Hot Deals
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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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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MICROSOFT HD LIFECAM CINEMA WEBCAM FOR £44.99 inc VAT & Free Delivery
Although I am most definitely not a fan of PC World, at least here in London due to sub-standard customer service and used car salesman type approach, they are doing a rather good price on Microsoft HD LifeCam Cinema webcams here at the moment. I personally use one in my home office and can vouch for the excellent picture and audio quality. I paid about £70 for it originally so £44.99 inc VAT and free delivery is a pretty good price for such a useful piece of kit – assuming you have someone to Skype or MSN to.
Unfortunately this deal only extends to those of you in the UK as PC World don’t deliver outside the UK mainland.
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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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HP PROLIANT ML115 G5 SERVER
Updated: 20th October 2009
Need that extra home or work lab server? ServersPlus have been in contact with TechHead and have come through again with some good pricing around the HP Proliant ML110 and ML115 G5’s.
Note: Most HP Proliant ML110 G5’s 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.
Ebuyer and Dabs also regularly come up with some good pricing around both these models (ie: ML110 and ML115) – I will present the company currently offering the all round price (including delivery).
TechHead reader, Scott Magee has pointed out that EBuyer are selling the HP ML115 G5 with the AMD Opteron Quad-Core 1354, 2.2GHz CPU, 1GB Mem, 160GB SATA hard disk and 1 years warranty for £21899 including VAT and FREE DELIVERY on EBuyer’s supersaver deal.
Thanks for letting us know Scott
FREE DELIVERY:
James and 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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My name is Simon Seagrave and I am a London (UK) based Technical Architect. 









[...] ServersPlus.com (UK) for free delivery on either the HP ML110 or ML115 server. Get over to his hot deals page for further [...]
Good Memory Deal:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143844
Crucial 4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Ballistix Memory CL4 2.0V
[Reply]
ML115 G5 with 1352 + 1G as per Serversplus.com for the same price (inc. VAT) with free delivery.
http://www.dabs.com/products/hp-ml115-g5-opteron-1352-quad-core-1gb-160gb-dvd-5J0T.html?q=ML%20115%20G5
[Reply]
Kiwi Si Reply:
August 6th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Hi Alex,
Thanks for letting me know. I’ll add that up onto the ML115 G5 section above.
Cheers,
Simon
[Reply]
Intel 1000CT NIC’s *Netqueues/VMDq* enabled adapters.
http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?prodID=1595930
£19.24 inc. VAT + Delivery
[Reply]
The ML115 is available from e-buyer as follows:
HP Proliant ML115 G5 – Opteron Quad-Core 1354 2.2GHz, 1GB DDR2 Memory, 160GB SATA HDD, 1 Year Warranty
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/168131
For £183 + vat, free delivery on supersaver (up to 5 working days, but mine came next day)
Excellent site – thanks for the brilliant hints and tips
Regards,
Ian
[Reply]
Kiwi Si Reply:
August 20th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Hi Ian,
Thanks for letting me know and the feedback – appreciated.
I’ve updated the ML115 G5 deal with the details you gave.
All the best,
Simon
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Pentium(R) dual Core CPU- E5200 2.50GHZ /800Mhz-Integrated Network RealTEk PCIGBE Family controllers. HP Model a6827C XD enabled.
Getting error on VMware install- cannot load lvm driver. Any advice on what to do to get pass this error?
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Lawrence Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
If this is ESXi 4.0 you need Intel or some broadcom gigabit ethernet cards. No support for Realtek.
[Reply]
[...] yourself over there an have a browse. There are some great resources there, including some ‘Hot Deals‘ on IT kit which are always [...]
How are you all finding deals on the ML110 G5 in the USA? I have not been able to find anything cheaper than US$500 for the model with the Xeon 3110…is this a good price?
[Reply]
[...] Seagrave(@kiwi_si) who was meant to co host this session but couldn’t because of work commitments has a really great page on his site about the equipment they used and deals on equipment you could use for your own white box lab [...]
The Lab Bundle seems pretty good for VMware. Has anybody tried XenServer, Hyper-V as well on these Machines?
I would think they should readily work..but jsut in case if anybody has tried at all?
[Reply]
Kiwi Si Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Hi Nookala,
I’ve installed MS Hyper-V on both the ML110 and ML115 G5 and it worked just fine. I haven’t tried XenServer as yet though it is on the list of things to try.
Hope this helps,
Simon
[Reply]
Nookala Reply:
December 20th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Hey Simon,
Thanks for the reply. I now have bought the bundle and VMWare works fine..
Could not get FT to work..Neither could I understand why not..Did you have to tweak to make it work…?
Will be trying out Hyper-v v2 today.
Thanks for your reply again.
cheers
Nookala
[Reply]
Kiwi Si Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:11 am
Hi Nookala,
Glad to hear VMware is working fine. You shouldn’t have to apply any tweaks to make it work – though I will start with the obvious: did you turn on AMD-V in the BIOS. It’s an easy one that has caught many people out.
Check out this link or this one as these run through a few of the common problems found with enabling FT along with Roger Lunds set-up video.
Let us know how you get on with Hyper-V R2.
Cheers,
Simon
Hi Simon,
It took me a while to get back to the labs.Was busy with the last days of work!(A Freebird now…looking up contracts or consulting soon)
Hyper V R 2 works fine too!(I have tested with the full installation, the core installation also seemed to work but I did get a stop error nvstor.sys so carried on with the full installation)
Another thing, If I tried to use the HP CD for the installation of the full version R2, there is not a choice for 2008 R2 (Obvious as R2 shipped only in the recent few months),and also wouldnt mount the R2 DVD..
So I quit the HP CD as soon as the drivers have been loaded, and then rebooted to continue with the R2 DVD itself!
Cheers
Nookala
[Reply]
Kiwi Si Reply:
January 17th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Hi Nookala,
Thanks for the update – good to hear there is a workaround with the Hyper-V R2 release – I will give it a go (hopefully sometime soon
)
Good luck with the contracting and consulting – it should be a busy year for IT.
Cheers,
Simon
[Reply]