• A Great friend to the HardForum with a great kid that he is trying to get a scholorship to continue his schooling. Please give hime a vote! Only 24 hours left! Thanks.
    If you have an VOTE FOR KEENAN!

Project: Galaxy 5.0

Well, since your server is rather tightly packed, maybe you can put all the RAID cards in the top slots and somehow mount the drives above the lower slots. Can't think of anywhere else to put them. :(
 
WOW, and I thought I was having fun with the 4Gb i just got in today...I feel like a SAP now. I'll go crawl in the corner and devise a plan to be like Ockie some day.
 
Ockie said:
I checked other sites, it appears as if they sell a "kit" version too now that comes with the cables. Oh well, I am not going to worry much about it, I wont be able to use them with the sas mini enclosure anyways, but it would have been nice to at least test run this weekend.

Right now my biggest challenge is finding this mini sas unit and then also finding room for it within the case too. I think it's going to be tricky, I perhaps need to come up with another idea.
Click to expand...

Looks like you got the SKU without cables. Unfortunately many etailers have product descriptions that are too vague and so its hard to tell, and if you go shop for lowest price, you might land at a vendor that isn't aware of or doesn't explain on the product description there's different SKU's. As well, Adaptec is (in)famous for offering different SKU's for both with and without cables. Reason being they sell many units to integrators/OEM's that often do their own thing as far as cabling (i.e. customized cable lengths to go with their proprietary case) I always make sure to get the SKU that contains the cables, as the higher price is still cheaper than card-only SKU + separate cables.

glad to see everything's coming together. Those fans are screamers, eh.

I really like that 3xx05 series of Adaptec SAS controller. I have 2 x 16 port version. Cool LED's (too bad you can't see them with case closed) and the "Adaptec Storage manager" GUI is the most professional/polished GUI for managing drives/arrays that I've seen. Definitely a far cry from Areca's web-based management GUI that looks like it was coded in Frontpage, circa 1998. If Adaptec offered a 24-port flavor of their 3xx05 series, I would NOT have looked at the Areca for a second. I talked to their tech support yesterday (Tekram); they don't know english too well so I gave up.
 
odditory said:
I really like that 3xx05 series of Adaptec SAS controller. I have 2 x 16 port version. Cool LED's (too bad you can't see them with case closed) and the "Adaptec Storage manager" GUI is the most professional/polished GUI for managing drives/arrays that I've seen. Definitely a far cry from Areca's web-based management GUI that looks like it was coded in Frontpage, circa 1998. If Adaptec offered a 24-port flavor of their 3xx05 series, I would NOT have looked at the Areca for a second. I talked to their tech support yesterday (Tekram); they don't know english too well so I gave up.
Click to expand...

While adaptec's gui is pretty good the software does have its issues. I had major issues with getting some of their cards to work in vista. Cards had full support for it and did nothing but screw up. When they were not screwing up the software was blue screening the systems. Ended up going with some highpoint controllers and haven't looked back. The software needs some work for vista unless they have fixed it which makes me wonder about it in windows 2008 when it comes out.

I've also had some issues with adapter cards dropping into verify mode if you look at them wrong. Some of them do it some of them do not. Overall though I've used them for years without any major issues for the most part.
 
I booted the system tonight without the system drives, everything seems to be quite happy. One thing that I did note was that in the BIOS, there is a fan management application that allows you to automatically control the fans, the result is a significant reduction of noise. They also have a "workstation" option, I'm assuming thats even more controlled, but since this is a server, it will stay on server :)

I'm still looking for that darn SAS drive unit. I have found the cable, but it's going to depend on if I can find the SAS unit. I am also looking for the extended micro usb cable and the internal HDD bracket too so I can mount a 25th storage drive and use it as a dedicated backup drive.
 
http://www.directron.com/bpu350sata.html

You had those in your last build right?

I have a 3-in-2 in my A05 right now, but I'm getting a V1000 and was going to move the 3in2 and add a 5in3... 14 drives total (if I ever buy them :( )

I'm just curious where you bought yours?

I've seen 3 different brand names for the same thing... Athena on Newegg, I-Star and AMS on Directron, all the prices are different but they look exactly the same...

http://www.directron.com/ds3151ssbk.html - ams
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817995001 athena power
 
Blazestorm said:
http://www.directron.com/bpu350sata.html

You had those in your last build right?

I have a 3-in-2 in my A05 right now, but I'm getting a V1000 and was going to move the 3in2 and add a 5in3... 14 drives total (if I ever buy them :( )

I'm just curious where you bought yours?

I've seen 3 different brand names for the same thing... Athena on Newegg, I-Star and AMS on Directron, all the prices are different but they look exactly the same...

http://www.directron.com/ds3151ssbk.html - ams
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817995001 athena power
Click to expand...


