recommend a simple server

G

goodcooper

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Nov 4, 2005
Messages
9,771
is it just me, or is it getting really difficult to find a decent simple server?

all i want is a single socket system w/ 4 DIMM slots or so...

and space for 8 drives, and a decent dedicated sata controller...

seems for these type configs i need to spec out a higher end, multiple socket systems just to get these things...

sooooo wish i could build myself, but don't want the headache involved with supporting it just incase....

suggestions?

EDIT: the plan is to spec it w/ 2x 150GB or so 10k/15k sas drives in RAID1 for OS and add my own 4 2TB SATA drives for RAID5, because they charge you a rediculous amount for 2TB drives at these places...
 
Last edited:
You need for 8 drives tends to bump up to a more mid-range class. Like a PowerEdge T610. If you can go with fewer drives, you can dip down into the lower to low-mid range class like a T410 which Dell is having a pretty killer sale on right now.
 
Vito_Corleone said:
dell t110
Click to expand...
i'd love to, but how do you suppose i get 8 drives in it? thinking about doing some sort of external setup and just going with this one...
k1pp3r said:
HP DL110 or DL150
Click to expand...
as this is going near some offices, i'd rather it be a tower form factor, just needs to be quieter than i'm sure those are....
YeOldeStonecat said:
You need for 8 drives tends to bump up to a more mid-range class. Like a PowerEdge T610. If you can go with fewer drives, you can dip down into the lower to low-mid range class like a T410 which Dell is having a pretty killer sale on right now.
Click to expand...
thinking about it.... as i only really NEED space for 6 drives w/ that setup.... just leaves me w/0 expansion possibilities...

plus i'm having a hard time figuring out DELLs controller setups as of late... really confusing... they say the PERC 6i is integrated... the 6e isn't?
 
Take a look at the ML150 G6 from HP. I know a bland box can fit 4 drives, but it has room for another drive cage right underneath the first one. I think you can get an add-on for an additional drive cage for another 4 drives. I have seen the ML150 G6 with 8 hotswap SAS drives, but I don't remember seeing one with non hot-swappable drives (not to say that option doesn't exist.)
 
they call the perc6/i integrated, but it comes in a module form and slides into a pcie slot that is not accessible from the outside of the case, the perc6/e is the same controller on basically the same board but with external sas connectors and a pci backplate to be inserted into one of the normal expansion slots. You can also put a backplate on the 6/i. I have a perc5/i in my home built server with just a backplate and bigger heatsink.
 
klesik said:
I have seen the ML150 G6 with 8 hotswap SAS drives, but I don't remember seeing one with non hot-swappable drives (not to say that option doesn't exist.)
Click to expand...

As in, hot swappable from the front? I'd be interested in this if so
 
Is this for business? Or just for home?
To be honest....and we install a lot of servers for clients....I run far far far away from the "100" series servers...which are basically just glorified desktops trying to dress up as a server.
1 year warranty....'nuf said!

If it's for home, fine, if it's for a business, I strongly urge you to step up a few notches...I will not go below HP Proliant 350 line or Dell PE 610 line for any clients. The few times that I have in the past, for uber-cheap clients...I've always regretted it..and so have my clients. Slow turds, and..well..the 1 year warranty can turn and bite ya.
 
T110 is actually a nice server but no way of fitting more than 2 drives isn it.
T410 and T610 are great. Perc controller is a dedicated card with BBU. Only get SAS 6ir or Perc 6, the other ones are I believe all software based.

8 drives bump you up in the mid range, so not going to do it cheap, also to do mix sas/sata makes you get into T610 model only in Dell lines. If you want to build yourself I think alot of people say Supermicro boards are nice.

I dont normally disagree with YeOlde, but sometimes the cheaper T series work just fine. I am talking about a 5 node network, workgroup that just need a cheap file server, even a cheap little AD setup just for files and QB works fine. NO SBS Server type stuff. But I have used the T110 for a few small offices where the previous tech used a desktop computer with no raid, and once it failed from no battery backup unit, I replace with the T110, SAS and Cyberpower works great and cheap.

All my SBS clients are in T310 or up, try to get the larger ones in T610 for the 2 SAS in Raid 1, 4 SAS Drives in Raid 5, and 1 Global SAS hotspare.

A custom will probably be what you want. Let us know what you find =)
 
If it were me I would get the HP ML150 G6. We just built one for a very small client and I have to say it is a great box. We configured it to be a single socket machine (but they have the second one for the future) we got both drive cages for 8 hot swappable SATA or SAS drives (we used 8 SATAs) then the HP P410i RAID controller with the 512MB cache and battery backup. All in all a very nice box, and just barely louder then a desktop even with the redundant PSUs and fans in it. I usually prefer Dells but it is hard to beat the ML150
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Is this for business? Or just for home?
To be honest....and we install a lot of servers for clients....I run far far far away from the "100" series servers...which are basically just glorified desktops trying to dress up as a server.
1 year warranty....'nuf said!

