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Hall County approves $223,401 server replacement and UPS purchase after VMware licensing change
Summary
Facing end of OEM VMware support for its Dell VxRail system, the Hall County Board approved a $189,742.56 server purchase and a $33,658.58 UPS/hardware package to replace aging infrastructure and avoid a service outage.
Hall County commissioners voted unanimously to buy replacement server hardware and supporting uninterruptible power supply (UPS) equipment after being told the county can no longer renew OEM VMware licensing on its Dell VxRail platform.
County IT staff described the change in licensing and the options the county considered, and commissioners approved a combined purchase of $223,401.14 to replace the county’s aging cluster and add power-backup gear.
County IT staff member Doug said the county’s existing Dell VxRail system depends on VMware OEM licensing that Broadcom (which acquired VMware licensing rights) is no longer permitting for VxRail hardware. “Broadcom is not allowing Dell to renew OEM VMware licensing on Dell VxRail,” Doug said, adding that continuing the current configuration would leave the county unable to obtain software licensing and critical support if problems arise.
Doug told the board the county solicited alternative quotes and recommended a Nutanix-based cluster (using Microsoft hypervisor) as the resilient replacement. The board packet included a recommended CDW Government/Sourcewell quote (PGLC073) for $189,742.56 for an all-flash Nutanix cluster and a separate quote of $33,658.58 for UPS and related power hardware. The county planned to fund the purchases from line items set aside for Dell VxRail maintenance and from the county’s equipment improvement reserve.
Commissioners discussed timing and the budgetary change in scale; one commissioner noted the replacement cost was substantially higher than prior maintenance renewals but said the county had little choice because maintenance renewal was not available. The board voted 7-0 to approve the CDW/Sourcewell quote and the UPS equipment quote and to fund the purchases from the specified maintenance and equipment-reserve line items.
The IT staff said they would run the old and new systems in parallel during the transition and that the replacement is aimed at avoiding a scenario in which a software licensing problem would prevent repairs to the existing cluster.
Votes on the server and UPS purchases were unanimous. The county will proceed with procurement under the Sourcewell/State contract pricing listed in the packet and schedule the implementation and cutover with IT staff and vendors.
The board also asked IT staff to return with any follow-up quotes or details for power infrastructure at the next meeting.
