"If the server continues to get support then it’s not an EOL product."
That depends on your definition of End of Life. If it is just support you want - technical support available in the event you should need it - then it never is EOL. You can call with a year 2001 model PowerEdge 4300 and get technical assistance with your issue (systems that shipped after 10/2009 are no longer eligible for lifetime support.) Depending on the parameters that you use to define EOL, free technical support may not be adequate, as Dell (and other vendors) may no longer carry critical parts allowing you to replace failing hardware. Parts and service availability would be much more valuable (in my opinion) than simple, basic tech support. Even if you are able to source parts in the event of hardware failure, if an organization cannot afford the downtime, and would need a service solution measured in hours, not days, then warranty service terms must be considered.
Every organization defines the lifespan of a computer or server. An office with a dozen employees doing email, data entry, and basic spreadsheets and word processing that generates a couple of GB of data per year would have a harder time justifying a 2 or 3-year lifespan on their computers and servers; however, a company that develops software or high-end graphics, media, modeling, etc would probably not want to go more than 2 years before changing out hardware, so they can keep their employees cranking on current hardware, and their storage demands on the server(s) can keep up with the growth. These EOL scenarios must be defined by the nature of the business.
- For some, EOL means they can't obtain more servers through normal/direct channels.
- For some, EOL means they can't get technical support on a product any more.
- For some, EOL means they can't get warranty support on a product any more.
- For some, EOL means they can't [easily or affordably] source parts for their product any more.
Accordingly, Dell does not define any of these (publicly).
- They stop manufacturing when they have planned the replacement - probably based on component availability.
- They stop providing technical support on products shipped after 10/20009 after the purchased warranty contract term is up (indefinitely for systems shipped before that date), within the scope of their "out-of-warranty" support.
- They generally limit purchasable extended warranty terms to 5 years (again, there are some exceptions - some publicly available, some not).
- They gradually dimish stock on replacement parts available to the public as more and more systems go out of warranty, to the point that any parts they have in stock are reserved strictly for in-warranty customers and are no longer available for purchase from Dell.
3-5 years is pretty standard for the life of a server - not the useful term of service, but the length of time that a company would run the hardware before planning to retire and upgrade to a more efficient, higher-performance setup.
Dell does not make it easy for those who want documented hardware lifecycles to define policies, but many companies do not provide such material, putting these policy decisions in the hands of experienced IT personnel who know their business needs.