New micro server <-- note the small m

[Drunkard #1]

So a few months back I'd just buy another MicroServer[SUP]TM[/SUP], but since that EOL, and I can't find any Atom boards (which is what I used before MicroServers), what do I use?

I'm thinking of a miniITX case (Coolermaster Elite 110) and the smallest Corsair power supply I can find (430W, I think), but what board? All this thing needs to do is run Linux headless to act as an FTP and email server for a very small office. I see that there's a server board on NewEgg, but it's costly and would be best with ECC RAM and a Xeon chip, so that's way over powered (and also draws too much power), and too expensive for this application.

What boards are available here? Maybe something with a soldered on chip, because T chips are rare as hens teeth?

Also, 2.5" drives or 3.5"? They'll only need a few hundred gigs.

Thanks.

 

[Crowley]

Why not get a Intel NUC or a Gigabyte Brix? They are mostly pre built and smaller than the Elite 110.

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-034779.htm

 

[garyc]

There are some locally available mini-ITX boards here: http://titan-ice.co.za/motherboards/mini-itx-boards/

Unfortunately the processors are not soldered on so you will have to bring your own. Maybe a low powered Celeron will do the job you want?

With the drives I went for the WD NAS drives in my MicroServer since they seemed best suited to my usage scenario. They are available in both 2.5" and 3.5", giving some flexibility to the chassis decision.

 

[JustinB]

Lenovo m72e

 

[i.got~issues]

Lenovo m72e

^^ Very nice little PC... pricey tho' unless you can get 2nd hand one in good condition.

Here... tiny mITX SOC board;

http://www.nivo.co.za/#buy~asus.mini.itx.intel.celeron.j1800.soc.cpu.motherboard.j1800i.c.~p45566

Asus Mini-ITX Intel Celeron J1800 SoC CPU Motherboard (J1800I-C)
• 1 x PCIe x1, 1 x mini-PCIe* • 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x SATA, 1 x HDMI
NIVO#: 45566 Model: J1800I-C Warranty: 1 year

Our price: R 1,069.00 (incl. VAT)

 

[Drunkard #1]

Why not get a Intel NUC or a Gigabyte Brix? They are mostly pre built and smaller than the Elite 110.

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-034779.htm

No space for RAID.

There are some locally available mini-ITX boards here: http://titan-ice.co.za/motherboards/mini-itx-boards/

Unfortunately the processors are not soldered on so you will have to bring your own. Maybe a low powered Celeron will do the job you want?

With the drives I went for the WD NAS drives in my MicroServer since they seemed best suited to my usage scenario. They are available in both 2.5" and 3.5", giving some flexibility to the chassis decision.

I'm not familiar with motherboard brands any more. I used to use Intel, but I see they haven't got much to offer. How do the ones listed compare? The Celeron SoC one only has two SATA ports - don't you think the boot drive should be separate from the RAID space?

I've always thought of 2.5" drives as more reliable (don't know why, maybe it's because of those Velociraptors and Cheetahs). Have you ever seen any stats?

What are your thoughts on non-Intel on-board networking?

Lenovo m72e

No space for RAID. Local availability?

 

[Arthur]

No space for RAID.

Does anyone use RAID? It's so 90s.

 

[i.got~issues]

Hmmm... RAID be a spanner in them SOC works... BUT, why not boot off USB flashdrive? Thus boot drive separate from RAID.

I have a clump of (non RAID) Western Digital Black 2.5" drives and all are going strong... no stats, but own limited experience can attest to these being more reliable than their 3.5" variants.

The hunt is thus on for a SOC with RAID in mITX format...

No space for RAID.



I'm not familiar with motherboard brands any more. I used to use Intel, but I see they haven't got much to offer. How do the ones listed compare? The Celeron SoC one only has two SATA ports - don't you think the boot drive should be separate from the RAID space?

I've always thought of 2.5" drives as more reliable (don't know why, maybe it's because of those Velociraptors and Cheetahs). Have you ever seen any stats?



No space for RAID. Local availability?

What about a NAS with Atom SOC like this;

http://www.thecus.com/product.php?PROD_ID=87

 

[JustinB]

^^ Very nice little PC... pricey tho' unless you can get 2nd hand one in good condition.

I got mine off BoB for ±R2k - in very good condition.

I'd use a dedicated NAS (or run FreeNAS on a microserver like machine if needed) - OR you can get 4 bay USB/esata bay that can support RAID (Saw one on amazon for ±$100)

 

[garyc]

I'm not familiar with motherboard brands any more. I used to use Intel, but I see they haven't got much to offer. How do the ones listed compare? The Celeron SoC one only has two SATA ports - don't you think the boot drive should be separate from the RAID space?