They are all exactly the same. I got mine from newegg. Newegg carries all 3 of them (I think up to 5 companies uses their label on them). These units are oem'ed out to various companies and some are now making small cosmetic changes.

Just find the cheapest place to get them and you should be all set :)
 
They're $93 at directron, which is the cheapest, I'm just hoping they have 5 cables in there...

my 3in2 was $65 from newegg w/ 3 cables so I was pretty happy

Thanks :D EDIT: Got any 8port Raid cards to recommend...
 
Hi guys just going to ask a quick question here because I know some one in this thread will know the answer! A friend wants to sell me a Highpoint Rocketraid 2220 card for a pretty good price, are they any good?they hold up to 8 drives as well right?
 
swatbat said:
While adaptec's gui is pretty good the software does have its issues. I had major issues with getting some of their cards to work in vista. Cards had full support for it and did nothing but screw up. When they were not screwing up the software was blue screening the systems. Ended up going with some highpoint controllers and haven't looked back. The software needs some work for vista unless they have fixed it which makes me wonder about it in windows 2008 when it comes out.

I've also had some issues with adapter cards dropping into verify mode if you look at them wrong. Some of them do it some of them do not. Overall though I've used them for years without any major issues for the most part.
Click to expand...

I can verify that Svr 2008 does work with one of the Adaptec cards. So I'm so they are looking ok there.
 
Bar said:
Hi guys just going to ask a quick question here because I know some one in this thread will know the answer! A friend wants to sell me a Highpoint Rocketraid 2220 card for a pretty good price, are they any good?they hold up to 8 drives as well right?
Click to expand...

Way to not post in the correct forum. :rolleyes: Perhaps you should also check Highpoint's site.
 
This is looking awesome, nice memory :cool:

The CPU heatsinks look tiny, how hot do they get? Surely you don't want that foam sitting on them if they get too hot?

My only criticism would be the untidy power cabling :p
 
Concentric said:
This is looking awesome, nice memory :cool:

The CPU heatsinks look tiny, how hot do they get? Surely you don't want that foam sitting on them if they get too hot?

My only criticism would be the untidy power cabling :p
Click to expand...

The sinks are small as they can fit in tight applications. These processors do not get hot as their predecessors so it's all good. In fact, I've heard some rumors of folks running the slower version of this without fan cooling.



The foam was designed for this application, it can take it :)


Oh the power cables are messy because it's not done yet. I am waiting on a SAS solution so I can finish my wires :)
 
[LYL]Homer;1031983550 said:
I came up with $14,687 plus shipping and any misc parts. :eek:

Just keepin it real. :(
Click to expand...

Don't let Ockie's wife see that. :p
 
[LYL]Homer;1031983550 said:
I came up with $14,687 plus shipping and any misc parts. :eek:

Just keepin it real. :(
Click to expand...

You can pay for my gruck 5 or 6 times over with that thing... I need an upgrade.
 
Mrs. Ockie probably worked out a deal that whatever Mr. Ockie spends on his Galaxy toy, she gets jewelry that's twice as expensive. So if he spent $15k on Galaxy, then she's got a $30k diamond ring on her ring finger. :cool:
 
beowulf7 said:
Mrs. Ockie probably worked out a deal that whatever Mr. Ockie spends on his Galaxy toy, she gets jewelry that's twice as expensive. So if he spent $15k on Galaxy, then she's got a $30k diamond ring on her ring finger. :cool:
Click to expand...

Yet another demonstration of the fact that men gain nothing by getting married. Let that be a lesson to all of ye.
 
[LYL]Homer;1031983550 said:
I came up with $14,687 plus shipping and any misc parts. :eek:

Just keepin it real. :(
Click to expand...

Hmm, I suppose that I did blow my budget by far. I actually only wanted to spend a couple hundred to add to the project, but blame odditory :D

beowulf7 said:
Mrs. Ockie probably worked out a deal that whatever Mr. Ockie spends on his Galaxy toy, she gets jewelry that's twice as expensive. So if he spent $15k on Galaxy, then she's got a $30k diamond ring on her ring finger. :cool:
Click to expand...

Oh fu$k that. She drives me up the wall in her shopping habits. At least my investment can be appreciated by many and for a long time, rather than her investments that ends up at the salvation army in a couple of months because it's "out of fashion" or "doesn't fit". lol

odditory said:
Yet another demonstration of the fact that men gain nothing by getting married. Let that be a lesson to all of ye.
Click to expand...

Word. I mean *no comment* lol


odditory, I really need your help, this project is at a complete stall, I need those last remaining parts and I can't find a single place that carries them in stock :mad: :confused: :(



Update, this project is currently at a stall until I can find these last, critical, remaining parts:


Supermicro MCP-220-84601-0N HDD-add on module for internal mounting
Supermicro CBL-0177L Cable Extension for IPMI
Supermicro CSE-M14TB 4-in-1 Mini SAS Hot-Swap Unit *MOST CRITICAL*


I need that mini sas hot swap thing to be able to boot my system with the system drives, the other parts I can live without for now, but I am kinda getting a little tired of waiting. Someone please help me find these things, I scoured everywhere for this.
 
