list.

 

UK Discount Codes:

• TMSAM15 – New TechNet Plus Direct subscriptions from £234.21 down to £175.66
• TNWIN7L – New TechNet Plus Direct subscriptions from £234.21 down to £168.63

US Discount Code:

• TNWIN7L – 28% off new TechNet Subscriptions
• TMSAM07 – TechNet Plus Direct Subscriptions for $261.75

 

Click here for the link to the Microsoft TechNet Plus UK Subscription web page.

 

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GO DADDY DOMAIN NAME DISCOUNT CODES

Date: 22nd September 2009

The following discount codes should come in useful when purchasing a new domain name or renewing an existing one through Go Daddy.

10% Off any order, use the following discount code:
MTECH8

20% Off when you spend over $50, use the following discount code:
MTECH9

30% Discount on a .com domain (also applies to renewals), use the following discount code:
MTECH10

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HP PROLIANT ML115 G5 – VIRTUALIZATION LAB BUNDLE

Wow, this is a good bundle deal from ServersPlus for all of those looking for that ideal VMware ESX lab.  With the 4GB of memory and the copy of VMware  ESXi 4 on a USB stick you are all set to go.  Click on this link here for more details.

*Note: I have spoken to ServersPlus and they have informed that they would be able to ship this bundle worldwide.  Contact them to find out how much delivery would be to your location.

 

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HP PROLIANT ML115 G1 LIGHTS OUT 100 CARD – JOB LOT OF 5

Date: 4th August 2009

Check out this posting on the TechHead forum – it is for 5 x New HP Proliant ML115 G1 Lights Out 100 cards.  The seller is asking £220.00 including Air freight for all 5 of them,    This means each one works out at £44.00 – this is a good price.

Just remember this is for the G1 model of the ML115 and not the more recent G5 !  It will not work in the G5 models.

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