If it's for home, fine, if it's for a business, I strongly urge you to step up a few notches...I will not go below HP Proliant 350 line or Dell PE 610 line for any clients. The few times that I have in the past, for uber-cheap clients...I've always regretted it..and so have my clients. Slow turds, and..well..the 1 year warranty can turn and bite ya.
Click to expand...

yea, i was definitely going to get the 3 year warranty... i mean that's the whole point of getting one of these instead of getting a supermicro and throwing it in a norco...
this is for business... at home i just have a nice rackmount server (that i could easily put 10 drives in :rolleyes:) w/ 5x 1.5TB in RAID5 w/ an ebay perc5i and a desktop board and opteron 1212... works great

marley1 said:
T110 is actually a nice server but no way of fitting more than 2 drives isn it.
T410 and T610 are great. Perc controller is a dedicated card with BBU. Only get SAS 6ir or Perc 6, the other ones are I believe all software based.

8 drives bump you up in the mid range, so not going to do it cheap, also to do mix sas/sata makes you get into T610 model only in Dell lines. If you want to build yourself I think alot of people say Supermicro boards are nice.

I dont normally disagree with YeOlde, but sometimes the cheaper T series work just fine. I am talking about a 5 node network, workgroup that just need a cheap file server, even a cheap little AD setup just for files and QB works fine. NO SBS Server type stuff. But I have used the T110 for a few small offices where the previous tech used a desktop computer with no raid, and once it failed from no battery backup unit, I replace with the T110, SAS and Cyberpower works great and cheap.

All my SBS clients are in T310 or up, try to get the larger ones in T610 for the 2 SAS in Raid 1, 4 SAS Drives in Raid 5, and 1 Global SAS hotspare.

A custom will probably be what you want. Let us know what you find =)
Click to expand...

excellent info here, thank you! this will mainly be a file server, but will probably virtualize a simple AD/DNS/DHCP machine in it too just to handle some network dutys... will be a very lightly used virtual machine... will be teaming it up w/ an untangle machine

cost isn't terribly an issue, i've been given a budget of 4k for the whole project... but i'll need about 25 CALs from my estimation... i'm really trying to go through techsoup for the software, because i could probably save a grand or so as we are a nonprofit.... what's irritating is that DELL/HP will work with you for getting office suites @ nonprofit prices, but OSes they just say "sorry"

C7J0yc3 said:
If it were me I would get the HP ML150 G6. We just built one for a very small client and I have to say it is a great box. We configured it to be a single socket machine (but they have the second one for the future) we got both drive cages for 8 hot swappable SATA or SAS drives (we used 8 SATAs) then the HP P410i RAID controller with the 512MB cache and battery backup. All in all a very nice box, and just barely louder then a desktop even with the redundant PSUs and fans in it. I usually prefer Dells but it is hard to beat the ML150
Click to expand...

HP P410i.... excellent.... this is probably what i'll get, although it seems thier online configuration tool HP has is extremely retarded... i've called my HP rep (never used him before, we're mostly a DELL shop) and of course, when you need them they are nowhere to be found (BOTH dell and hp)
 
The online configuration for the P410i is not that terrible. It is certainly not the best, and can get a bit frustrating but there are definitely worse controllers to work with.
 
C7J0yc3 said:
Oh, HA! Yes, Dell has a much better ordering system. We buy all our HP stuff through CDW so I haven't noticed.
Click to expand...

Heck yeah....that's one of the reasons I don't bother quoting/selling HPs anymore....Dell makes it so easy to get quotes for clients..and order...I can whip up a server config in under 5 minutes. HPs site..ugh...pain in the butt. And ordering through CDW? Yikes..they're usually more expensive than HP sells online for, we get our HP stuff through Ingram Micro.
 
that's wrong, dell will give non profit os price but not close to techsoup prices, again get in touch with me
 
marley1 said:
that's wrong, dell will give non profit os price but not close to techsoup prices, again get in touch with me
Click to expand...

the problem is that i can only order from techsoup every so often, and the purchasing dept still hasn't gotten the idea that i need full control over techsoup purchases, because i just bought a 2008 and 50 win7 ent lics a few months ago...

hopefully they'll let me purchase again...

can always use technet lic #s until the legit ones come in, i don't think that's a particularly serious breach of licensing... will also try "Cardinals" suggestion
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top