I've always thought of 2.5" drives as more reliable (don't know why, maybe it's because of those Velociraptors and Cheetahs). Have you ever seen any stats?

Intel still make server boards but you will need to go for a bigger chassis to accommodate one of these. The merits of the other brands relative to each other seems to be more a matter of a religious war than anything else

There are some advantages to using a separate boot drive for RAID. This makes it easier to diagnose array problems when using soft RAID. It also makes it easier to migrate the array to another machine if needed. As Arthur said a lot of companies (e.g. Google) are using data replication across multiple machines these days as an alternative.

Unfortunately I have not seen any stats on the reliability of 2.5" drives vs. 3.5" drives. Backblaze does publish some reliability stats on the types of 3.5" drives that they use.

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/what-hard-drive-should-i-buy/
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-update-september-2014/

 

[D4N]

I have the same case and this motherboard. How many drives do you want to add? Note that the case supports the following configurations:

3.5" x 3, or
3.5" x 2 + 2.5" x 2 or
3.5" x 1 + 2.5" x 3 ​or
2.5" x 4

 

[Drunkard #1]

What about a NAS with Atom SOC like this;

http://www.thecus.com/product.php?PROD_ID=87

Well that one is listed as EOL, but I see that Qnap makes quite a few products with great spec sheets. NAS enclosures with custom OS and server functionality and remote replication. Tempting... especially comparing prices.

 

[CataclysmZA]

Edit: None of my advice will help here.

 

[CriticalConsumer]

So a few months back I'd just buy another MicroServer[SUP]TM[/SUP], but since that EOL, and I can't find any Atom boards (which is what I used before MicroServers), what do I use?

I'm thinking of a miniITX case (Coolermaster Elite 110)View attachment 169711 and the smallest Corsair power supply I can find (430W, I think), but what board? All this thing needs to do is run Linux headless to act as an FTP and email server for a very small office. I see that there's a server board on NewEgg, but it's costly and would be best with ECC RAM and a Xeon chip, so that's way over powered (and also draws too much power), and too expensive for this application.

What boards are available here? Maybe something with a soldered on chip, because T chips are rare as hens teeth?

Also, 2.5" drives or 3.5"? They'll only need a few hundred gigs.

Thanks.

Hi there, the HP Microserver range is still available however this is the G8 version at around R6k without extras - rather expensive right now but hang in there for the silly season sales.

You can get spares (if you are lucky)for the G6 from an authorised HP reseller or similar.

2.5" drives if you are happy with 5400 RPM speed. Let me see if I can find an mITX board for you (pro-sumer grade).

Here are some Intel options from Asus (best motherboard make globally). You would be able to purchase many of these board locally.

http://www.asus.com/za/Motherboards/Intel_Platform_Products/

 

[Drunkard #1]

Hi there, the HP Microserver range is still available however this is the G8 version at around R6k without extras - rather expensive right now but hang in there for the silly season sales.

You can get spares (if you are lucky)for the G6 from an authorised HP reseller or similar.

2.5" drives if you are happy with 5400 RPM speed. Let me see if I can find an mITX board for you (pro-sumer grade).

Here are some Intel options from Asus (best motherboard make globally). You would be able to purchase many of these board locally.

http://www.asus.com/za/Motherboards/Intel_Platform_Products/

Well, I waited for the specials, since the Qnap seemed a bit costly after adding shipping and customs. Esquire has now them for R 5 243, and I've ordered two.

I'm still weighing my options on drives... The storage will be 2x3TB SV35 in RAID 1, but what about boot? 320GB 2.5" with an adaptor (I have some available), or 500GB 3.5" (over R 600 each) or just run from the internal USB? Decisions, decisions...

 

[CriticalConsumer]

Well, I waited for the specials, since the Qnap seemed a bit costly after adding shipping and customs. Esquire has now them for R 5 243, and I've ordered two.

I'm still weighing my options on drives... The storage will be 2x3TB SV35 in RAID 1, but what about boot? 320GB 2.5" with an adaptor (I have some available), or 500GB 3.5" (over R 600 each) or just run from the internal USB? Decisions, decisions...

In terms of the boot drive, I would go with a 256GB SSD for better performance. Keep the SSD clean with just the OS, Apps and Anti-virus.

I currently use a 256B SSD in my N54 MicroServer as a boot drive and love it.