Big Blue Expands Power Systems Recycling Deal

January 23, 2012 Timothy Prickett Morgan

An enterprise server is almost as hard to get rid of as it is to get the bean counters to pay for it in the first place. That is why server makers sometimes sweeten their new server acquisition deals by agreeing to take back old boxes when customers buy new boxes.

Way back in September 2007 when the new machines were the Power6-based System i machines, IBM launched an AS/400 and eServer iSeries no-charge removal program, which has been updated numerous times over the years. In announcement letter 311-182, IBM has tweaked the no-charge removal the deal one more time.

This time around, Big Blue is expanding the deal outside of the OS/400, i5/OS, and IBM i base and agreeing to allow customers trading up to new Power7-based machines to get any AS/400, iSeries, or System i or pSeries, System p, or early Power Systems generations running AIX or Linux taken away for nadda. And the way the announcement is written, you can get the no-charge removal if you are getting rid of one architecture and replacing it with another. One other change is that you cannot replace a really old AS/400 or iSeries machine with a System i box any more. Now, you have to go to a more modern Power7-based Power 7 box if you want IBM to junk your old box for zip.

It is very difficult to determine what it would cost to have a junk man come along to take a rack or tower server away and junk it. My advice to you before you just let IBM walk away with your old machine for free is to do a full inventory of all of the hardware features and software licenses tied to the box and then contact a few local second-hand equipment dealers. For all you know, any server seller is offering to take an old box off your hands is really trying to do itself a favor. Two, in fact.

First, it gets a box off the street that might otherwise compete with new gear sales and second, it allows the vendor to strip the machine for parts and sell those parts to customers who want vendor-certified and warranted used peripherals. It might cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to junk old gear, and server makers are indeed doing you a favor by covering that cost, but you might discover that your company can make a couple of hundred or thousands of dollars by making a few phone calls.