Help me spec a server!

SiriusB

SiriusB

SiriusB

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I have been asked to spec a server that will serve files and webpages. As well as generally running the office.

The server has to be mental and so far this is what I have:

Quad-Core Intel Xeon X5355 Socket 771 Processor x2

SuperMicro X7DVA-E

And now I am stuck! I know what I want for PSU/HDD etc, but I am not sure on what memory to go for that is compatible with this board.

The SuperMicro website says it supports ECC buffered RAM etc... but would "normal" PC5400 DDR2 RAM work? I am thinking no, but I haven't seen anything that explicitly says it HAS to be ECC.

The mobo was chosen firstly because it supports two CPUs and on-board graphics and all the other features you would expect on a 250 quid mobo. If anyone knows of a better dual-socket board please let me know! :)

Money isn't a problem [but don't go speccing Deep Blue :p]. The reason for the massive performance is scalability and the fact it will also be running Folding@Home :p

Any help with this would be great, as speccing servers isn't something I do everyday!
 
SiriusB said:
The server has to be mental and so far this is what I have:
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I'm not trying to be funny but you need to specify your requirements a little more carefully than that - otherwise you'll end up with a server inappropriate for the the job at hand. You may ultimately be better off going for an OEM box rather than building your own (for various reasons, not least supportability).

What sort of applications will this server be running? How many concurrent, logged in users? What sort of amount of data do you intend to file share? Whats your network environment like?

One of the biggest decisions you will need to make will be whether SATA disks can provide the throughput your users will need - SCSI or SAS disks are really the only way to go if you are serious about moving large amounts of data on locally attached disks.
 
Sorry for being vague:

We are planning the server to run Windows Small Business Server 2003 and at this time there are around 10 people who regularly access the server. This number is likely to grow.

The server for the time being is intended to serve files [everything from documents to various media files - images and video etc]. At some point the plan is to have the server host the company website. For this we are thinking of possibly running a Linux distro through a VM on the server, but nothing is set in stone.

The server could be asked to do more in the future so my client wishes to have something that will last a long time. My client is set on the two quad Xeons partly for scalability and future-proofing and partly for Folding@Home [I am sure you know what this is].

As I said money is not a huge issue, but obviously the components we buy must be reasonably good value for money. We aren't rack-mounting so any mobo would need to fit a standard ATX tower case.

I would like to note that the Quad-Core Intel Xeon X5355's are a must for the server, whatever else we decide.

I hope that's everything you need to know.
 
I would consider getting a server case that supports redundant PSUs mate so that if oen goes then another will kick in... its up to you but I would seriously consider a server case...

Stelly
 
Stelly said:
I would consider getting a server case that supports redundant PSUs mate so that if oen goes then another will kick in... its up to you but I would seriously consider a server case...

Stelly
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Good point. I am guessing server cases are just really big ATX cases... or there exists ATX server cases..
 
Stelly said:
you can buy cases that come with the PSUs... I'm going to start looking now for ya mate.

Stelly
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Ahh cheers, thanks mate.

No, nothing has been bought yet. I am currently researching and pricing up various pieces, but keep getting stuck - hence this thread :)
 
Why not go for an HP ML370?

You can get one fully specced with 4gb, 72gb raid 1 SAS, 300gb Raid 5 SAS, Quad Core 5335, redundant PSU's & Fans for the princely sum of £2700+vat.

Comes with a 3 year onsite warranty as standard too.
 
I do agree there, you dont get many people doing a DIY server jobbie, especially a business critical server

Stelly
 
Those processors are an outrageous waste of money IMHO for an SBS based system. They will retail at over £700 each and that would go a long way to buying a nice ML or DL from HP or some other Tier1 vendor. SBS doesn't use many CPU cycles.

For SBS2003 you need a decent amount of RAM and a dual core processor, but you need a solid disk infrastructure and good reliable backups - I'd spend your money there.

