Looking for server

Org Profile · Post by **Phade** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 12:04 pm

Hey All,

The site is looking to purchase the full Donut storage server. We're looking for the best bang-for-buck configuration on a budget. Here's what the server should be like:

* 2U Dual processor
* 1G RAM
* 3Ware 7500-8 controller
* 8 WD2000JB Drives
* Hot-swap drive bays

You can help by looking around for a good price for this machine. If you know people or know people who know people about putting together a dependable server for a good price, please let me know. I'll be looking as well, but the more eyes are looking, the better the deal we can finally end up with.

Thanks again and good luck!! ^_^

Phade.

Farlo · Post by **Farlo** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 1:06 pm

what kind of server.......unix or other?

Org Profile · Post by **Phade** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 5:31 pm

Hey,

Debian. As long as the machine doesn't come with an OS, it will be fine.

Phade.

Pie Row Maniac · Post by **Pie Row Maniac** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 6:03 pm

Phade wrote:As long as the machine doesn't come with an OS, it will be

If it came with Windows ME, you'd have a leigon of editors at your doorstep with pitchforks and torches.

The scary part is that it's true.

CrazyCelt · Post by **CrazyCelt** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 7:21 am

Personally, I know very little about servers, but I have a brother that is in the business of running and maintaining these things. So, I dropped him a note and we can hope he replies.

eitje · Post by **eitje** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 8:23 pm

well, first i'd recommend taking a look @ this site:
http://www.tech-report.com/etc/2003q1/w ... dex.x?pg=1

TR is (in my opinion) a very valuable source for tech-related information, and when they wrote up an article on how they built their new web server, i found it was very similar to the way we build our in-house servers @ my job. so i'll forgo my input on WHAT you should put into your server. :)

secondly, in case you weren't aware, standard IDE drives (such as those supported by the 3Ware 7500-8) don't support hot-swapping. if you want hotswappable drives, you'll either have to use SCSI or Serial ATA drives (the 3Ware 8500-8 supports SATA drives).

finally, i recommend building your own system, purchasing parts from www.newegg.com (for the components), www.rackmountpro.com (for the caswe & RAID card), and www.pcprogress.com (for anything that you can't find @ either of the other locations). we've always received speedy delivery when ordering from those locations, and the RMA policies of those locations are pretty good.

Org Profile · Post by **Phade** » Fri Apr 25, 2003 9:09 pm

Hey,

According to 3ware, they do support hot swap on parallel ATA drives: http://www.3ware.com/products/parallel_ata.asp

Phade.

eitje · Post by **eitje** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 4:52 pm

Parallel ATA *drives* don't support hotswapping. In the second column, 5th paragraph, that paper describes how, with special drivers and controller firmware, 3ware has been able to work around that. i don't know for sure, but you might even have to use their RAID drive cages to get hot swapping with their RAID cards.

Serial ATA drives support hot-swapping as part of their specs.

I wish I could find the Ultra ATA specs online - a lot of people talk about them, but i can't find a pdf anywhere. :)

So, in conclusion, I hope that you get the golden donut working the way you'd like it, and that the other article I referenced in my previous post has helped. :)[/url]

eitje · Post by **eitje** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 5:01 pm

by the by, are you thinking an AMD machine, or an Intel box?

i'm bias towards Athlon MP systems for cost, but Xeons do tend to hold the upper hand when you look @ overall server performance.

Also, Anand had some good things to say about this prebuilt Opteron server - it's 1U, though. The version he had was designed by Newisys, but built by Appro.

even Configuration B might be a wee bit beyond what you're looking for, however. ;)

eitje · Post by **eitje** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 5:12 pm

one last thing :)
it appears the reason the TR crew built their new server was because their 3ware card would intermittently lose the RAID array information.

"The Problem is a slight little issue with some 3Ware IDE RAID controllers, which sometimes decide to lose all memory of their RAID arrays when confronted by a cold boot."

now, their problem was with RAID 1, so if you were going to use a different RAID level, you might be safe. what RAID level do you plan to use?

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