Custom Build for Small Business

Seany

Seany

Seany

Associate
Joined
22 Aug 2006
Posts
29
Hi all,

I have been just asked to build a rig for a small business.

They have payroll and accounting software on their machine and want a nice solid rig.

I was thinking of 3 hard-disks. Disk 1 and 2 (SSD's) would be RAID1 (mirroring) and the third HDD would be for an actual backup, be it Windows Backup or some other 3rd pary software e.g. Acronis..

They told me that they have no budget and are willing to spend a few grand.

Spec so far:

I'm interested to see what you lads think about the backup solution and the drives I have selected.


As always, thanks in advance
 
This or Quad-SLI GTX580 SR-2 watercooled build. :p

Christ, that seems a bit over kill for some basic software. If its mission critical I'd get a dedicated RAID card in there with some enterprise level drives and RAID 10 it.
 
Some bloody rig that.. :eek:


They upgrade ~10 years so this should keep them happy. I said I could spec them a rig for ~£500 but they said they are happy to blow a bit of cash on this. If that's what they want then no complaints from me :D

Vinnie, could you recommend a good RAID controller for me from the OC web shop?
 
Back up solution suggested is no backup. I'm not going to claim to be an expert but it doesn't protect against fire or theft. If the data has any importance at all to the business it should be backed up to separate media and stored securely off site (or fire proof safe on site I guess - but like I say I'm no expert).
There should be a proper backup strategy in place as to when and how backups are taken, and the backup should be tested periodically - nothing worse than finding out all those backups you took can't be used because they are corrupt or unreadable for any reason

Impster
 
If the VelociRaptor is for backup then it's pointless.

a) Pretty much any modern 7,200RPM drive will be just as quick.

b) If it's for backup then it shouldn't be in the PC. If the PC was stolen or destroyed in a fire you've lost the backup as well. You need an external drive which can be stored away from the PC, preferably in a completely different location. Get a USB 3.0 external drive for the quickest way to backup your data. As this seems like important data this is the way to go.
 
Last edited:
Seany said:
Some bloody rig that.. :eek:


They upgrade ~10 years so this should keep them happy. I said I could spec them a rig for ~£500 but they said they are happy to blow a bit of cash on this. If that's what they want then no complaints from me :D

Vinnie, could you recommend a good RAID controller for me from the OC web shop?
Click to expand...

OcUK don't stock decent RAID controllers. I would choose either this:
http://www.adaptec.com/en-us/products/controllers/hardware/sata/entry/aar-1430sa/

or this

http://www.lsi.com/products/storagecomponents/Pages/MegaRAIDSAS9240-4i.aspx
 
Ok, my backup solution is flawed. To a point I think..

I was thinking that RAID1 will cover immediate hard drive failure.
VelociRaptor would cover things like backup sets i.e. viruses etc

I do need an external backup solution. Would something like an online backup service do the job? e.g. http://www.carbonite.co.uk/

The business has a fire-proof safe in the same room as the PC so I could also get a USB3.0 external.

That would be a great backup solution I think.. RAID1, extra internal backup drive, online backup and an external HDD :)
 
Seany said:
Ok, my backup solution is flawed. To a point I think..

I was thinking that RAID1 will cover immediate hard drive failure.
VelociRaptor would cover things like backup sets i.e. viruses etc

I do need an external backup solution. Would something like an online backup service do the job? e.g. http://www.carbonite.co.uk/

The business has a fire-proof safe in the same room as the PC so I could also get a USB3.0 external.

That would be a great backup solution I think.. RAID1, extra internal backup drive, online backup and an external HDD :)
Click to expand...

Get RAID 10 with some 2TB Western Digital RE4 drives. Also provide a tape drive for external backup and if you really want, a USB 3 external drive. Off site backup - I have no clue so I will leave that to you.
 
At least use a dual slot graphics card, it will run cooler and last longer for it.

If they have a budget of £2k and value their data I would recommend keeping the backup drive in a caddy like this and when it is not being used to backup keep it in a fireproof safe like this one. It will still easily fall within budget.
 
Online backup will depend on the upload speed of your internet connection.

With a 5Mbps upload speed it would take around an hour to upload 2GB of data assuming it operated at maximum speed.
 
@jak731
The safe they are using is more than adequate. Thanks for the reply though.

@Vinni3 @H|H
I am going to go with a RAID10 setup. 4x HDD's, undecided which ones. Also, I am going to go with a USB3.0 external.

@Surveyor
Yes, there will be an initial bottleneck once the rig uploads the first version of each of the files. Once this is over the uploads will be minimal. Carbonite keeps its own versioning of the files and only uploads updated ones. Should be fine I think. The backup data is the usual Office files (<100MB) and the accounting/payroll backup (<200MB). The businesses upstream is ~2Mbit.


Thanks for the replies.
 
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