**Home Lab** Secondary "Server Room" Advice

[Whistler]

Hi, In my Office at home currently, I am running a Dell R710 as my main Hyper-V Host. Works great. I have my "Core" switch running in there, with my Internet connection coming in via Virgin to my "SuperHub" all running inside of my Server Rack. I additionally have an HP Microserver holding all of my Data, using iSCSI to hold all of the VMs running on the R710, as well as all User Data. Before I had the R710, I had an "old" ML350 G5 with a reasonable amount of RAM/Storage. I've got a 1500GB RAID 5 Array pulled together with some old drives, and 120GB for the OS with Server 2012 R2 Datacenter installed on it currently. It is however running idle, with nothing running on it.

 

We have a building in the garden with electricity running to it. I would like to set this server up in the other building to replicate some of the VMs running on my main Hypervisor. The building itself doesn't have any networking in it currently. It receives about 1 bar Wireless coverage from our Wireless inside of the house, but that's not going to be enough. I was thinking of either running a physical Cat6 cable to the outbuilding. The building is only about 15 metres from the house, with the switch that it'd be fed off being around that similar. The current setup I have with the wiring of the house is as follows:

 

Incoming Coaxial from Outside > Switch > Cable from Switch, back out hole Coaxial came in > Into Loft > Switch in Loft (VLANs configured) to feed rooms/another cable coming out of same hole, to Kitchen extension with Switch in there with Television > Another cable coming through other side of house to dining room > Switch in there currently working fine.

 

My goal is to create another trunk port on the last switch in the Dining Room and then run an Ethernet cable from that to the outbuilding. From there I'd reuse another switch I've got, configuring the port as it's uplink and replicating the VLANs I've got setup currently within the house. I'd want to place an HDMI over Ethernet receiver that I've got in there also, so I can watch television in the outbuilding also.

 

I'd also like to use a Graphics Card in the HP ML350 and create a Windows 7 VM and use it as a workstation also, using my existing Domain Credentials I have as a "Standard User" i.e I want anyone to be able to logon to the Server, but not kill any of the replicating VMs.

 

I'd be interested in your thoughts on this, as on paper it sounds like a reasonable thing to accomplish. You may equally ask why I want it?! Well, the simple answer to that I guess is that the building/server isn't being used for anything else. I want to use it, and I have all of the equipment and it seems to be a fun project.

 

Thanks to anyone that can give pointers on this.

 

Whistler.

[3s-gtech]

More a consideration for commercial premises, but for an external connection to another building you should run fibre to avoid differences in earth potential over copper. You can use pre-terminated patch leads, but obviously you'll need SFPs or similar either end. It's a better job.

[Whistler]

More a consideration for commercial premises, but for an external connection to another building you should run fibre to avoid differences in earth potential over copper. You can use pre-terminated patch leads, but obviously you'll need SFPs or similar either end. It's a better job.

 

 

Thanks for your advice, I did consider previously what you've suggested. I've got SFP slots on one end on the switch in the outbuilding, but none on the other switch sadly. I'll see how much money it would be to upgrade my switch to one with SFP slots on it, and also the cable itself.

 

Cheers,

Whistler.

[MatthewL]

Other option to link would be look at the Ubiquiti point to point links as seen on this page.

 

They are cracking bits of kit and in such short distance they would be more than enough. We have them running a wireless internet around here off various tower sites with no issues.

[Whistler]

Other option to link would be look at the Ubiquiti point to point links as seen on this page.

 

They are cracking bits of kit and in such short distance they would be more than enough. We have them running a wireless internet around here off various tower sites with no issues.

 

I did consider this, but was confused as to how I would make them work with VLANs i.e the VLAN for the HDMI over Ethernet and the VLAN for the Main Network? If these are doable with this then it may be the better option.

 

Cheers for your help!

 

Whistler.

[burgemaster]

Sounds a fun project. Wouldn't you need 2 x lan cables run anyway? I might be wrong but I thought hdmi over catX would need a dedicated line? Remember encryption if your data is going in the shed..

[twin--turbo]

whats the power bill????

 

I just chucked 5x DL380-G7's from work , I could have blagged one but I think the energy usage would have been significantly more than my Quad Core Desktop board.

 

TT

[Whistler]

Sounds a fun project. Wouldn't you need 2 x lan cables run anyway? I might be wrong but I thought hdmi over catX would need a dedicated line? Remember encryption if your data is going in the shed..

 

Haha, thanks. Yup, definitely will be! I only need 1 cable. I bought a receiver/transmitter from a company called "Esynic" which only requires 1x cable. We have them plugged into our smart switches on their own VLAN and created a trunk on port 8 with our main network VLAN, and the HDMI VLAN. I replicated this setup at work as well. I need to sort out an encryption solution. In regards to physical access, the door itself has a coded lock on it, as well as a physical lock on the door of the Server. There will be a webcam with some software on (can't think of the name) which starts recording whenever motion is detected. I need to look at software for encryption however, any software you recommend to do so?

