I'm building a server soon to move to a colocation arrangment. I've outgrown my current "reseller" needs. I also want more control and better reliability of my data. In fact, that's by far the single most important need I have. I won't live near my colocate and I can't have the server going down due to a failed disk. And I REALLY can't lose any data. Oh, and did I mention I don't want to spend a whole lot
Basically, I'd like to build a 1-4U server. I'm currently looking at one of these two cases:
http://www.plinkusa.net/webal4080.htm or;
http://www.plinkusa.net/web4060.htm
Any other suggestions? The reason I'm opting for these cases is due to my redundant hard disk needs. Due to my cost limitations (and how much 4-6 SCSI drives would add to the equation), I feel comfortable going with an IDE RAID. I'm thinking RAID-5 with the Adaptec 2400A RAID controller. The nice thing about this one is it is:
- Hot-swapable and;
- Hot-spare'able'
I'm thinking of getting some 5.25" hot-swap 3.5" hard disk bays to mount inside this case. I'm still debating whether or not to use a 3 disk + 1 spare or just run 4 disk and then manually replace a bad drive. Either way, I'd like the ability to replace the disk and begin rebuilding the drive without interruption to my customer's content.
What I'm wondering about is what other hardware to put in this thing...
I have a few nice Intel bus-mastering 10/100 PCI NIC's and plan on using those unless there's a compelling reason not to. As far as motherboard and CPU's go, I'm really looking at the absolute most stable configuration I can get. Again, stable, not speed. While speed is obviously an important factor, I can always add another server or replace this one at some later date if/when things get slow without upsetting customers. I cannot do the same if my server crashes once a month. It's a matter of customer retention...
So any ideas?
If you have suggestions on the RAID config or my case selection I'd love to hear about it as well! I'd honestly prefer a smaller footprint server (1-2U) however I haven't been able to find any that have even 4 X 3.5" bays let alone the 5.25" bays I'd prefer for my swapping capabilities... If anyone knows of a decent 1-2U case that WILL allow 4 drives (plus CD-ROM), I'd be VERY interested in hearing about it...
Thanks!
Basically, I'd like to build a 1-4U server. I'm currently looking at one of these two cases:
http://www.plinkusa.net/webal4080.htm or;
http://www.plinkusa.net/web4060.htm
Any other suggestions? The reason I'm opting for these cases is due to my redundant hard disk needs. Due to my cost limitations (and how much 4-6 SCSI drives would add to the equation), I feel comfortable going with an IDE RAID. I'm thinking RAID-5 with the Adaptec 2400A RAID controller. The nice thing about this one is it is:
- Hot-swapable and;
- Hot-spare'able'
I'm thinking of getting some 5.25" hot-swap 3.5" hard disk bays to mount inside this case. I'm still debating whether or not to use a 3 disk + 1 spare or just run 4 disk and then manually replace a bad drive. Either way, I'd like the ability to replace the disk and begin rebuilding the drive without interruption to my customer's content.
What I'm wondering about is what other hardware to put in this thing...
I have a few nice Intel bus-mastering 10/100 PCI NIC's and plan on using those unless there's a compelling reason not to. As far as motherboard and CPU's go, I'm really looking at the absolute most stable configuration I can get. Again, stable, not speed. While speed is obviously an important factor, I can always add another server or replace this one at some later date if/when things get slow without upsetting customers. I cannot do the same if my server crashes once a month. It's a matter of customer retention...
So any ideas?
If you have suggestions on the RAID config or my case selection I'd love to hear about it as well! I'd honestly prefer a smaller footprint server (1-2U) however I haven't been able to find any that have even 4 X 3.5" bays let alone the 5.25" bays I'd prefer for my swapping capabilities... If anyone knows of a decent 1-2U case that WILL allow 4 drives (plus CD-ROM), I'd be VERY interested in hearing about it...
Thanks!