Home/Office Server

[James]

I've been using an old desktop as a makeshift server... but its starting to show its age.

 

It's headless (accessed when needed using VNC), running on Windows XP Professional & I'd introduced a RAID setup about six months ago.

 

First off, I'm looking for a case/motherboard that I can transplant everything into... reasonably compact, but with plenty of room for future expansion. I realise that it doesn't necessarily need a fast processor (or graphics card for that matter)... but is there anything specific I should be considering.

 

Also, right now, I've got the thing sitting underneath my desk & it makes a noticeable racket... I'd ideally like to relocate it to somewhere remote in the house (with plenty of ventilation) & connected via a network cable.

 

All comments greatly appreciated.

 

James.

[Frosty]

I have a similar set up, however, I built an entirely new server from scratch about a year ago.

I used this case with a quiet eco PS:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_re=antec_case-_-11-129-042-_-Product

Nice price, quiet, lots of drive bays and HUGE air movement.

 

I used an AMD mobo (I think its Asus) with 6 sata ports and run Ubuntu on it with software RAID 5. Very inexpensive, very reliable and scalable. I'm using 5X500gb right now and have the ability to add one more drive. Further benefits include the ability to put the raid drives into another box and still access the info on the array and the ability to ramp up to larger drives without destroying the array (its a long drawn out process, but possible).

 

Bottom line is I'm very happy with my hardware selections. Its quiet, low cost and very flexible. The Linux RAID set up was more difficult than expected but I did have a few experts to help me out and get it all working perfectly.

[James]

Thanks for the reply.

 

I'm definitely interested in the case you mentioned... what power supply did you end up using? I've noticed a few minor 'complaints' in reviews that the psu is located at the bottom of the case & might require longer cables.

 

James.

[Frosty]

I really can't remember James. It was likely Antec, CoolerMaster or some other reputable brand. I know it wasn't expensive, it was one of the Eco models and had very good sound ratings (I wanted quiet). I had no issues with cord length. I'd need to take it apart to get more info. The total bill for my server was about $750 - 2GB ram, 2.5TB RAID 5 (2TB usable) and no propietary components.

 

If I was in a studio with more people using it, I would have opted for something more powerful, redundant and scalable, but for me its perfect.

[James]

No worries... thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

I'll be salvaging what I can from the old box... hard drives, graphics card, RAID card, maybe even RAM are all good.

 

Just needed some direction before I get stuck in... only looking for a case, PSU, CPU & motherboard at this stage... & the case you highlighted has enough room for future expansion when required.

 

I'll look into the PSU you mentioned & start doing some homework on a decent motherboard. It's obvious that I won't be needing a top-of-the-range model, but is there anything specific I should be looking out for?

 

Cheers,

 

James.

[Frosty]

is there anything specific I should be looking out for?

 

Yes. Keep in mind, this list is to build a sever just like mine, your list of importance may be different.

 

1) Linux compatibility. Newegg reviews helped me pick one that worked with Ubuntu out of the box.

2) Onboard video and Gig LAN. If they blow up, you can always add cards.

3) At least 6 sata ports. 6 is pretty easy to find and 8 is becoming common. Again, if it blows you can add a card.