During data center consolidation and upgrades, older servers are often replaced with newer hardware – even if their useful life is not over. Use mid-life servers for less compute-intensive operations, and reduce the need for new server purchases.

When Is a Server Too Old?

As new servers are purchased to handle the growing complexity and processing requirements of the data center, the servers being replaced are often set aside, sold, or recycled. In many cases these mid-life servers can still play an effective role in the data center and reduce the number of new servers purchased.

Before deciding that a server is no longer able to handle the load of a primary application, it should be monitored over a period of time. The storage throughput, network bandwidth, and CPU utilization should all be recorded and reviewed.

If the network bandwidth or storage throughput is performance...