Please don't host your website on there either. Its certainly more than possible but if you value your customers, please host it on professionally hosted webspace.

Folding has bog all to do with running a business, if the guy wants to hug trees then just install the client on his workstations and leave them on overnight.

The next version of SBS will likely be out by the end of next year and you will probably end up buying new hardware to put it on if you migrate (for the simple reason that parallel SBS is very very difficult)
 
sidethink said:
Those processors are an outrageous waste of money IMHO for an SBS based system. They will retail at over £700 each and that would go a long way to buying a nice ML or DL from HP or some other Tier1 vendor. SBS doesn't use many CPU cycles.

For SBS2003 you need a decent amount of RAM and a dual core processor, but you need a solid disk infrastructure and good reliable backups - I'd spend your money there.
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What he spends his money on is not my decision. He has told me what he wants and I will present him with the options. We also plan to spend plenty of money on storage and backups as we know it is important.

Please don't host your website on there either. Its certainly more than possible but if you value your customers, please host it on professionally hosted webspace.
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I have been corrected in this regard and we aren't using it to host the website. I got the wrong end of the stick :)

Folding has bog all to do with running a business, if the guy wants to hug trees then just install the client on his workstations and leave them on overnight.
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He already has them on his workstations :)

We are well aware of the importance of the server to the business and we wouldn't let F@H interfere in any way. If it did it would be dealt with or removed. By your own admission SBS2003 doesn't use many cycles. Best to not let those 500quid processors go to waste. ;)

The next version of SBS will likely be out by the end of next year and you will probably end up buying new hardware to put it on if you migrate (for the simple reason that parallel SBS is very very difficult)
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Not sure what you're talking about here. Parallel SBS?

I'm not being funny and all your advice has been taken into consideration. You didn't have to come across quite so aggressively either!
 
SiriusB said:
What he spends his money on is not my decision. He has told me what he wants and I will present him with the options. We also plan to spend plenty of money on storage and backups as we know it is important.
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You need to take a longer view than this - the CPU on an SBS server is just about the least used major system component and your friend/client is IMHO rather foolishly speccing the most powerful Xeon's available - for no real reason. Can he justify why he wants or needs them?

Advising people about which systems or components to buy is NOT about telling them to buy the most powerful thing available, or the latest craze item. Its about matching the requirements to the available technology and budget.

Personally, I'd spend a little time breaking down his reasoning for purchasing those CPUs, so far it seems to just be a case of ego-massaging. If he can admit that then I suppose thats fine, but what I'm trying to get across here is that the CPU/PSU/Mobo/Case spec should be just about the last thing you worry about with an SBS build (at least the bells and whistles should be).

The most critical things are RAM, Disk (architecture, speed and capacity), Backup and Setup (in no particular order).

If this guy has an unlimited/high budget you might well be able to spec a really nice SYSTEM using components from the OcUK store or elsewhere. But for the same 'unlimited' budget, I will guarantee you that I will spec a SOLUTION from a major vendor that will blow the doors off it, in every mission critical respect.

I'm sorry if it comes off as a little aggressive, but your intial post and attitude to specifying an important business system left something to be desired for me. In my opinion, you need to take the higher moral ground and advise this guy on a solution that is right for his needs - not a glorified quad core workstation that will come at a premium price because of unneeded cutting-edge components.

I have worked in this sector for many years and I take the job fairly seriously, if a prospective client or project landed on my desk like your OP, I'd be tearing it to shreds asking some serious hard questions. My reputation has to stand by whatever I recommend or implement (and likewise that of my company) and I'd want some serious facetime with your customer to make sure he understands the money he would be virtually throwing away buying these CPUs - money that could be far better spent on something like enterprise quality backup or AV/security software (something that most small businesses tend to skimp on), or a professional, tailored install and setup (as opposed to getting your mate round on a Saturdau morning to knock it together for you).

