Building server - need hardware recommendations please!

[ddeder]

I am preparing to build a dedicated server that will run Windows 2000 Server and Exchange 2000 Server. I would like to set this machine up with a RAID-5 array. I have a number of questions about what hardware I should use:

CASE

First of all, RAID-5 requires three hard drives. Therefore, I need a case that can handle three hard drives. Are there cases designed especially for servers that accomodate large numbers of hard drives? Can someone please recommend a nice case for me? I don't want the most expensive case and I don't want the cheapest case. I need something that is proven and easy to work with.

MOTHERBOARD

I intend to use an AMD Athlon XP processor (unless someone can talk me into using Intel).

Are there motherboards that are built especially for servers? Does the motherboard have to support a RAID array itself or can I add a controller card to it that will support a RAID array? The motherboard must be on the AMD recommended list. The board must support ECC PC2100 RAM. I am only interested in single processor motherboards.

HARD DRIVES

Can I go with either IDE or SCSI hard drives? Will 20GB Western Digital 7200 RPM drives work okay for me, or is there something better?

 

[Superwormy]

Case: any case should do, but make sure you find something with at least 6 drive bays preferably, and if you want to go hardcore, look for somethign with redundent power supplies.


Motherboard:

DEFINITALLY if you're building a server go with a Dual Processor motherboard. Even if you only buy one CPU right now, and the other way far far in the future. They're not all that expensive, and its definitally teh most cost-effective way to be able to upgrade in the future. Look at Tyan's MPX boards.

You should go with Athlon MP's as well. You can ( and probably should ) buy a PCI RAID card. And if you're looking at RAID 5, then I woudl probably go with SCSI as well, more reliable and better performance, more established in the RAID market as well. You probably dont' actually need RAID 5 unless you're talking very heavy server loads, but in that case youd' probably be wanting to get dual CPU too 🙂

 

[Woodie]

1. Search. This is a relatively frequently asked question.
2. If this is for a business, then the answer is Dell, HP/Compaq, IBM, etc. Branded servers provide all the features, and more importantly the right level of support for a BUSINESS server.

Assumiing this is for a home network, then:
RAID controllers are generally offered as add-in boards, so they can be replaced if they go bad. So, motherboard selection isn't a big issue. Many controllers are available with a 64-bit PCI interface, so obviously you'd want a motherboard that had a 64-bit slot.
If you want RAID5, then there aren't many IDE based options available. 99% of the RAID-5 cards on the market are SCSI based. You are correct that RAID5 requires a minimum of 3 drives, however the % of drive space lost will go down as you add drives, so it's more efficient to add drives to an array than to buy bigger drives.

Case wise: There are a number of server cases on the market. The Compaq one I use at home has 4 internal hot-swappable drives (I can pull the drives out w/o opening the case). I also have 2 external drive arrays (think a tower case w/ 7 HD bays in it)--one tower, one 4U rackmount. Here it depends on what you want to do. You could buy a 2U server case w/ 2-6 SCSI drive bays, but it won't be really cheap. You could also get a full tower, but you wouldn't get the removable drives feature.

 

[Whitedog]

The most important issue is how many users connected, and what role.

Is it going to be "Exchange Only"? or also serve as a File server? (not recommended)

There's a lot of questions to be asked before you can start recommending hardware.

 

[LazyBastard]

Is this for a business, or a personal setup?

Where I work, we use Compaq Proliant DL580 servers, with Compaq external storage cabinets (I forget the model number), all rackmount, for our Exchange servers.

 

[Daovonnaex]

If you're hell-bent on going uniprocessor, then your budget is probably nothing special. For a case, you'll want a large case that breathes well and has many hard drive bays. You'll also want a reliable power supply. The answer then is simple: Antec cases. Most Antec full tower cases come with as many as five internal HDD racks. Something like an SX1040 or SX1240 will suit you well.
As for the mainboard, there are mainboards designed for server use. They're called dual processor mainboards...in terms of single processor mainboards, just select one with the best possible I/O performance and reliability. Since you want an Athlon XP, you should then purchase an nForce 2 based board, which supports dual-channel, ECC DDR SDRAM (up to PC3200). It has the best I/O performance of any uniprocessor chipset available.
Yes, you can go with either ATA (IDE) or SCSI hard disks. SCSI hard disks are better, but that doesn't seem to be in your budget. When running a server, your hard disk must support tagged I/O requests for good performance. The only ATA hard disk which supports this are IBM's GXP disks (75GXP, 60GXP, 120GXP, and 180GXP). There are some doubts over whether or not IBM's disks are reliable, so be wary (note: certain Deskstar 180GXP models have 8MB of cache, which is a plus). 20GB Western Digital drives are not a good idea, for the simple reason that they do not support tagged I/O requests.

 

[ddeder]

Thanks for the replies. The server is for my church. There are currently 8 workstations on the network but this may soon be expanded to 10 or more.

I have built many, many computers in my time but I have never attempted to build a true server and I have never set up a RAID array on a computer. For that matter, I have never used anything but IDE hard drives.

Now I know I can go the easy way and recommend buying a Dell, but what kind of service can we expect from Dell if something goes wrong? Will they come out and install a new hard drive and restore the data if a drive fails? Or will they just send out a new hard drive and leave it to us to install it and recover?