Server build, help needed, earn a gold star!

[leveller]

Gold star to anyone who can help me build an ideal server box.

Requirements:

1) small
2) low power
3) quiet
4) secure - network attached, but only accessible to the internal LAN
5) will serve as iTunes store
6) Photo store
7) Video store
8) will be used to store image backups of 4 HDDs from 2 computers (250GB, 1TB, 250GB, 1TB = 2.5TB - but will likely want ability to expand over the years)
9) can be controlled remotely on the LAN as it will be stored in an inaccessible location. Not suitable for keyboards, mice and monitors.
10) upgradability for future faster network cards, hard drives etc
11) cost not an issue

I'm confident enough to build it. But I've never built a small form server before, I don't know where to start! That's why I need YOU.

Any advice?

 

[sm625]

Why cant you use this? http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digita.../dp/B0047FL85U. You shouldnt need overly large backup images if you are using a NAS, no? So this 3TB unit should be enough.

 

[mfenn]

What do you mean by "store"? Are you running some sort of web shop from this or do you just mean "storage" for your personal media?

 

[leveller]

Sorry, just my wording. I meant accessible folders containing those items.

Ideally with RAID ability as well.

Also what would give me the fastest network transfer feeds? That is very important.

 

[mnewsham]

Sorry, just my wording. I meant accessible folders containing those items.

Ideally with RAID ability as well.

Also what would give me the fastest network transfer feeds? That is very important.

Gigabit network cards in the server and then build yourself a local gigabit network with gigabit switches and such. Then connect directly to your computer or computers with gigabit Ethernet connections. That will give you high speed connection between your computers and the server. If you need higher speeds you are out of luck unless you are spending a LOT of money. You wont need a high power system for storage and basic server functions.

 

[pitz]

If you want a total lights-out solution, no keyboard/mouse/monitor, I'd suggest that you take a good close look at the Intel Q67 chipset. With a cheap i3 or i5 CPU.

You can literally VNC into the console, reboot remotely, etc., completely independant of the operating system. And since its a Sandy Bridge platform, the power consumption is very low.

As for network transfer speeds, that ultimately depends on the I/O subsystem you install, and the NICs that are in the machine. Just as a point of reference, saturating a gig-E interface on my i7-2600 burns less than 20% of a single CPU in a server configuration.

 

[mfenn]

If you want a total lights-out solution, no keyboard/mouse/monitor, I'd suggest that you take a good close look at the Intel Q67 chipset. With a cheap i3 or i5 CPU.

You can literally VNC into the console, reboot remotely, etc., completely independant of the operating system. And since its a Sandy Bridge platform, the power consumption is very low.

As for network transfer speeds, that ultimately depends on the I/O subsystem you install, and the NICs that are in the machine. Just as a point of reference, saturating a gig-E interface on my i7-2600 burns less than 20% of a single CPU in a server configuration.

:thumbsup: You'll be bottlenecked by GigE and your disk long before you touch the power of even a low-end CPU.

As for a build:

i3 2100 $110 AP
Intel Q67 mini-ITX board $130
DDR3 1333 4GB $19
2TB Seagate 5900RPM x3 = $350 - 2+1 RAID5 will give you 4TB of capacity right off the bat (use Windows Server or Linux software RAID5)
Fractal Array case $160
Total: $769

You can install from USB thumb drive or remotely mount an ISO using the Q67's remote admin capabilities, so you don't need an optical. You could also use a small 2.5" HDD or SSD for the OS without taking up one of the 6 3.5" bays in the Array. The Q67 mobo only has 4 onboard SATA ports, but you have the x16 slot free to add a SATA HBA or RAID card in the future.