/rantoff
 
sidethink said:
You need to take a longer view than this - the CPU on an SBS server is just about the least used major system component and your friend/client is IMHO rather foolishly speccing the most powerful Xeon's available - for no real reason. Can he justify why he wants or needs them?

Advising people about which systems or components to buy is NOT about telling them to buy the most powerful thing available, or the latest craze item. Its about matching the requirements to the available technology and budget.

Personally, I'd spend a little time breaking down his reasoning for purchasing those CPUs, so far it seems to just be a case of ego-massaging. If he can admit that then I suppose thats fine, but what I'm trying to get across here is that the CPU/PSU/Mobo/Case spec should be just about the last thing you worry about with an SBS build (at least the bells and whistles should be).

The most critical things are RAM, Disk (architecture, speed and capacity), Backup and Setup (in no particular order).

If this guy has an unlimited/high budget you might well be able to spec a really nice SYSTEM using components from the OcUK store or elsewhere. But for the same 'unlimited' budget, I will guarantee you that I will spec a SOLUTION from a major vendor that will blow the doors off it, in every mission critical respect.

I'm sorry if it comes off as a little aggressive, but your intial post and attitude to specifying an important business system left something to be desired for me. In my opinion, you need to take the higher moral ground and advise this guy on a solution that is right for his needs - not a glorified quad core workstation that will come at a premium price because of unneeded cutting-edge components.

I have worked in this sector for many years and I take the job fairly seriously, if a prospective client or project landed on my desk like your OP, I'd be tearing it to shreds asking some serious hard questions. My reputation has to stand by whatever I recommend or implement (and likewise that of my company) and I'd want some serious facetime with your customer to make sure he understands the money he would be virtually throwing away buying these CPUs - money that could be far better spent on something like enterprise quality backup or AV/security software (something that most small businesses tend to skimp on), or a professional, tailored install and setup (as opposed to getting your mate round on a Saturdau morning to knock it together for you).

/rantoff
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Don't get me wrong, I agree with you entirely and know where you are coming from. Anyone else and I would be telling them the same thing.

However, my "client" is a mate of mine and basically the main function of this server is Folding@Home. Looking back at the thread it's obvious to me I didn't make that clear. So for that I apologise.

Basically he wanted a big badass folding rig and you can't get more baddass than two Quad-core Xeons. The reason for this thread is that in order to get two Xeons I needed a server board which comes with all its own complications as you can't just wack in some cheap and cheerful OcUK Value RAM :p

Because there is so much power in the machine my client felt it would be an excellent replacement for the current server. File and mail serving won't eat up much computer resources and would probably last years.

I was looking at SBS2003 because it has all the kinds of features that makes running and maintaining an office network so much easier. It too is also likely to last years.

Sirius, if you're just serving files and webpages why not run some flavor of *nix? Samba and Apache on FreeBSD would be a beautiful thing.
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How easy/hard would it be to set up a Linux distro to handle file serving and handle emails? It would save a lot of money on SBS2003 but it isn't a good option if I can't guarantee the level of stability, reliability and security offered by SBS by default. Personally I think it would be great [saves wasting precious cycles on VMWare] but I am not sure I am confident enough in my Linux abilities to pull it off!

FreeBSD is alien to me... would probably take twice as long to set up as I'd have to get familiar with the OS before I could play with it.
 
SiriusB said:
How easy/hard would it be to set up a Linux distro to handle file serving and handle emails? It would save a lot of money on SBS2003 but it isn't a good option if I can't guarantee the level of stability, reliability and security offered by SBS by default. Personally I think it would be great [saves wasting precious cycles on VMWare] but I am not sure I am confident enough in my Linux abilities to pull it off!
Click to expand...

Most likely more reliable than Windows. As for east of setting up I have never had a problem setting up a Samba and Mail server
 
If you're not comfortable with *BSD you should then consider Debian stable. Ubuntu is based on it so you should be familiar with its package management system (apt-get) and the flavor of the installer.
 
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