Making a 1U server quiet

D

digilink

Gawd
Joined
Jul 27, 2002
Messages
566
Ok so here's the deal... I get this awesome deal on a 1U server that's perfect for my application (web, mail, and asterisk server) eagerly await it's arrival, rack it up, power it up, and suddenly it sounds like I'm in the middle of a hurricane :(

It's tolerable, but not really. It's just a bit too loud for my small home office. So I'm looking for suggestions. The culprit appears to be a large blower located at the front of the chassis, and it's the only fan in the system besides the one on the power supply:

1userver.jpg


I've thought about low profile CPU coolers, but wasn't sure if such a thing exists or what the potential thermal effects will be on the rest of the system without the blower :/

The CPU is a P4 @ 3.06 Ghz and 1gb of RAM.

Suggestions appreciated :)
 
digilink said:
Ok so here's the deal... I get this awesome deal on a 1U server that's perfect for my application (web, mail, and asterisk server) eagerly await it's arrival, rack it up, power it up, and suddenly it sounds like I'm in the middle of a hurricane :(

It's tolerable, but not really. It's just a bit too loud for my small home office. So I'm looking for suggestions. The culprit appears to be a large blower located at the front of the chassis, and it's the only fan in the system besides the one on the power supply:

1userver.jpg


I've thought about low profile CPU coolers, but wasn't sure if such a thing exists or what the potential thermal effects will be on the rest of the system without the blower :/

The CPU is a P4 @ 3.06 Ghz and 1gb of RAM.

Suggestions appreciated :)
Click to expand...

If you want a quiet server, i'd suggest buying an ATX form factor case with hot swappable drive bays, like 3x 5.25inch to 3x/4x/5x 3.5inch drive bay converters then replace the fans with quieter, more powerful fans (i believe the stock fans are quiet though). Using an ATX form factor case as a server chassis you can fit med to high end coolers for the usual Intel/AMD CPU sockets without any problem.

Here are some examples:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=hot_swap_drive_bays-_-16-215-174-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=hot_swap_drive_bays-_-16-215-177-_-Product


Or just try replacing whatever fan in the 1U server chassis you can with a quieter one. Or... Deal with it. :)

Just my 0.02
 
In my experience I'd say out of the dozens of 1U servers I've come across maybe only 2 or 3 at most were actually quiet. Generally the thought is these servers go into a rackmounted environment in a closet or data center, and noise isn't a concern.

I will say though that I think some servers are obnoxiously loud. I would attempt to replace the fan or get a ATX to replace is as mentioned above. Would you mind telling us what type of server it is? Brand/model?
 
What a great thread, i just got one of these this weekend and its LOUD, however im doing some mods on mine next week to keep it cool & quiet, will post before and after pics in a few days.

J'
 
A good percentage of 1U servers are quite.....if you're running a supported OS. They usually have drivers available with management agents to control the hardware. Most of the time, a bare install of the OS...and the fans will be screaming on a server. But as soon as you get the management agents installed....those fans settle right down as they should. And when you first boot up the server...it screams...until the OS is mostly loaded..and the drivers start loading..and then it will settle down to a nice purr.

So if you're looking for a 1U server for an oddball OS...do some homework first, see if others have tried it and have comments.

Look for drivers/agents for the OS that you're running. For example...I've installed Untangle on a lot of 1U serrvers....such as HP Proliand DL320 models....which, by default, will scream like you're at an airport. But HP has a special driver bundle called "HP Lenny Deliverables"...made for Debian Lenny..which UT is built on. As soon as I install that CD...the fans settle right down to a nice purr.
 
First problem is that its a 1U rackmount. That means in most cases its going to have 40mm fans which CAN scream when they need to move more air. The second issue is that you have a 3.06 Ghz P4 which is not a cooler running cpu.


That's a really tough combo to keep quiet in a 1U. In fact if your case uses 40mm fans I would say you have zero chance of getting that chassis to be quiet.

If you put everything in a ATX case like mentioned before....then this becomes significantly easier.

Or use a CPU that is 65 watts or less and make sure the 1U has good fan speed controller as previously mentioned.
 
Mackintire said:
First problem is that its a 1U rackmount. That means in most cases its going to have 40mm fans which CAN scream when they need to move more air. The second issue is that you have a 3.06 Ghz P4 which is not a cooler running cpu.


