HP ProLiant MicroServer

Somewhat unrelated (though its still an HP machine)..

Thanks to this thread, I'm going to be rebuilding one of my HP ML110's this weekend using UNRAID just to give it a go and see how it performs on my network.
 
yeti said:
An option you could explore is XBMC Live on Ubuntu using SABnzbd+ for your nzb/torrents or utorrent, both of which provide web interfaces to manipulate them.

With respect to the RAID 5, the HP MS doesn't support it natively, so maybe investigate unRAID or something similar; jannievanzyl is best suited to offer you suggestions in this regard.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about running XBMC live. Wasn't sure if i could still set up a software RAID 5 with it.
 
Is the microserver still available. Looks like what i need. I just need NAS, with no frills or fuss. i dont need raid.
 
The_Unnamed said:
Quick question for you guys here.

I want to get the HP server. Stick in a low profile GT210 and connect it to my tv. (Obviously)

What i ideally want is XBMC. Raid 5. And the ability to get to a web interface for torrent downloads.
What would the best route be for this?
Click to expand...

I'm doing this via Debian Linux. I have 4 drives in a ZFS POOL in Raid-z1 (raid5 without the write hole). I then have XBMC installed and I have yet to decide what torrent client to use.

J
 
jsheed_sa said:
I'm doing this via Debian Linux. I have 4 drives in a ZFS POOL in Raid-z1 (raid5 without the write hole). I then have XBMC installed and I have yet to decide what torrent client to use.

J
Click to expand...

Brag-gat:D
 
Right... after buggering around with UnRAID... colour me very impressed.

I'm just running the "free" version for now, but will give it an upgrade soon so that I can add more drives to the array...
 
jsheed_sa said:
I'm doing this via Debian Linux. I have 4 drives in a ZFS POOL in Raid-z1 (raid5 without the write hole). I then have XBMC installed and I have yet to decide what torrent client to use.

J
Click to expand...

So having limited knowledge of linux i will give this a go on the weekend :)
 
jsheed_sa said:
I'm doing this via Debian Linux. I have 4 drives in a ZFS POOL in Raid-z1 (raid5 without the write hole). I then have XBMC installed and I have yet to decide what torrent client to use.

J
Click to expand...

Transmission or deluge are good options.
 
The_Unnamed said:
This card will be sufficient for 1080p playback right?
Click to expand...
Personally, I'd go for the highest spec card that fits in the 25w PCI-E power limitations of the HP MS.

AFAIK, this would then be the GT520, if you're looking at Nvidia. Currently only the Openelec distribution supports it OOB, but I've built two XBMC players with it on the HP MS and both are running rock solid.

At some point XBMCLive will also support it, but I'm becoming an Openelec convert. Boot time is seconds and you get much more of an 'appliance' feel with it.
 
jannievanzyl said:
Personally, I'd go for the highest spec card that fits in the 25w PCI-E power limitations of the HP MS.

AFAIK, this would then be the GT520, if you're looking at Nvidia. Currently only the Openelec distribution supports it OOB, but I've built two XBMC players with it on the HP MS and both are running rock solid.

At some point XBMCLive will also support it, but I'm becoming an Openelec convert. Boot time is seconds and you get much more of an 'appliance' feel with it.
Click to expand...

So do i set up my RAID using something like FreeNas first then install Openlec?
 
The_Unnamed said:
I am actually just thinking of running ubuntu and having XBMC load at start up .
Click to expand...

You basically have 2 choices:

1. Stick everything onto one box - Ubuntu + RAID + XBMC + SABnzbd, etc. + + +

Pros:

One piece of hardware.
Most cost effective.

Cons:

Be prepared to spend your waking hours keeping it all in sync.
Upgrading one bit without the others becomes a challenge. (I guess for some this is a pro and not a con)
Single point of failure.

2. Separate functionalities into different systems - NAS on one box, media player on another, applications on a 3rd, etc.

Pros:

Devices become 'appliances'.
You tend to install and forget.
Fiddling with one does not affect the others.
Better performance, reliability, etc.

Cons:

You need multiple hardware platforms.
More expensive.

After many years of running with different variations of the above, I've come up with the following architecture.

1. Dedicated NAS - unRAID
2. Dedicated Media players - XBMC (openelec / XBMCLive)
3. Virtualisation, i.e. App Server (ESXi) - on here I have a few Windows and Unix machines. This replaced around 5 to 10 of my original systems running dedicated applications. Each VM performs one specific function, so effectively they're dedicated as well.

The above architecture allows me to rapidly back up, move or restore a specific system. I'm done spending hours getting systems working.
 
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