Why open source tools might need a hardware hook

“Dell has been particularly busy trying to take the hardware
guesswork out of two of the hottest open source projects around:
OpenStack and, on Thursday, Hadoop (technically, Cloudera’s
distribution of Hadoop). Essentially, these are hardware
configurations specifically designed to optimally run their
respective software targets. Accompanying both is Crowbar, Dell’s
open source software for deploying the software onto the hardware
and then managing the existing system.

“The big difference between the two offerings is the price tag.
Dell’s OpenStack solution is a reference architecture with optional
support and services, while its partnership with Cloudera is a
full-on product that includes hardware, software, support and
services.”

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