 

Thanks,

 

Whistler.

[Whistler]

whats the power bill????

 

I just chucked 5x DL380-G7's from work , I could have blagged one but I think the energy usage would have been significantly more than my Quad Core Desktop board.

 

TT

For the whole house? £220 a month. I know the G5's are quite power hungry, but it's served me well and until I can afford another Microserver I can't see myself getting rid of it. Plus, I use 2.5" SAS Drives which wouldn't fit in the Microserver. I have an N54L G7 which works fine for me as discussed in the original post.

[twin--turbo]

For the whole house? £220 a month. I know the G5's are quite power hungry, but it's served me well and until I can afford another Microserver I can't see myself getting rid of it. Plus, I use 2.5" SAS Drives which wouldn't fit in the Microserver. I have an N54L G7 which works fine for me as discussed in the original post.

 

Just on leccy ???

 

Is it a mansion?

 

TT

[XiJ]

For only a bit more I ran my first house for a YEAR on that lol.

[twin--turbo]

I have 2x Quad Xeon Dell R810's in our office test cluster that will probably be decommissioned to be replaced by some ex-frontline 380G8's... But despite being tempting the power use and noise just puts me off. . I recon the power cost could easily out way the cost of an efficient system like a Microserver.

 

At the end of the day for me, I don't stretch my old DG45 desktop to actually warrant anything more.

 

TT

[Whistler]

Just on leccy ???

 

Is it a mansion?

 

TT

Yup, just Leccy. Nope (I really wish, haha!) 4 Bedroom Detached.

[twin--turbo]

yikes!!!

 

Do you use electric heating only????

 

~£65 on a 3bd semi. It's fairly even through the years as my Pond circulates 24/7 April-Nov, and we have more house lighting Nov-April.

[XiJ]

My 4 bed detached cosy ~£30 a month for Leccy and I've complained to kids about leaving TV's on lol

 

We have Philips hue bulbs which are low energy and I've just moved my home built pic 'mediaserver' (plex) to the cloud. It was only ever wake on lan anyway.

 

A bit more on topic, I would just run Cat5e - cat6 if you need to but at those distances its not gonna make a huge difference.

The unifi point to point is good though I'd be concerned about hdmi and data over that though.

[Whistler]

yikes!!!

 

Do you use electric heating only????

 

~£65 on a 3bd semi. It's fairly even through the years as my Pond circulates 24/7 April-Nov, and we have more house lighting Nov-April.

 

Nope, We have "normal" heating i.e coming from boiler, water pumped etc etc. No electric heaters within the house at all. Your Electricity is decently priced! We have all of the equipment running, as mentioned and also have a pond pump outside, however running 24/7 also.

 

I'm looking to replace some of the spot lights to LEDs within the rooms to cut costs. We have a CCTV DVR running also, but I'm wanting to centralise as much as I can, possibly using IP Cameras and then feed it into the Server and store it on the Microserver with eventually a mirror to this proposed server room.

[Whistler]

My 4 bed detached cosy ~£30 a month for Leccy and I've complained to kids about leaving TV's on lol

 

We have Philips hue bulbs which are low energy and I've just moved my home built pic 'mediaserver' (plex) to the cloud. It was only ever wake on lan anyway.

 

A bit more on topic, I would just run Cat5e - cat6 if you need to but at those distances its not gonna make a huge difference.

The unifi point to point is good though I'd be concerned about hdmi and data over that though.

 

Similarly, wow - your electric is dead cheap compared to mine! My reply to Twin Turbo actually references your suggestion, I was thinking of going with LEDs for the rooms, with Phillips Hue being the choice however the cost looks quite expensive?

 

The cloud is an option, however call me "old fashioned" but I think nothing beats local storage and having physical access to it. Whilst in the grand scheme of things most of our home networks are penetratable for the real experts in the field, it's something about physically having the drive which makes me happier about having it locally than in the cloud. Prices online for storage however are very competitive these days versus physical drives.

 

I was considering Cat 5e, however the HDMI over Ethernet adapters I bought specifically mentioned Cat 6. However, checking the port status on my switch shows it only running at 100Mbps. I'd have to do some research, but I've found 50 metres of Cat 6, shielded etc for about £20, which for me seems quite reasonable?

 

I second your thoughts on using the Ubiquiti link. I do like it, and would be easier to do than Fibre/Ethernet but was wondering as to weather it was capable of the throughput of all the data going between the two devices and at the rate of transfer.

