Good Cheap Server - HP Proliant Microserver 4 BAY - OWNERS THREAD

Mark M said:
Can anyone confirm if this RAM will work in the N40L? The description for the N40L states ECC RAM but the above RAM is non-ECC

Thanks.
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i have "Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz Memory Kit Non-ECC CL9 1.5v"

works a treat, no problems at all, & at a decent price of about £30, who can grumble...

i might put the ram that come with the microserver on the bay.....
 
I am sorely, sorely tempted to go for the N40L microserver, but confess to being an absolute noob when it comes to servers.

I have been looking at the Synology Diskstation series for a while, but have a few things I'd like that I don't think it offers.

I guess I am looking for something between a NAS, a low power 24/7 PC and an HTPC. My main objectives are:
  • media storage for the house - to be accessed mainly by 2 laptops, a desktop and a Boxee
  • Remote access to data - particularly photos and media files
  • WebDav functionality to allow syncing with iPad (via Goodreader)
  • Location to backup my desktop PC's critical data
  • Ideally replace the Boxee as the main media streaming device to my TV
  • Run uTorrent and an NZB client such as sabnzb+
  • Remote management (outside of my home network) from iPad or laptop

My intended drive configuration would be 2*2TB drives in a RAID array (so offering a single 4TB "location") and a 2TB drive to back up critical files such as photos, home videos, work documents, etc. Obviously with HDDs being quite expensive at present and me having a lot to learn, I would probably hold off on the drives until I had worked out how to set things up the way I want them.

I would also like to be able to install a Blu-Ray drive to allow me to do away with my DVD player, which seems possible, but is it sensible?

Most people seem to recommend WHS 2011, which appears to offer all of the above. But am I missing any obvious stumbling blocks? For example, I assume I can set up XBMC so that when my family are watching something using that, I can still log in and management torrents, files etc? Or, would I be better installing a Linux OS of some sort?

How loud is this compared to, say, the Synology Diskstation DS212? I guess it uses twice as much power (or would do with 3 drives and a graphics card) as the Synology would, but I'm more worried about noise if I put it near the TV.

Many thanks in advance for any advice offered. Please forgive my ignorance!
 
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LJ50 said:
I am sorely, sorely tempted to go for the N40L microserver, but confess to being an absolute noob when it comes to servers.

I have been looking at the Synology Diskstation series for a while, but have a few things I'd like that I don't think it offers.

I guess I am looking for something between a NAS, a low power 24/7 PC and an HTPC. My main objectives are:
  • media storage for the house - to be accessed mainly by 2 laptops, a desktop and a Boxee
  • Remote access to data - particularly photos and media files
  • WebDav functionality to allow syncing with iPad (via Goodreader)
  • Location to backup my desktop PC's critical data
  • Ideally replace the Boxee as the main media streaming device to my TV
  • Run uTorrent and an NZB client such as sabnzb+
  • Remote management (outside of my home network) from iPad or laptop

My intended drive configuration would be 2*2TB drives in a RAID array (so offering a single 4TB "location") and a 2TB drive to back up critical files such as photos, home videos, work documents, etc. Obviously with HDDs being quite expensive at present and me having a lot to learn, I would probably hold off on the drives until I had worked out how to set things up the way I want them.

I would also like to be able to install a Blu-Ray drive to allow me to do away with my DVD player, which seems possible, but is it sensible?

Most people seem to recommend WHS 2011, which appears to offer all of the above. But am I missing any obvious stumbling blocks? For example, I assume I can set up XBMC so that when my family are watching something using that, I can still log in and management torrents, files etc? Or, would I be better installing a Linux OS of some sort?

How loud is this compared to, say, the Synology Diskstation DS212? I guess it uses twice as much power (or would do with 3 drives and a graphics card) as the Synology would, but I'm more worried about noise if I put it near the TV.