Ockie said:
Hmm, I suppose that I did blow my budget by far. I actually only wanted to spend a couple hundred to add to the project, but blame odditory :D



Oh fu$k that. She drives me up the wall in her shopping habits. At least my investment can be appreciated by many and for a long time, rather than her investments that ends up at the salvation army in a couple of months because it's "out of fashion" or "doesn't fit". lol



Word. I mean *no comment* lol


odditory, I really need your help, this project is at a complete stall, I need those last remaining parts and I can't find a single place that carries them in stock :mad: :confused: :(



Update, this project is currently at a stall until I can find these last, critical, remaining parts:


Supermicro MCP-220-84601-0N HDD-add on module for internal mounting
Supermicro CBL-0177L Cable Extension for IPMI
Supermicro CSE-M14TB 4-in-1 Mini SAS Hot-Swap Unit *MOST CRITICAL*


I need that mini sas hot swap thing to be able to boot my system with the system drives, the other parts I can live without for now, but I am kinda getting a little tired of waiting. Someone please help me find these things, I scoured everywhere for this.
Click to expand...

It seems like that hot swap bay is out of stock or backordered everywhere.

edit: here are a few places. don't know about how reliable they are but it says instock.
http://www.wiredzone.com/xq/asp/ic.10017794/qx/itemdesc.htm
http://www.softwareforless.com/findspecs.asp?partid=43623H


A few places I have looked say it has been discontinued. I hope this isn't the case for you.
 
I can vouch for wiredzone - they've done well by me in the past. I don't know about the other place, though.

Edit: They also have the IPMI cable. Doesn't look like they have the add on module, though - this looks to be as close as they get.
 
SC385 said:
It seems like that hot swap bay is out of stock or backordered everywhere.

edit: here are a few places. don't know about how reliable they are but it says instock.
http://www.wiredzone.com/xq/asp/ic.10017794/qx/itemdesc.htm
http://www.softwareforless.com/findspecs.asp?partid=43623H


A few places I have looked say it has been discontinued. I hope this isn't the case for you.
Click to expand...

You SIR are my HERO.


I called them (wiredzone), they had both the hot swap unit (two in stock) in stock and the IPMI cable. Not only did they have the NEW version in stock (older one was the discontinued one), but they ALSO had it for a bargain price.

I got both ordered and overnighted, should be here tomorrow.
 
Quick question - I'm looking at buying one of these, but I think I may have lost the Xeon heatsink mounts that came with my case (supermicro cse-743t). Do the heatsinks mount to the motherboard or the case with this board? It looks like the retention bracket on the back has mounts for the heatsink from the pictures I've seen, but I can't really tell and I'd like to know before I drop $1000 on parts for it :p If it does mount to the case and not the motherboard, do you know if I can get replacement standoffs anywhere?
 
rogue_jedi said:
Quick question - I'm looking at buying one of these, but I think I may have lost the Xeon heatsink mounts that came with my case (supermicro cse-743t). Do the heatsinks mount to the motherboard or the case with this board? It looks like the retention bracket on the back has mounts for the heatsink from the pictures I've seen, but I can't really tell and I'd like to know before I drop $1000 on parts for it :p If it does mount to the case and not the motherboard, do you know if I can get replacement standoffs anywhere?
Click to expand...

It mounts to the case. I am assuming you don't have the 8 post mounting on your chassis and that you have a 8 post plate instead? If you lost the plate, you can always order another one. Just give supermicro a call.
 
A question I have not asked before, but it is relative, since you have an enormous amount of ram.. That is, what OS are you going to use with Galaxy 5?? I know you were using 2k3, I assume Standard before, are you going x64??

Also, are you going to burn in this machine, Memtest, or Prime95/Orthos at all!!???

Another question, how are you going to move data to and from the server, just (4) 1Gbps NICs, or will you be teaming them??
 
gjvrieze said:
A question I have not asked before, but it is relative, since you have an enormous amount of ram.. That is, what OS are you going to use with Galaxy 5?? I know you were using 2k3, I assume Standard before, are you going x64??

Also, are you going to burn in this machine, Memtest, or Prime95/Orthos at all!!???

Another question, how are you going to move data to and from the server, just (4) 1Gbps NICs, or will you be teaming them??
Click to expand...

Ahhh FFS, that thought slipped my mind. Damnit. I have to see if I have an enterprise license or a x64 copy. Crap, if I have to buy one, this could be a setback :( Good question, lol.

