[mdlug] linux hardware

[Garry Stahl]

Aaron Kulkis wrote:
> Dan DeSloover wrote:
>   
>> Wow Aaron, spot on.
>>
>>     
>
> I should hope so after all the time (all-nighters programming
> and doing nasty nasty nasty calculus problems) and paying out
> of state tuition to attend Purdue's College of Engineering to
> study Computer Systems Engineering.
>
>   
>> A few of mentions:
>>
>> A lower end AMD Phenom Processor (64x4) should be more than sufficient: $100.
>>
>> A good stable motherboard might run you: $75
>>
>> Starter kit of RAM, 4GB (I'd recommend ECC, but both the RAM and the M/B
>> are way out of your price range.) $100. Make sure not to fill all of the
>> slots and you can upgrade later.
>>
>> Good M/B (integrated video): $75.
>>
>> Good Power Supply: $75
>>
>> Adequate case: $50
>>
>> Two 1T hard drives run in a software RAID 1 mirror: $200
>>
>> brings the total to $575.
>>
>>     
>
> Buy a couple extra fans and blade guards,
> mount them all blowing inwards,
>
> If need be, use a Dremel tool, cut holes in
> appropriate places.
>
> Fans are EXTREMELY cost-efficient insurance.
>
> Will it look great? Probably not.
> Will it last longer/be more stable? Definitely.
>
>   
>> It is possibl,e but don't mistake any of this hardware for server class
>> hardware. In particular I'd recommend that the first upgrade is a backup
>> solution with off-site storage capability. This will save your cheese more
>> often than most admins often realize because of the ubiquity of it in
>> common business server systems.
>>     
>
> This is what I ask whenever someone balks at the cost of
> a reliable back-up solution:
>
> One day, when I was in high school, I glanced out the
> window during 2nd year algegra, just in time to see
> lighting make a direct hit on the transformer near the
> top of a utility pole -- and the shopping center across
> the street IMMEDIATELY went dark.
>
> Now, suppose, lighting struck the power line outside
> and absolutely destroyed every surge suppressor in the
> computer room microseconds before destroying your
> computers... Insurance would pay for all of your
> equipment losses.  But how much would it cost you to
> re-create the data you just lost on your hard drives?
>
> Would you even be able to recover, or would you
> have no choice but to go out of business?
>
> No, no... don't answer me now..  Spend a couple
> nights in bed thinking about it.
>   


I am a firm believer in the uninterruptable power supply.  For a server
get a BIG one.  Wattage matters, but I am thinking staying power.  That
and the UPS is another layer of protection for your computer from nasty
things that happen.

However the unplugged backup is gold.   I keep a 1.5 terabyte drive in
an external case for just such reasons.  Plug it in, run backup, unplug
it. 

I need to buy a whole house surge protector. 

Computers are on new wiring, not the scary stuff in the rest of the
house.  All have UPS protection.  They have internal backup and the
external backup.  With the price of hard drives and external enclosures,
anyone that doesn't is taking chances.

I loved the guy at Microcenter that was buying some 750 bucks of
computer hardware and planned on getting a 35 buck power supply.  The
Salesman and I talked him out of it.  If you fry a PS in the computer
there is nothing between that fry and your gear, nothing.  I don't think
I have ever seen an internal surge protector.  I have a Caviler 750w PS
for a computer that doesn't have a high end graphics card and only three
drives total, optical and two HDs.  Too much PS?  Might be, but that
puppy will run cool.

Oh and I highly recommend Antec cases.  You might pay a bit, but the
case is worth the money.  Ease of use, fan mounting points, general
quality and bays.


-- 
Garry  AKA  --Phoenix--  Rising above the Flames.

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? -Mohandas K. Gandhi  
Star Trek mort. Viva la Star Trek admiraetur
The Olde Phoenix Inn http://phoenixinn.iwarp.com
Metro Detroit Linux Users Group http://www.mdlug.org