That's a really tough combo to keep quiet in a 1U. In fact if your case uses 40mm fans I would say you have zero chance of getting that chassis to be quiet.

If you put everything in a ATX case like mentioned before....then this becomes significantly easier.

Or use a CPU that is 65 watts or less and make sure the 1U has good fan speed controller as previously mentioned.
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I wonder if i could could put a lower powered / slower p4 into the board to lower the heat ?

I like the board and stuff, all the hardware works fine.

The other alternative is "BUY" new intel or asus humming bird board with another nic.

However id like to salvage what i have and use it as it's 100% perfect condition.
 
Run the fans on 5 volts instead of 12, you don't really NEED that much air flow in those because of their size. You do want a decent amount, no doubt about that, but remember that you have less than 1 cf of air worth in there. If you can get an actual 50cfm worth of air flow it is a lot of air flow for the size of that server. If you do any changes monitor the cpu temp to ensure it is in fact getting enough flow. You may need a bigger heat sink or have the heat sink somehow mechanically attached to the case.

If there are card slots you could also look at adding video card type coolers as they should be more quiet and make up for lowering the speed of the fans or maybe even removing some.
 
Red Squirrel said:
If there are card slots you could also look at adding video card type coolers as they should be more quiet and make up for lowering the speed of the fans or maybe even removing some.
Click to expand...

Thats a great idea, I'm gonna do that on my 2u server box :)
 
Unfortunately the only quiet 1u servers I have ever seen are atom servers.

General run of thumb is that rack-mount boxes are not quiet as they are designed to be used in a server room where noise is not an issue. 1u is especially bad because the fans are soo small that the pitch is much higher than a larger fan making them seem louder.

Removing fans is a bad bad bad idea on a server chassis especially on a 1u chassis. The thing most people do not understand is that it is not about overall air flow in a server chassis it is about static air pressure. Altering the fans on a server chassis can dramatically effect the cooling capacity by changing the static pressure especially on a 1u server. Do so at your own risk.

As a water analogy:
Static Pressure = Water Pressure; how hard the water is flowing
CFM = Flowrate; how much water is flowing

You can have all the water flowing in the world (CFM) but if there is not any pressure (static pressure) if it encounters any resistance it will stop creating hot spots in your server.
 
Hi,

I had 3x 1U old servers, and they were really loud... I ended up throwing them away for the same reason...

Your options are:
Buy quieter fans = hard to find + expensive
b) Buy a sound proof rack = expensive
 
My Dell PE 1950 and R610s are whisper quiet, as are my Proliant DL G5, G6, and G7 servers.

HOWEVER, my PE1850 is louder then most switches when it idles, and therefore stays in the basement.

Like others have said, you can try to update your BIOS / drivers to use a "quiet" profile, but at the end of the day 1 and 2U servers are generally loud.
 
C7J0yc3 said:
My Dell PE 1950 and R610s are whisper quiet, as are my Proliant DL G5, G6, and G7 servers.

HOWEVER, my PE1850 is louder then most switches when it idles, and therefore stays in the basement.

Like others have said, you can try to update your BIOS / drivers to use a "quiet" profile, but at the end of the day 1 and 2U servers are generally loud.
Click to expand...

I think im going to order one of these : http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811152115

and put my current server into this box.

Then buy some goodies off a friend that has a dc atom box with quad gbit nic's in it :)
 
IMG_0584.JPG


Just built a regulator for this the fan is now running at 7.5V and is not loud at all, its way quieter.

Of course a Atom is silent :)
 
You could find a different blower. or upgrade to a ATX case with hot-swappable bays.
 
Why even bother? The server is old and a power monger. You could replace it with a used Shuttle offering for next to nothing.
 
O2Flow said:
Why even bother? The server is old and a power monger. You could replace it with a used Shuttle offering for next to nothing.
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Wow, I just took a look at the specs. Yea, for $400 you could build a D525 atom based system with 4GB of RAM that would outpreform this current server and use 1/3rd the power draw.
 
C7J0yc3 said:
Wow, I just took a look at the specs. Yea, for $400 you could build a D525 atom based system with 4GB of RAM that would outpreform this current server and use 1/3rd the power draw.
Click to expand...

Thats the plan,!
 
