Soldato
sorry if its been asked before but how well does the gen8 handle plex transcoding?
Good Cheap Server - HP Proliant Microserver 4 BAY - OWNERS THREAD
- Thread starter dragonuk
- Start date
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I can transcode 720p fine on my N54L. 1080p is hit and miss though. Thankfully most the stuff I get doesn't need transcoding when sending to my Chromecast.
Soldato
Really tempted to get a Xeon E3-1230 v2 and a Gen8!
The Celeron in the G8 is a big upgrade from the AMD's in the old black Microserver. Unless you are virtualizing I would imagine most people would be fine with that.
There are a few gotchas to keep in mind.
1. you can't boot directly off the extra SATA (ODD) port. The work around is to boot a mini linux off either micro SD or a usb stick and redirect it.
2. iLO is very limited (no virtual media or remote control) without buying a code to upgrade it to advanced (£30).
3. ECC memory only and even then it's pretty fussy. I'm using the kingston value stuff I have in my G7 ML110 and it's fine.
4. CPU is slightly limited by cooling and psu (Celeron is 20W, 1230v2 is 70W). Ideally you'd go for one of the 'L' Xeons but they cost a fortune compared to the 1230v2.
There are a few gotchas to keep in mind.
1. you can't boot directly off the extra SATA (ODD) port. The work around is to boot a mini linux off either micro SD or a usb stick and redirect it.
2. iLO is very limited (no virtual media or remote control) without buying a code to upgrade it to advanced (£30).
3. ECC memory only and even then it's pretty fussy. I'm using the kingston value stuff I have in my G7 ML110 and it's fine.
4. CPU is slightly limited by cooling and psu (Celeron is 20W, 1230v2 is 70W). Ideally you'd go for one of the 'L' Xeons but they cost a fortune compared to the 1230v2.
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I'd love a gen8 but until they drop to a decent price (that includes VAT) I'll have to pass.
I want to get a small rack for my gear, just wonder what size cabinet I should get to keep the n54l in as well? Thinking in the range of a 9-15u, but don't know how many units the n54l would roughly take up. Any ideas?
I want to get a small rack for my gear, just wonder what size cabinet I should get to keep the n54l in as well? Thinking in the range of a 9-15u, but don't know how many units the n54l would roughly take up. Any ideas?
Soldato
Measure the N54L in inches, then divide by 1.75 and round up.
A unit = 1.75 inches.
A unit = 1.75 inches.
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Measure the N54L in inches, then divide by 1.75 and round up.
A unit = 1.75 inches.
N54L Height = 26.7cm
26.7cm = 10.511811inches
10.511811 / 1.75 =6.00674914286 Units
so 7 units then!
Brought myself an xmas present, somehow managing to justify a single HyperV box will save me money in the long run
Intel Xeon E3-1265LV2 (45W TDP)
Kingston ValueRam DDR3 1333 MHz ECC DIMM - 16 GB Memory Kit (2 x 8 GB)
It's not here yet but I'm expecting it to be pretty simple to switch over. Will drop my quad port HP NIC (Intel chipset) in and move all my VM's across (pfsense, ubuntu server, nextpvr, blueiris).
Soldato
Very nice beavis
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Would you do a build log/show off your setup when you do? Both the specs and the VM names make me drool - I think something like this needs to be the next addition to my setup. If I can make it work!Brought myself an xmas present, somehow managing to justify a single HyperV box will save me money in the long run
Intel Xeon E3-1265LV2 (45W TDP)
Kingston ValueRam DDR3 1333 MHz ECC DIMM - 16 GB Memory Kit (2 x 8 GB)
It's not here yet but I'm expecting it to be pretty simple to switch over. Will drop my quad port HP NIC (Intel chipset) in and move all my VM's across (pfsense, ubuntu server, nextpvr, blueiris).
I'll certainly write some words in the thread here and take some pictures, don't expect anything too professional It's really not so hard now that pfsense 2.2 (beta) supports HyperV.
Anything in-particular people want to see?
