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Colocation for colo-newbie. Good or bad idea?
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Colocation for colo-newbie. Good or bad idea?

Hey guys

I have zero knowledge about colocation and im wondering if colocation is something much "harder" than renting dedicated servers, more knowledge is needed etc. Im thinking about buying one second hand dual 2670v2 server and colocating it somewhere. Good or bad idea?

Comments

  • Awmusic12635Awmusic12635 Member, Host Rep

    It is harder if you don't know anything about it I would not recommend it.

  • drserverdrserver Member, Host Rep

    dodheimsgard said: Hey guys

    I have zero knowledge about colocation and im wondering if colocation is something much "harder" than renting dedicated servers, more knowledge is needed etc. Im thinking about buying one second hand dual 2670v2 server and colocating it somewhere. Good or bad idea?

    That is recommended approach if you have money to buy a server. Few things to know, buy some spares (identical raid card and few drives are a MUST) and be ready to pay for remote hands.

    Whole thing is not much different than renting dedicated server except stock and remote hand aspect.

    Thanked by 1dodheimsgard
  • HarambeHarambe Member, Host Rep

    I don't find the process that much more difficult than renting a dedicated server, assuming you understand basic networking, hardware and can handle your own (remote) OS installs.

    Most of the work for setting up colo is in the pre-sales side and the prep you do with hardware: Asking the right questions, knowing what remote hands will cost when something goes wrong and what's included in your monthly fee, knowing your usual & peak power usage and if your machine will work within their power specs, if you've got a second network drop included for IPMI/KVM and if they'll give you the configuration details ahead of time, if they'll provide a loaner IP KVM if needed, the logistics of how fast you can get replacement drives/etc delivered to the DC and how much that'll cost, etc etc.

    The main difference is that the hardware is yours and therefore your problem when it breaks. You can save quite a bit of money over renting when you're looking at powerful CPUs and adding in tons of drives or larger drives, but you gotta make sure you have the cash stashed aside to replace drives, ram, power supplies, motherboards, etc when something goes poof and lets out the magic blue smoke.

    Thanked by 1feezioxiii
  • williewillie Member
    edited June 2018

    The 2670v2 might be a special situation (GPU servers are another) but I've been interested in colo for ages, and it's always seemed to me that dedis are cheaper, partly because you can get them in faraway places. With colo you either have to pay remote hands and shipping, or find space close to where you live (possibly scarce or expensive). The 2670v2 will also be quite power hungry and that is also reflected in colo costs.

    I mostly consider colo when thinking of large storage servers, since even if it ends up costing more than dedis, it's nice to own the hard drives.

    Thanked by 3vish Edi beagle
  • PhotonVPSPhotonVPS Member, Host Rep

    Are you just looking for colo for one server?

  • imokimok Member

    I'm interested in the same stuff for a single server. Probably a bad idea according to @Harambe, yet.

  • @PhotonVPS said:
    Are you just looking for colo for one server?

    One, maybe two. Im not sure if its wise to go for colo with only 1-2 servers.

  • vishvish Member

    @willie said:
    The 2670v2 might be a special situation (GPU servers are another) but I've been interested in colo for ages, and it's always seemed to me that dedis are cheaper, partly because you can get them in faraway places. With colo you either have to pay remote hands and shipping, or find space close to where you live (possibly scarce or expensive). The 2670v2 will also be quite power hungry and that is also reflected in colo costs.

    I mostly consider colo when thinking of large storage servers, since even if it ends up costing more than dedis, it's nice to own the hard drives.

    This is a nice summary of how I see it as well. I’d like to colo a few servers I have in the closet but the prices never work out compared to dedicated servers

  • First-RootFirst-Root Member, Host Rep

    The question is what you want to archiv with 1 colocated server that cannot be reached with am dedicated server. Keep in mind that you are responsible for replacing hardware (you need to keep them at hand so you can replace them fast) and need to debug in case of any hardware failure like corrupted memory or similar.

  • I'll just straight go to your question. It's neither a good nor a bad idea. Everyone has to learn and you can't if you don't start somewhere. So go for it, if you're not to loss anything.

  • lonealonea Member, Host Rep

    If your server has IPMI then go for it. Much cheaper in the long run.

  • LyphiardLyphiard Member, Host Rep
    edited June 2018

    If you're only doing one or two servers, I'd highly recommend renting instead unless your servers are very modern and expensive hardware. You really won't see the benefits of colocation until you have larger cabinets.

    With older hardware such as the E5-2670v2, you'd be a lot better off renting.

    Here are my main reasons:

    • You are responsible for your own hardware. If something breaks, be prepared to pay top dollar for one-day shipping, expensive remote hands, and face many hours (or days) of downtime. Troubleshooting a broken server remotely is a complete nightmare.

    • Shipping and logistics. Unless you're right next to the datacenter, chances are, you'd need to ship the server out. If, three months down the road, you decide to cancel, you have to ship the server back to yourself. Depending on the distance, you could face hundreds of dollars in shipping, deracking, and packaging fees.

    • Overall price. Usually, you won't see any lower prices for 1-4U colocation. You're probably looking at $50-$70+ depending on the company you go with. In addition to a $1,000 server, you're looking at 15-16 months before you break even. If you had an incident where you required remote hands (you most likely will), expect this number to go up ... a lot.

    With more premium hardware, however, dedicated server providers tend to have a higher profit margin. Hence, it would be exponentially cheaper to purchase hardware and colocate rather than renting.

    Thanked by 1vpsGOD
  • vishvish Member
    edited June 2018

    Just be sure to pick a reputable provider if you opt for colo services

  • I dont want to open another thread so i will ask here. 1 hour remote hands a month per server is alot (thats what im going to get for free)?

  • PhotonVPSPhotonVPS Member, Host Rep

    Depends what it includes.

    Usually hotswaps are free

  • Kyle_Kyle_ Member

    Just keep in mind that parts will fail over time, so build your infrastructure accordingly

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