The Atoms run Untangle quite fine, my D510 rig ran it well. The bootup times can take a bit....but a firewall/router isn't something you're rebooting on a regular basis..once up and running you leave it.

Someone over at Untangles forums did an informal test with the Atoms and current version of Untangle, with a pair of those onboard Intel NICs..and it did over a 100 megs of throughput.....if I recall it was in the 140 meg range. Granted that wasn't with a big load like a bunch of employees surfing and lots of e-mail traffic being scanned....but just to illustrate the basic throughput of the Atom..that was pretty good.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
The Atoms run Untangle quite fine, my D510 rig ran it well. The bootup times can take a bit....but a firewall/router isn't something you're rebooting on a regular basis..once up and running you leave it.

Someone over at Untangles forums did an informal test with the Atoms and current version of Untangle, with a pair of those onboard Intel NICs..and it did over a 100 megs of throughput.....if I recall it was in the 140 meg range. Granted that wasn't with a big load like a bunch of employees surfing and lots of e-mail traffic being scanned....but just to illustrate the basic throughput of the Atom..that was pretty good.
Click to expand...

good to know :) thanks :)
 
just so you guys know ^^ on topic, i got my box 75% quieter than what it was when i got it, and it's running cool under load, with 4 nic's.

Dash.
 
Finally got my Atom board in the Supermicro X7SPA-HF-D525 and put it in a CSE-503-200B it has the front loaded I/O ports, and played around with it, left it for a bit. Came back and checked the temp, and it was hovering around 78-79c degrees:eek: and thats not doing anything but sitting next to me. The default cutoff for this board is 85c...at least thats what is says in the IPMI. The psu fan wouldnt kick on. Upon further reading online, I guess the P/S that comes in these things and load controled to come on at 45w or more.....well I have an atom, so the load probably will never go above that, so I gatta see if i can mod this case to fit a 40mm fan.

Have anyone used this case with an atom?
If you have, how did you overcome the heating issue, because it doesn't look like this case was made for fans, but theres a nice good sized vent in the back, just not sure if the vent holes would line up with the fan mounting screw holes.
 
prestonrichmond said:
Finally got my Atom board in the Supermicro X7SPA-HF-D525 and put it in a CSE-503-200B it has the front loaded I/O ports, and played around with it, left it for a bit. Came back and checked the temp, and it was hovering around 78-79c degrees:eek: and thats not doing anything but sitting next to me. The default cutoff for this board is 85c...at least thats what is says in the IPMI. The psu fan wouldnt kick on. Upon further reading online, I guess the P/S that comes in these things and load controled to come on at 45w or more.....well I have an atom, so the load probably will never go above that, so I gatta see if i can mod this case to fit a 40mm fan.

Have anyone used this case with an atom?
If you have, how did you overcome the heating issue, because it doesn't look like this case was made for fans, but theres a nice good sized vent in the back, just not sure if the vent holes would line up with the fan mounting screw holes.
Click to expand...

I picked up a fan while i was in Vancouver it was 12@ for a 3 wire one, that plugs direclty into the motherboard, ITS VERY VERY quiet, and would work great.

I can look on it and find yuo part number etc etc, i'm sure a piece of double sided tape and infront of the mother board it would work well for you !!!
 
Pictures as prommised, Here is what i did.

Bringing the unit home it was GOD DAMILY LOUD AS HELL!

First thing that i did :

Removed cooler off cpu, cleaned with hot soapy water, removed old hardened cooler grease, then re applied new stuff and cleaned proc off and then re-installed cpu passive cooler.

Modded a 3 pin cpu fan plug from a broken system and converted the RED wire to the 5v off the hard drive / spare molex plug, the blower runs at 5V now and way quieter and machine still runs fine and cool, even installed some os's to it to verrify this.

Also updated the bios, and re-greased the chipset cooler and chip.


In the middle of all this, i bought a 1u active fan blower cooler, it said in the write up that it was quiet, what a crock of crap that was! The winner for cooling and making this 1u box work quietly was converting the blower fan from 12V ( stock ) to 5V and cleaning & re-grease cpu cooler/cpu

Pictures as promised of the stages i tried.

DSCN2873.JPG

DSCN2874.JPG
DSCN2876.JPG


DSCN2877.JPG


Back to original : ( with 5v mod )
DSCN2878.JPG
 
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