Server is currently:
Xeon 1265L
16gb 2x8 Kingston Value ECC
1x 120gb Crucial SSD (OS)
2x 500gb Western Digital black 2.5" (HyperV + Apps)
1x 4tb HGST NAS 3.5" (Data)
HP branded quad port NIC (low profile bracket came today)
Windows 2012R2 (I have an MSDN account)
nextPVR via USB DVB-T adapter
MediaBrowser (replacing Plex on Linux box)
NZBget (replacing SABnzbd on Linux box)
NZBdrone (replacing Sickbeard on Linux box)
Fingbox Sentinel (currently on my Linux box)
FreeFileSync (to backup data to my ZFS Linux box)
apcupsd client (server is a Pi plugged into the UPS via USB)
HyperV pfsense (currently on another box)
HyperV blueiris
edit - items in bold to show progress, will attach pictures later.
It's really not so hard now that pfsense 2.2 (beta) supports HyperV.Anything in-particular people want to see?
Server is currently:
Xeon 1265L
16gb 2x8 Kingston Value ECC
1x 120gb Crucial SSD (OS)
2x 500gb Western Digital black 2.5" (HyperV + Apps)
1x 4tb HGST NAS 3.5" (Data)
HP branded quad port NIC (low profile bracket came today)
Windows 2012R2 (I have an MSDN account)
nextPVR via USB DVB-T adapter
MediaBrowser (replacing Plex on Linux box)
NZBget (replacing SABnzbd on Linux box)
NZBdrone (replacing Sickbeard on Linux box)
Fingbox Sentinel (currently on my Linux box)
FreeFileSync (to backup data to my ZFS Linux box)
apcupsd client (server is a Pi plugged into the UPS via USB)
HyperV pfsense (currently on another box)
HyperV blueiris
edit - items in bold to show progress, will attach pictures later.
Last edited:
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Another one interested to read your thoughts on this box. Long time Synology user that has a current NAS plus Ubuntu server setup that's just screaming out to replaced. I've raised questions before about the Gen 7 Microserver and XPEnology on these very forums but not replaced anything yet. The HP Gen 8 is even more tempting and starting to come to the realisation that I might be able to live without the Synology box and migrate fully to an Ubuntu server or unRAID.
Also I've never heard of this software before now, so thank you for the heads-up. I am a Lifetime Plex Pass subscriber after I found the software just under a year ago. However will keep my eyes open with regards to this becuase it looks interesting.
Also I've never heard of this software before now, so thank you for the heads-up. I am a Lifetime Plex Pass subscriber after I found the software just under a year ago. However will keep my eyes open with regards to this becuase it looks interesting.
The Gen8 is now about £150/160 after Cashback, which is a pretty decent offer for what you get: not quite as mindblowing as the Gen7 for £100 (after cashback), but it's also a more powerful box and certainly a good deal for such a nice bit of kit.
Media Browser looks interesting, but I'm not sure what it does that Plex doesn't? Both seem to charge for the mobile apps, and do pretty much the same thing: and I can't tell if MB3 uses a nice centralized login which is the source of Plex's great "Download, login, use" usability. There's something to be said for setup-once-use-anywhere usability when I just want to grab a device and consume some media.
Media Browser looks interesting, but I'm not sure what it does that Plex doesn't? Both seem to charge for the mobile apps, and do pretty much the same thing: and I can't tell if MB3 uses a nice centralized login which is the source of Plex's great "Download, login, use" usability. There's something to be said for setup-once-use-anywhere usability when I just want to grab a device and consume some media.
That sounds like something strange is happening - my N54L quite happily handles 1080p at whatever the maximum bitrate is in Plex (12Mbps?). It starts to complain a little if I start demanding it output two 1080p streams at once, but I've never noticed as much as a stutter with one.
The big plus for me with mediabrowser is the PVR stuff, I'm using nextPVR as the backend via a Freeview HD USB dongle. I've not played with it a great deal but it seems to be working nicely.
I'm not sure there is any other reason to ditch Plex if you already have it up an running, but it's nice to have options. I just fancied trying something different.
I'm not sure there is any other reason to ditch Plex if you already have it up an running, but it's nice to have options. I just fancied trying something different.
Soldato
usual place for servers on here, I sure they can be mentioned as there not a direct competitor?