Many thanks in advance for any advice offered. Please forgive my ignorance!
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It will do what you want very well and be better suited for torrenting/Newgroup downloading as i 've found the clients that come preinstalled on NAS's to be lacking or it's a pain in the arse to install a 3rd party one. If you're wanting to use it as a HTPC you'll want to add a passive cooled graphics card to the Microserver as the built in graphics only has VGA out and it not suited for media playback.
It is a server so not built to be very quiet but it is non the less quiet but can be improved with a third party fan, i would say it's about as loud as a average NAS.

To use WHS and use 2x 2TB drives and have 1 drive pool of 4TB you'd have to use the 'hardware' RAID which would have to be in RAID0 which is not particulary good for youe application as RAID0 is for all out speed and if 1 of the drives fail you lose all the data on both drives. So i would think about keeping the drives as 2 separate drives or if you had a 3rd drive just to install windows on you could use windows built in RAID functionality and use the spanning feature to make a 4TB pool out of the 2TB drives.
 
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DIABLO said:
It will do what you want very well and be better suited for torrenting/Newgroup downloading as i 've found the clients that come preinstalled on NAS's to be lacking or it's a pain in the arse to install a 3rd party one. If you're wanting to use it as a HTPC you'll want to add a passive cooled graphics card to the Microserver as the built in graphics only has VGA out and it not suited for media playback.
It is a server so not built to be very quiet but it is non the less quiet but can be improved with a third party fan, i would say it's about as loud as a average NAS.

To use WHS and use 2x 2TB drives and have 1 drive pool of 4TB you'd have to use the 'hardware' RAID which would have to be in RAID0 which is not particulary good for youe application as RAID0 is for all out speed and if 1 of the drives fail you lose all the data on both drives. So i would think about keeping the drives as 2 separate drives or if you had a 3rd drive just to install windows on you could use windows built in RAID functionality and use the spanning feature to make a 4TB pool out of the 2TB drives.
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Thank you very much for your reply.

I have picked out a GTi 520 or HD6450 low profile card so think I've covers that base.

I was planning on using the included 250GB drive for the OS install, a 1TB drive to back up critical data and then then was hoping to use the 2*2TB drives as a single 4TB pool for the data and NAS storage. I figure this give me backup for critical stuff and then ease of a single network drive for media. Most of that will be DVD/Blu-ray rips so not critical as I can re-rip. the only things i'd want to backup is documents, photos and home videos of the family.

It's not RAID0 speed that appeals, but the ease of my wife and daughter seeing a single network location with all the media on it, so your suggested "spanning" solution looks ideal.

Still a little concerned about the noise factor if I use it as a HTPC, but am kee to experiment so mint bite the bullet. The simplicity of the Synlogy solution appeals, but I like to learn new things and this seems a good setup for that. Just wish HDD prices would come down again a bit more quickly! £119 for a drive I paid 52 for in July.

Actually, one other quick question. Can anyone suggest a remote for XBMC using this?
 
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Just pulled the trigger on this from another e-tailer. Went for:
  • HP ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServe
  • Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 - Licence and media - 1 server, 10 CALs
  • WD 2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s Caviar Green Hard Drive - 64MB Cache - WD20EARX
  • HIS HD 6450 Silence Edition 1GB DDR3 DVI HDMI VGA PCI-E Low Profile Graphics Card
Looking forward to giving this a spin. Wife has just finished renovating our living room though so may have to invest in Powerline Ethernet as I don't fancy my chances of persuading her to pull up new carpet and floor to install Gigabit ether cables (which was supposed to be done as part of the work, but mysteriously got "forgotten" :p
 
Guys, I've got one of these microservers and I have it running in my study upstairs, above the lounge.

When I'm in the lounge I can hear the microserver humming (quietly, but can still hear it), due to the vibrations.

If I put the microserver on some foam would that cause a problem? A fire risk, or any other issue?

Many thanks,

Edward
 
edwardcasbon1 said:
Guys, I've got one of these microservers and I have it running in my study upstairs, above the lounge.

When I'm in the lounge I can hear the microserver humming (quietly, but can still hear it), due to the vibrations.

If I put the microserver on some foam would that cause a problem? A fire risk, or any other issue?