 

It's a few things to weight up, it'll probably happen Spring/Summer - but it pays to do planning beforehand. I'll be sure to post some photos if I get it done. I need to find a smallish Rack to use as I'm thinking of using the ML350 as a spare server if the R710 dies, and use a MicroServer down in the other building to just do backups and replicate my core servers).

 

Thanks again for your suggestions and pointers, it's helped for me to consider a few things.

 

Whistler.

[twin--turbo]

I know it's going off topic slightly but running cost of home labs should be a big consideration.

 

I am upgrading to a 10,000L Pond pump in spring, the total running cost for 24/7/365 with ( with 2 auxilliar pumps and led lamps) will rise to £120 for the year and the new pump is not an eco.

 

The home lab PC uses ~£50 a year.

 

I can well imagine your DLxxx is eating £500 a year whilst the micro only £50 . But a power meter ( £5 ) off ebay could help work it ot for sure.

 

TT

[computer_expert]

It's a few things to weight up, it'll probably happen Spring/Summer - but it pays to do planning beforehand. I'll be sure to post some photos if I get it done. I need to find a smallish Rack to use as I'm thinking of using the ML350 as a spare server if the R710 dies, and use a MicroServer down in the other building to just do backups and replicate my core servers).

 

You'd be better off getting another R710 (or T710 if you need a tower) as they are much more efficient than a G5 or older HP. I say anything older than a HP G6 or Dell Rx10/Tx10 series isn't really worth it due to the power they drink and noise levels (more so for rack servers).

[psydii]

In a 2 bed, uninsulated terrace, no double glazing, no central heating, electric heaters, oven and hob, and bathroom rail, our bill was (refactored for 2016 pricing), £600ish a year.

 

So double it, and add a third for loss of heat due to being detached, add in some computers and big tellies, and circa £200 a month is actually a plausible figure.

 

Plenty of opportunity to bring it right down though!

[psydii]

( To reduce running costs LEDs are a big big win. I've gone with Hue recently - for fun rather than honest practicality. In a prior place I just bought well reviewed lowish cost LEDs from "the internet")

[Whistler]

I know it's going off topic slightly but running cost of home labs should be a big consideration.

 

I am upgrading to a 10,000L Pond pump in spring, the total running cost for 24/7/365 with ( with 2 auxilliar pumps and led lamps) will rise to £120 for the year and the new pump is not an eco.

 

The home lab PC uses ~£50 a year.

 

I can well imagine your DLxxx is eating £500 a year whilst the micro only £50 . But a power meter ( £5 ) off ebay could help work it ot for sure.

 

TT

A Power Meter's now on my "to do" list. Thanks for the recommendation. I, for reference was planning to use am ML350 so slightly better than the DLxxx series (I think?!)

 

Whistler.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

You'd be better off getting another R710 (or T710 if you need a tower) as they are much more efficient than a G5 or older HP. I say anything older than a HP G6 or Dell Rx10/Tx10 series isn't really worth it due to the power they drink and noise levels (more so for rack servers).

 

You think I'd be better off just selling the ML350 then? Any idea of what they're worth? (24GBs of RAM, 10x Gigabit Ethernet Ports (mixture of cards) and the obvious iLO (Advanced License))

 

Whistler.

[Whistler]

In a 2 bed, uninsulated terrace, no double glazing, no central heating, electric heaters, oven and hob, and bathroom rail, our bill was (refactored for 2016 pricing), £600ish a year.

 

So double it, and add a third for loss of heat due to being detached, add in some computers and big tellies, and circa £200 a month is actually a plausible figure.

 

Plenty of opportunity to bring it right down though!

Looking to do this. Power Meter is about to be put on order for Server Cabinet. The Microserver idea looks pleasing as previously discussed. Something to replace the ML350 with I think.

 

Whistler.

[Whistler]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. After replying to everyone, I seem I may have quoted multiple people into a single reply, sorry!

 

I'm thinking of selling my ML350 now, and getting another Microserver. I lose the ability to do RAID 5 natively without a card, and I'm always hesitant to go with Software RAID. I want the solution to be as low power as possible, with after consulting all replies the G5 seems to be out of the question! I've always had a love-hate relationship with that machine, however it's more suited to eBay I think in hindsight. Anyone know what spec Microserver I ought to go for? At the minute, I've got an N54L, 6GB RAM, P410 RAID and 8x Drives in (mixture of 2.5 SSD and HDD). Would be replicating 3x VMs, with one additional VM hosted on that machine for a Windows 7 Workstation with Graphics Passthrough for a workstation.

 

Thanks again everyone and again apologies if I've slightly messed up the replies!

 

It's a great forum this is, kudos given to everyone who's contributed!

 

Whistler.

[computer_expert]

There's a list of tower servers in this post here from a recent thread.

 

As for the ML350, you'd probably be better off selling it on ebay (I've no idea for what price but do a completed/sold search and it should give you a good idea).