1U server cases; what size motherboard?

ErNciLator · 25 Aug 2006 at 16:39

What type/size of motherboard do they take?

Do they fit standard ATX?

What special things to do they need?

I need a server mountable system for october, im thinking of buying an old 1U case and gutting it; is possible?

Yewen · 25 Aug 2006 at 16:56

Do you specifically need a rackmount system?

Biohazard · 25 Aug 2006 at 17:02

I would like to know this as well, mini-ITX on 478 are gold dust... (well to me anyway)...

Wyvern971 · 25 Aug 2006 at 17:03

ErNciLator said:
What type/size of motherboard do they take?

Do they fit standard ATX?

What special things to do they need?

I need a server mountable system for october, im thinking of buying an old 1U case and gutting it; is possible?

Yewen said:
Do you specifically need a rackmount system?

As Yewen says do you need a rackmount system?

If you do does it have to be 1U?

If it does it's going to be;
Noisy
Hot
or a mix of both

I'd advise against it, most 1U systems have been designed with heat dissapation in mind, and anything you build will most likely overheat and be unstable or be incredibly noisy (purpose built ones are noisy as they tend to be in server rooms where the noise isn't a massive issue)

EDIT:
And before I forget they also tend to be in temperature controlled rooms as well, so in a normal room they will be even worse for noise / heat

ErNciLator · 25 Aug 2006 at 17:39

Yes, I need it to colocate; cant keep running servers out of my room; so noise isnt a problem.

The main thing is price; so is it possible and if so what part specs are required?

Yewen · 25 Aug 2006 at 17:45

It would be much easier just to buy a 1U server second hand than spec your own one up.

The reliability, cooling and hot swap features you will probably need would cost a small fortune when you could get a relatively speedy system for a few £100 second hand.

What would you be using the server for?

ErNciLator · 25 Aug 2006 at 19:35

I wouldnt mind buying one second hand, but would prob need to change hardware inside.

It needs a good CPU and good RAMl hd's not a biggy. Gunna be for some intense mysql and apaches'.

Rich · 25 Aug 2006 at 20:34

Have a look at Second Hand Dell 1U boxes on the auction site, tis your best bet.
Something like a dell 1850 maybe.

WJA96 · 26 Aug 2006 at 15:20

Yeah - FFS don't try and build something 1u and fast yourself - they are built like laptops inside - heatpipes and thermal compound everywhere. I took one apart thinking "this will be just like a normal PC" and I ended up buying an identical new one to save my credibility with the customer concerned. :rolleyes:

There are plenty of Dell 1U units available - new, refurbished or 2nd hand - that will easily cope with Linux/Apache. You want more processors rather than more powerful processors if you are looking to handle multiple connections/threads/streams. Just get something with 2 or 4 slower Xeons in it and you'll be laughing.

Also - remember to pick a good version of Linux as your base OS - Red Hat costs money for a reason!