Dos_Box Posted July 15, 2014 Posted July 15, 2014 We are in the process of upgrading our ageing Thecus NAS boxes and had settled on the Gen 8 HP Microservers (maex out with a Xeon of course). This is great for me in the office, but after a bit of discussion with Shaun today we decided the 16G RAM limitation may be a bit of a bind for his specific requirements - lots of virtualisation and RAM intensive processes - so need something of a similar size and spec as the Microserver but with far greater RAM capacity (32GB ideally). We could build from scratch but it's always a pain getting bits returned if something breaks. Ideally we'd want a product from a single manufacturer. It should also be capable of running Windows Server\Linux and not stuck with a propriatry OS. Anyone know of any?
mdench Posted July 15, 2014 Posted July 15, 2014 Could you not buy a high end desktop from a manufacturer then its only one supplier to deal with spares / repairs and then stuff it full of drives? Or are you limited with space hence the size of the microserver? and budget?
jamesreedersmith Posted July 15, 2014 Posted July 15, 2014 Dell t110 ii (not as small but can pack a punch!)
dhicks Posted July 15, 2014 Posted July 15, 2014 need something of a similar size and spec as the Microserver but with far greater RAM capacity (32GB ideally). If this is a non rack-mount server, Tranqil PC might be a good option. Fanless machines, they will sit quietly in the corner of an office and not get clogged with dust. They do actually sell a rackmount server as well, complete with add-on 1U fanless storage units that take three harddrives each. 1
Dos_Box Posted July 15, 2014 Author Posted July 15, 2014 Mac Mini ! I was joking honest Belive me I considered it this afternoon. One drive bay simply isn't enough and it has a max 16GB RAM IIRC. 1
Dos_Box Posted July 15, 2014 Author Posted July 15, 2014 Could you not buy a high end desktop from a manufacturer then its only one supplier to deal with spares / repairs and then stuff it full of drives? Or are you limited with space hence the size of the microserver? and budget? It has to be small, and like the Microserver be able to take multiple (3+) drives and 32GB RAM. It will be running 24/7 pretty much so must be quiet and realatively low powered i.e. economical.
seawolf Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) The new Mac Pro connected to a Thunderbolt RAID array. Otherwise, you might speak to Kevin Le at iXsystems about getting a FreeNAS Mini as it supports 32GB RAM and 4 drives (OS is on a USB or SSD and doesn't take up one of the bays) or having a custom Microserver built if the specs on the stock model don't meet your requirements. They will build anything to meet your requirements and the costs are pretty reasonable. I've had one built by them and the are great to work with and will ship and warranty/support their gear overseas. Shipping wasn't much either. It will come with FreeNAS installed out of the box, but you would be able to install any version of Linux or Windows onto one of these units. p.s. pricing is only $995 + shipping for the barebones FreeNAS Mini without drives or $1,895 for 4 x 4TB (Enterprise) drives. Like I said, quite reasonable. Edited July 16, 2014 by seawolf
Dos_Box Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 The new Mac Pro connected to a Thunderbolt RAID array. Otherwise, you might speak to Kevin Le at iXsystems about getting a FreeNAS Mini as it supports 32GB RAM and 4 drives (OS is on a USB or SSD and doesn't take up one of the bays) or having a custom Microserver built if the specs on the stock model don't meet your requirements. They will build anything to meet your requirements and the costs are pretty reasonable. I've had one built by them and the are great to work with and will ship and warranty/support their gear overseas. Shipping wasn't much either. It will come with FreeNAS installed out of the box, but you would be able to install any version of Linux or Windows onto one of these units. p.s. pricing is only $995 + shipping for the barebones FreeNAS Mini without drives or $1,895 for 4 x 4TB (Enterprise) drives. Like I said, quite reasonable. Did I mention price? We really don't want to spend a fortune here, and I have noticed that @VeryPC do bespoke servers so I'm going to give them a ring today.
seawolf Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Did I mention price? We really don't want to spend a fortune here, and I have noticed that @VeryPC do bespoke servers so I'm going to give them a ring today. Was it the fully loaded FreeNAS Mini at $1,895 or the Mac Pro with Thunderbolt RAID array that was considered a fortune? I'd love to have the latter myself, but then I also need a new car and its one or the other if you know what I mean.
computer_expert Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) Dell do a microserver equivalent called the t20 - it has a xeon and can take up to 32gb ram Edited July 16, 2014 by computer_expert 1
SYNACK Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Was it the fully loaded FreeNAS Mini at $1,895 or the Mac Pro with Thunderbolt RAID array that was considered a fortune? I'd love to have the latter myself, but then I also need a new car and its one or the other if you know what I mean. I think power efficiency was also mentioned so a dual gpu, dual cpu plus external raid does not fit any of the criteria other than powerful for virtualization.
seawolf Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 I think power efficiency was also mentioned so a dual gpu, dual cpu plus external raid does not fit any of the criteria other than powerful for virtualization. You might think so, but no. At idle, the Mac Pro draws 43W and the fan generates a barely audible 12dB noise. At full power, it only draws 238W in its most powerful configuration. So, it is both quiet and power efficient. Cheap? Definitely not.
SYNACK Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 You might think so, but no. At idle, the Mac Pro draws 43W and the fan generates a barely audible 12dB noise. At full power, it only draws 238W in its most powerful configuration. So, it is both quiet and power efficient. Cheap? Definitely not. Nice, had not caught up with that, way more efficient than expected.
Arthur Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 way more efficient than expected. Well, it is made by Apple.
VeryPC Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Did I mention price? We really don't want to spend a fortune here, and I have noticed that @VeryPC do bespoke servers so I'm going to give them a ring today. We'll look forward to hearing from you! Al
ICTDirect_Dave Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 How about a nice workstation mate? Small enough to go in a cupboard, powerfull enough even for @ZeroHour
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