Upgrade from Atom server

3dcandy

3dcandy

3dcandy

Soldato
Joined
18 Jun 2003
Posts
4,368
Location
Rugeley
Hi all,
I've been having some problems with the Atom based server I'm using and feel it could be time to upgrade to some proper server grade hardware. I have just got myself a Poweredge 2500 up and runnijng, RAID 5 SCSI etc. and it's better than the Atom for some stuff, but still not as fast as I'd like. I'd also like to collect all my stuff into a 19" rack....
Soooo the question is, do I get a cheap dual cpu server, possibly an oldish dual zeon or build something into a new(ish) rack mounted case. Anyone reckon that power consumption from an old server would cripple me?

Thoughts please...I like the idea of a rack mounted dually server, but like my Atom cos it's very frugal. However, it's not great for serving php etc. etc. and seems very underpowered at times...
 
Hard to really suggest anything, you haven't given us any details of what the server is doing (apart from some php stuff), any metrics for current performance or if it's for playing around with or in production.

"Silly issues" like the network connection dropping can potentially happen with any equipment, pre-built or made yourself.

Older servers do generally drink the power and they aren't the best for noise.
 
right, currently it's serving a mixture of php and static sites. php sites mainly built using wordpress and plugins. the network dropping out seems to be very random, but only a power down will fix it and it happens via dhcp or static addressing. floating point performance/php speed is the main issue, it's an Atom 330 with 2 gig ram and a sats 320 gig hard drive. also as the load increases it slows down even more, just seems the little atom can't keep pace. non production server, used for dev work and then uploaded where needed. noise not really an issue as I have a small room/cupboard for my stuff, power not an issue unless it's a real power hog. all connected via a 24-port 10/100 unmanaged switch which eventually when funds allow will be upgraded to a procure gigabit switch.

The server just doesn't seem very snappy, it's running ubuntu 10.10 64-bit at the moment, does have a gui as my current setup means it gets used to do some browsing for other family members
 
Having been through the same questioning process in the last couple of months, the consensus seemed to be that an old server like a Proliant G2/G3/G4 is likely to give your electricity meter a good exercise. Most of that generation don't support the CPU virtulisation instruction set but you will need to check specific CPU specs to verify.

Putting in a rack is good (I plan to do the same) but putting the rack in a cupboard may not be so good unless you have good ventilation and cooling.

I built a server from the bottom up.

Intel 100/1000pr gbit network card
Intel DP455SD motherboard (socket 775)
Core 2 duo 6450 (I think from memory)
4GB DDR3 ram
20 bay hotswap Norco server case.
2*1068 based LSI SATA/SAS controllers (8 drives each)
replacement quiet case fans.
Collection of 1TB WD Black and 1.5TB wd green hard drives.

No point quoting prices as mine are in Sin$. Shop around the usual places and you can get good deals. Most stuff was bought from the US with a couple of parts from the UK and HK (LSI controllers are going for around US$96 from one HK shop). I was building with some parts I already have but you can get an i3/i5 based system I would imagine for around the same sort of cash.
 
I know the power useage might go up a bit....but older Opteron servers are available and surely they're better than Xeon's etc.???

Might just get a rack mountable case and go down that route....
 
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