Help with server specifications... For home tired of crappy desktop hardware

BoGs

Need help specking out a server hardware desktop system. I have had two of my desktop computers fail and lost data this weekend and I am looking to use this server as a home server media UPnP, web hosting, dns, samba etc and will be running ZFS freebsd/solaris in raid. I was wondering if you guys that build servers yourself could recommend some pieces.

Case: Antec 300 Power Supply: Seasonic ~450 watt GOLD ( desktop is ok? ) Motherboard: no idea need help (require IPMI or something so I do not have to keep moving things) CPU: Single Xeon (e3 1230?) Memory: no idea ecc is a must 16GB? cdrom: crappy one I can get consumer hard drives: 4-6x (room to add more?) Western Digital RE4 WD1003FBYX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Enterprise Hard Drive os drive: I can find a consumer ssd

Any other help would be appreciated, thanks :) wanting to keep cost to a min but still stay in the enterprise hardware as I am done and frustrated with consumer.

Brandon

Desktop grade power supplies aren't designed to be running 24 x 7, at full capacity, like in a server environment. I wouldn't mix and match these components. The only consume grade hardware I'd use in a server is hard drives.

Here's some parts to get you started:

Processor: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 MB: SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCL+-F RAM: Kingston 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1333 SSD Recommendation: Samsung 830

I'm not too familiar with a lot of name brand chassis and so you'd need someone else for that.

P.S Did your computers happen to be HPs?

Zen

@Brandon said: Desktop grade power supplies aren't designed to be running 24 x 7

I break universal laws, ran my laptop as a home server (stripped down) for 2 years solid, ran a desktop 24/7 for 8 solid years (p4) & currently run my main workstation 24/7 and have done for almost a year.

Total replacements

earl

@Brandon said: Desktop grade power supplies aren't designed to be running 24 x 7

The power supply is normally fine.. but the fan in the power supply tends to fail quiet often which if you don't catch it in time will kill you power supply

MikHo

I've been running desktops 24/7 for many years and had few failures. My main desktop had two psu failures the last 4years but mainly because I put in a to small psu for what was in the case. What you need to consider i s the power consumption. If you overdose (new graphic card, many hdd, extra equipment) the psu eill take the fall.

Damian

There's a marked difference in cheap, price-point power supplies:

...and more expensive 'enthusiast' power supplies. Those Seasonic power supplies get pretty awesome reviews; I would not hesitate to use one.

Maounique

I only use a thin client as a server :P True, no raidz or anything, only 2.5 drives usb powered, no big ass cpu power (via c7-800) but also no noisy fans, low power consumption (OMG you want to use a server 24/7, will eat your money on electricity fast !), even runs 2 VMs and is great as a router for my 4 connections. If you dont want to lose data, keep backups, better than having a ton of big ass hdd in raid using power and increasing the chance of failure... That is, for home, of course :) M

Jacob

Corsair are pretty good, But I recommend getting PSUs from Overclockers.co.uk

@Damian said: Those Seasonic power supplies

fly

you run 2 vm's on a thin client? lolwat.

Maounique

Yep :P And a 16 GB CF too :P But they are only moving packets around, they are Tor boxes, basically. M

pcan

Check the Intel web site, there is a new low-spec Intel server board that can be useful for home server purposes. I only use Intel server boards and chassis at work: server boards are backed with 3 years warranty, and Intel exchanges warranty-covered faulty boards in 2-3 days to gold partners. If you like a preassembled (and cheaper) solution, HP microserver is a nice box.

earl

@Maounique said: I only use a thin client as a server

I'm using a WYSE V30L I also bought a 44 pin cable to connect a 2.5" drive directly to the ide port, works great and best of all no noise!! I calculated that running this 24/7 cost me about $1/month!

Maounique

@earl said: I also bought a 44 pin cable to connect a 2.5" drive directly to the ide port

Gratz on that, I only found a couple of places that had those in offer but out of stock here. I added a card with ide and sata and patched an old ata external USB PS to power a 3.5 full drive I attached to the case. It did make some perceivable noise so I ended up with usb powered 2.5 drives in adition to the 16 GB CF 266x. M

pcan

@Maonique: You can build the 44 pin IDE cable yourself. I usually buy cable and connectors from RS Components (items 754-2236 and 745-5000 ).

Maounique

I was thinking of that. However, my only hdd for that is a 4 GB one with a bad sector. In the end thought to rather make a power source and employ a big ass one with an extension card. It worked but was too noisy. M

earl

@Maounique said: I only found a couple of places that had those in offer but out of stock here

you can try here:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=44%20ide%20cable%20laptop&_sop=15

Maounique

Thanks, but I doubt they send to Romania :) M

earl

@Maounique said: Thanks, but I doubt they send to Romania :)

if you have an account with ebay this one is free shipping to Romania

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IDE-44-Pin-laptop-2-5-Female-Hard-Drive-Cable-2-44pin-/110646424239?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapters&hash=item19c30a72af#shId

DimeCadmium

@Damian that HDD looks like one the PC Maintenance teacher at my high school had.

Basically it was sat on top of another HDD (they were SAS trailed out of the case), and the circuitry on one shorted to the cover on another... that was one big-ass spark. Ruined/scorched one (the top one), left a big black spot on the other. :P

Maounique

@DimeCadmium said: Basically it was sat on top of another HDD

When I have to do that i put some paper or tape in between. M