I was intitially planning on going with 6 1Gb teamed nics, but I recently saw that 10GbE nics are getting down in price, so I may just do the two onboards teamed for now and then jump on 10GbE when I find the switch I've been looking for.
 
Ockie said:
Ahhh FFS, that thought slipped my mind. Damnit. I have to see if I have an enterprise license or a x64 copy. Crap, if I have to buy one, this could be a setback :( Good question, lol.

I was intitially planning on going with 6 1Gb teamed nics, but I recently saw that 10GbE nics are getting down in price, so I may just do the two onboards teamed for now and then jump on 10GbE when I find the switch I've been looking for.
Click to expand...

Sorry to burst your "bubble" but I just upgraded to 8GBs in Plutonium 3 and even with PAE enabled, Windows only shows 4GBs of ram (whether apps can actually address the other 4GBs behind the scenes, I have not tested), the last thing you want, is to have 32GBs of ram, but only be using 4GBs of it!!!!!

Another thought, you should drop VMWare ESX on that machine, would make any OS moves much easier!!!!

My new board supports teaming, so i thinking that is a cheap way to go for now too.... Also, since you are not doing any raid on the data drives, you are much less likely to actually utilize 10GbE, not to say that if all 24 1TB drives got "hit" at once that it would not be noticeable.....
 
gjvrieze said:
Sorry to burst your "bubble" but I just upgraded to 8GBs in Plutonium 3 and even with PAE enabled, Windows only shows 4GBs of ram (whether apps can actually address the other 4GBs behind the scenes, I have not tested), the last thing you want, is to have 32GBs of ram, but only be using 4GBs of it!!!!!
Click to expand...

Thats what x64 is for mate ;)
 
gjvrieze said:
Sorry to burst your "bubble" but I just upgraded to 8GBs in Plutonium 3 and even with PAE enabled, Windows only shows 4GBs of ram (whether apps can actually address the other 4GBs behind the scenes, I have not tested), the last thing you want, is to have 32GBs of ram, but only be using 4GBs of it!!!!!

Another thought, you should drop VMWare ESX on that machine, would make any OS moves much easier!!!!

My new board supports teaming, so i thinking that is a cheap way to go for now too.... Also, since you are not doing any raid on the data drives, you are much less likely to actually utilize 10GbE, not to say that if all 24 1TB drives got "hit" at once that it would not be noticeable.....
Click to expand...

Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition R2 x64 - end of story. That's what this combination of hardware in Ockie's system cries out for.

Don't even think about Windows 2008 Server - even people with legit access to the beta/RC's, its better to stay from it mainly due to potential issues with the Areca 1280ML and secondarily the Adaptec card. I don't trust Areca drivers on Win 2008 server for at least 6-12 months after Win2008 server release.
 
Ockie said:
Hmm, I suppose that I did blow my budget by far. I actually only wanted to spend a couple hundred to add to the project, but blame odditory :D
Click to expand...

<evil grin>

Ockie said:
odditory, I really need your help, this project is at a complete stall, I need those last remaining parts and I can't find a single place that carries them in stock :mad: :confused: :( Update, this project is currently at a stall until I can find these last, critical, remaining parts:
Click to expand...

Sorry, been AFK - but it looks like you found your parts from wiredzone so congrats.
 
odditory said:
Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition x64 - end of story. That's what this combination of hardware in Ockie's system cries out for.

Don't even think about Windows 2008 Server - even people with legit access to the beta/RC's, its better to stay from it mainly due to potential issues with the Areca 1280ML and secondarily the Adaptec card. I don't trust Areca drivers on Win 2008 server for at least 6-12 months after Win2008 server release.
Click to expand...

Why enterprise over std? It is not like he will be clustering this or needing the 25 cals.
 
swatbat said:
Why enterprise over std? It is not like he will be clustering this or needing the 25 cals.
Click to expand...

There are more diffs between Std and Ent than just clustering, such as limitations in max SMP instances and addressable memory. Truth be told, however, the more important factor is running x64 rather than 32-bit. If he ends up running 32-bit Standard he'd be maxed at 4gb ram, and he *has* 32gb, and this motherboard supports up to 128gb. I imagine he could therefore get away with x64 R2 Standard, but I'd go for the gold: x64 R2 Enterprise.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsserver/evaluate/features/compare.mspx
 
odditory said:
There are more diffs between Std and Ent than just clustering, such as limitations in max SMP instances and addressable memory. Truth be told, however, the more important factor is running x64 rather than 32-bit. If he ends up running 32-bit Standard he'd be maxed at 4gb ram, and he *has* 32gb, and this motherboard supports up to 128gb. I imagine he could therefore get away with x64 R2 Standard, but I'd go for the gold: x64 R2 Enterprise.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsserver/evaluate/features/compare.mspx
Click to expand...

I'm going for whatever x64 variant that I can find :) Enterprise would be nice, but the features it has wouldn't really benefit me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top