server spec

[IA76]

Hi

I'm not really clued up on server specs so would this spec of server be ok to run a sql database and have 5 clients attached to it using server 2003?

Product Description Acer Altos G330 Mk2 - Dual-Core Xeon E3110 3 GHz
Type Server
Form Factor Tower
Dimensions (WxDxH) 18.6 cm x 48 cm x 42.5 cm
Weight 13.4 kg
Server Scalability 1-way
Processor 1 x Intel Dual-Core Xeon E3110 / 3 GHz ( Dual-Core )
Processor Main Features Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, Intel Virtualization Technology
Cache Memory 6 MB L2 Cache
Cache Per Processor 6 MB
RAM 1 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - ECC - 800 MHz
Storage Controller Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )
Hard Drive None.
Optical Storage DVD-ROM
Monitor None.
Networking Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet
Manufacturer Warranty 3 years warranty ( 1 year on-site )

[john]

Yes I'd think so for 5 clients, i'd mabe look at more ram. Don't forget it needs Hard Drives

[j17sparky]

Yep LOTS of ram. SQL can use all the ram you can throw at it. HDs maybe some WD Raptors as you wont need the space but the speed would make a differance.

[Psymon]

New VelociRaptors are 300Gb / 10kRPM AND 2.5" size

[dhicks]

New VelociRaptors are 300Gb / 10kRPM AND 2.5" size

The harddrives themselves are 2.5" form factor, but they're embedded in a 3.5" form factor heatsink. They should fit inside a case in the same way as a standard 3.5" drive. However, the SATA data and power connectors are in different places than a normal 3.5" drive, so they won't work in a standard drive caddy.

--
David Hicks

[ahuxham]

SQL does chew ram, and lots of it, examples.

Development Office Server - Running Donor Strategy Charity software, SQL based, 4 users, max 3 logged in at any given time. 691MB ram for the SQL process.

SMS Server - Running Microsoft Systems Management Service, SQL based, anything upto 800 clients requesting/polling, theoretical max 800, minimum 200 clients connected. 4.2GB Ram.

I'd recommend 1GB extra ram for 5-100 users, and 1GB for Operating system and other services.

2GB would suffice plenty, and as already stated, it will use all available ram.

[matt40k]

Acer.... yuck... *cough* HP *cough* Dell

I think dell are doing £100 for a server, just needs more ram, *cough* kingston, and a Windows 2003 Server license

[dhicks]

I think dell are doing £100 for a server, just needs more ram, *cough* kingston

The Dell PowerEdge T105 doesn't work with the RAM that Kingston reckons it will work with. This is definite, I've tried. Far simpler to buy RAM when you order the machine, and probably pretty much just as cheap - £100 or so for 4GB of RAM?

We've just bought our 3rd one of these servers, and fine little machines they are too, by the way. Quiet power supply, barely notice it's on - one's going in a prep classroom to act as a internet gateway. Dell's website reckons the case will only take two harddrives (and, actually, that £99 includes two 80GB SATA harddrives - bagain!, and only £60 to upgrade to a more decent couple of 250GB ones), but that means just in the provided tool-less harddrive slots, you can fit another couple of drives in the 3.5" expansion slot and the 5.25" slot with a bracket.

Also, if you're buying extra bits to trick-out your server: the website wouldn't let me select both a dual-port network adapter and RAID controller, as it reckoned the machine couldn't take both. It can, I just bought the same-model network adapter off eBay (cheaper, and with quicker delivery, by the way) and both work fine. I can't however, seem to get the BIOS-based setup utility for the PERC 6 RAID controller to work - you press the key on startup to load the utility and it just hangs. There's a Linux-based boot CD that comes with the machine that lets you, after a bit of messing around, configure the card, but only with one disk group - I wanted to configure my four disks into two seperate RAID-1 groups, but had to settle for one in hardware for the boot disk and use Linux software RAID for the data disk. Also note that if you do want to connect four disks to the RAID controller you'll need to buy another SAS-to-four-way-SATA adapter cable, as only one SAS-to-two-way-SATA cable come in the machine. You'll also need a SATA power cable extender to be able to plug all four drives and the CD-ROM drive in at the same time.

Sorry, this has turned into a product review... I'll just finish off by saying that delivery was very prompt, around 3 working days I think, and that build quality of the machine is good - someone's thought out the inside of that machine really well, it even has an on-board USB slot for a bootable pen drive. Ordering was a right palavar, though - I couldn't get hold of our "dedicated Dell contact" (who mostly try and flog you more expensive servers when you ring up, anyway), UK sales seem to have gone home (or the India-based operators put me through to the wrong number both times I tried), and the website wouldn't let me order both network card and RAID controller at the same time.

and a Windows 2003 Server license

Well, you don't need one of those!

--
David Hicks

[matt40k]

Don't need a license?!? Watch out for the Microsoft legal team!! All fine in most secondary schools cause they have school site licensing.

Kingston doesn't work?!? I had an issue with HP, you need the original in the first slot, (first pair for dual channel)

[kestrel1]

Personally I prefer the IBM servers:
IBM - System x tower servers overview - US
Or rack mount:
IBM - System x rack-mount servers overview - US

[dhicks]

Don't need a license?!?

Sorry, I meant as in you don't have to install Windows.

Kingston doesn't work?!? I had an issue with HP, you need the original in the first slot, (first pair for dual channel)

Ah, thanks, I might try that - I have 4GB of RAM sitting around doing nothing now, I'll try 2GB of it in with the Dell machine and see what happens.

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David Hicks

[dhicks]

Kingston doesn't work?!? I had an issue with HP, you need the original in the first slot, (first pair for dual channel)

Ah, thanks, I might try that - I have 4GB of RAM sitting around doing nothing now, I'll try 2GB of it in with the Dell machine and see what happens.

Nope, no Kingston RAM wants to work in that machine - no matter what combination of original / new RAM I try I get "Uncorrectable ECC error" reported on boot. It was worth a try, though :-)

--
David Hicks

[jamin100]

I've got 2 of these little Acer Servers and their quite good. Both have got 2GB Ram, A raid card and 2 500GB sata drives.

Server 1 has
Ghost
Policy Central (uses SQL Database)
WSUS (uses SQL database)

Server 2 is a file server for all the archives (which people rarely access) and acts as a backup for all my ghost images.