Many thanks,

Edward
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I've got mine tucked into a corner on bubblewrap sitting on two shoe boxes!
 
edwardcasbon1 said:
Guys, I've got one of these microservers and I have it running in my study upstairs, above the lounge.

When I'm in the lounge I can hear the microserver humming (quietly, but can still hear it), due to the vibrations.

If I put the microserver on some foam would that cause a problem? A fire risk, or any other issue?

Many thanks,

Edward
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I superglued 4 bigger feet to mine. I dont really hear it any more;)
 
edwardcasbon1 said:
Bigger feet? Where from? Any chance of a pic?
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I got them off the bay.

me27uI86


They are about 15mm tall but really stop the viabrations.
 
I tried this combination today and it's awesome:

- One solid granite desktop saver chopping board thing from either Morrisons or Wilkinsons - they both appear to be exactly the same with different labelling & cost £10. They're about 1cm thick and quite heavy - note that your arm could hurt if you need to transport them to your house on foot. I don't think M or W will be classed as competitors to OC, so hopefully mentioning them is okay.

- One pack of four sorbothane feet. Look for "flatfeet ultra" on your favourite auction site. The guy who sells them is apparently a regular on some audiophile forums.

Voila, one cheap acoustic isolation platform. It works perfectly - I can't feel any vibration on the wood underneath it. Sorbothane apparently converts 97% of vibration to heat & has been the audiophile's choice for acoustic isolation platforms for a few decades now - no other product has matched its performance for a long time.

There are two versions of the sorbothane feet on the bay, each for different target weights per "foot". I don't know what the MicroServer weighs, but it plus a granite slab do feel quite hefty. The bit of paper I got with my feet said this:

"Flatfeet Ultra should be placed flat side to your audio component or isolation platform. They are naturally tacky and so do not need to be glued. However, if you do prefer permanent fixing, use superglue. Flatfeet can stick permanently to some surfaces e.g. wood, causing damage if later removed. To avoid this, lightly dust the Flatfeet with talcum powder (baby powder) or stand them on discs of paper or polythene cut from this packaging.

"For best results, Flatfeet should be neither under nor overloaded. Flatfeet Ultra are intended to support a weight of between 1.8 and 4kg. Therefore, if four feet are used, the component must weigh between 7 and 16kg.

"If the component weighs more than 16kg, simply use more Flatfeet Ultras attached to the item directly or using an isolation platform (see below). If the component weighs less than 7kg, you can increase the weight by placing a mass on top (which can also help to reduce vibration in the casing), use just three Flatfeet Ultra or purchase the original smaller Flatfeet which are designed for smaller / lighter equipment."
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What seems to be the preferred raid5 card for this microserver.
My supplier has recommended the Intel RAID Controller RS2WC040, although i see some folks are using Adaptec ones.
I'll be keeping the existing (and original) 250gb sata drive, which has server 2008 r2 Enterprise on (non raided).
VAIL is installed on a VM.
I'll use the raid5 for 3 x 1tb sata drives, replacing the existing 3 x 250gb sata drives.
I'm hoping that as nothing is raided already, i can just swap out the 250's for the 1tb's, raid5 them up for data only and the OS drive will continue work without issue.

Any comments on this please?
 
Tried trawling through a selection of the threads on this post but couldn't find the answer.

Has anyone got the latest batch of N40's and upgraded the memory whilst keeping the shipped 2GB stick? Just checking I can put an additional 4GB ECC stick in there and upgrade it to 6GB without having to bin the existing stick and get a new matched pair?

Ta.
 
durbs said:
Tried trawling through a selection of the threads on this post but couldn't find the answer.

Has anyone got the latest batch of N40's and upgraded the memory whilst keeping the shipped 2GB stick? Just checking I can put an additional 4GB ECC stick in there and upgrade it to 6GB without having to bin the existing stick and get a new matched pair?

Ta.
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I would buy 2 X 4gb new sticks if you need that much. It would cost you about the same to get 1X4GB ECC dimm as it would getting 2X4GB Non ECC dimms.
 
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