[mdlug] Time to build a new server

[Robert Adkins II]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mdlug-bounces at mdlug.org 
> [mailto:mdlug-bounces at mdlug.org] On Behalf Of thomas at redhat.com
> Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 4:55 PM
> To: mdlug at mdlug.org
> Subject: Re: [mdlug] Time to build a new server
> 
> A coworker and I had a long talk just yesterday about this.
> 
> He had the opportunity to go with a very expensive ($3500) 
> low-end PowerEdge server that had ~ 8GB memory and an i7 
> processor with 1TB SAS storage.
> 
> Instead, he went with a beefed-up Optiplex workstation with 
> the same CPU, double the RAM and 4X 1TB SATA drives for about 
> $1500. Same processing horsepower, more memory and more 
> storage. He set up RAID 0+1 or 1+0 (I don't remember which 
> right now) and got a screaming fast box with fault tolerance 
> for a pittance. He was able to buy a spare PSU at the same 
> time. The rest of the stuff prone to fail - CPU and memory - 
> is COTS stuff he can get locally in a pinch.
> 
> The Optiplexes are pretty good boxes, and make excellent 
> small business servers.
> 
> I've also built three white box hypervisors for my home 
> office with 6-core AMD processors, 16GB memory and 500GB 
> drives for ~ $510 each.
> Upgrade to a 2TB drive in each and you could literally mirror 
> your servers instead of your drives. If any component on 
> production failed, just failover to the standby and repair 
> the production machine at your leisure.
> 
> Of course, with unlimited budget, I'd always go with a "real" server.
> It's a risk/reward exercise.
> - --
> Thomas Cameron, RHCA, RHCSS, RHCDS, RHCVA, RHCX, CNE, MCSE, 
> MCT Managing Solutions Architect
> 512-241-0774 office / 512-585-5631 cell
> http://people.redhat.com/tcameron/
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> 

  I can't imagine why I would need that much power and memory on the server
at this time. We do not experience any issues with fileserver performance
and there are, at times, some pretty decently sized CAD files, accounting
and other application files being hit simultaneously by upwards of 5 to 7
users.

  The last time that I order replacement servers, I ended up spending less
than $1500 on all of the hardware for one server.

  Cheap is... The implied word around here. My primary interest is knowing
whether or not anyone on the list is familiar with particular motherboards
and apparently also particular SATA Hard Drives that play nice with ESATA
Hot Swapping.

	Thanks again,
	Rob