[opensuse] Recommendations for a server?
Hi, I need some basic recommendations for a server. It won't be cutting edge. As of now I run a postgresql and a wee bit of internal web-serving for 30 people on an average PC. Mainly it hosts the database. I'm aiming a bit higher now like more than 4GB and a quadcore cpu or something like that. WOW ;) Is there anything to avoid with the new Suse? Any issue with certain mainboards, chipsets or CPUs like i7 or the newer AMDs? The performance of the graphics chip is not really important. An onboard solution would do. Which makes the least problems right now, AMD or Nvidia? Are there recommendable harddisks? Currently I've got two 250GB pieces as softraid1 and thats plenty of capacity. I'd like to get the fastest for an affordable price, though. Is there an UPS that works smoothly with Suse so it can shutdown the server when it needs to? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Andreas wrote:
Hi, I need some basic recommendations for a server. It won't be cutting edge. As of now I run a postgresql and a wee bit of internal web-serving for 30 people on an average PC. Mainly it hosts the database.
I'm aiming a bit higher now like more than 4GB and a quadcore cpu or something like that. WOW ;)
Is there anything to avoid with the new Suse? Any issue with certain mainboards, chipsets or CPUs like i7 or the newer AMDs? The performance of the graphics chip is not really important. An onboard solution would do. Which makes the least problems right now, AMD or Nvidia?
Are there recommendable harddisks? Currently I've got two 250GB pieces as softraid1 and thats plenty of capacity. I'd like to get the fastest for an affordable price, though.
Get an HP Proliant, perhaps a DL380G5 which is a couple of years old. Depending on config, it should be available on ebay for EUR200-300. A G3 for less than EUR100, but here you'd get multiple physical CPUs, not multi-core.
Is there an UPS that works smoothly with Suse so it can shutdown the server when it needs to?
APC or HP. -- Per Jessen, Zürich (6.0°C) -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On 11/20/2011 1:00 AM, Andreas wrote:
Hi, I need some basic recommendations for a server. It won't be cutting edge. As of now I run a postgresql and a wee bit of internal web-serving for 30 people on an average PC. Mainly it hosts the database.
I'm aiming a bit higher now like more than 4GB and a quadcore cpu or something like that. WOW ;)
Is there anything to avoid with the new Suse? Any issue with certain mainboards, chipsets or CPUs like i7 or the newer AMDs? The performance of the graphics chip is not really important. An onboard solution would do. Which makes the least problems right now, AMD or Nvidia?
Are there recommendable harddisks? Currently I've got two 250GB pieces as softraid1 and thats plenty of capacity. I'd like to get the fastest for an affordable price, though.
Is there an UPS that works smoothly with Suse so it can shutdown the server when it needs to?
For servers just get good nics and good hard drives and good cooling. One or two hot spares for your raid won't hurt. Consider bigger drives. Even if you don't currently need them. Dual independent power supplies are nice, because they do fail sometimes. Any of the mainstream UPS seem to have solutions that work on Linux. http://linux.die.net/man/8/upsmon http://www.apcupsd.org/ http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netsysm/article.php/10954_3295841_... Any onboard video solution will do because you probably won't use it much, it doesn't need to do anything other than run text mode in reality. Once you get the OS installed and ssh up there is really little reason to touch the server physically. Enough memory is probably less than you might expect unless that postgresgl is huge, or you decide to run virtual machines on the server. Then, 6 might not be enough. just don't let them populate all slots in case your workload changes. As for CPUs and cores, I suspect 4 cores is overkill but hard to avoid in these days, and dirt cheap. No reason to go with any cutting edge chipsets here. I never spec servers as high end machines in terms of processing power. The do almost no work. -- _____________________________________ ---This space for rent--- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On Sunday, November 20, 2011 03:10 PM John Andersen wrote:
On 11/20/2011 1:00 AM, Andreas wrote:
[snip] My comments presume you're considering building rather than buying (since e.g. you ask about recommended disk drives; oem machines don't specify such).
Any onboard video solution will do because you probably won't use it much, it doesn't need to do anything other than run text mode in reality.
Agreed. Just note that there have been many driver issues with integrated on- board graphics drivers, especially Intel. I've found the very inexpensive nvidia older chip add-on cards to be worth the few extra bucks (or euros). [snip]
As for CPUs and cores, I suspect 4 cores is overkill but hard to avoid in these days, and dirt cheap. No reason to go with any cutting edge chipsets here.
I recommend a dual-core AMD, very inexpensive, great value, and more than adequate. A 65w CPU draws less power and is much cooler. While a newer chipset is unnecessary, Socket AM3 is important for investment protection. Re hard disks: While some manufacturers in general have better quality than others, the particular model is more important. E.g., WD has good overall quality but its early green drives had very mixed results. I just added a highly-rated Samsung to my server which while having fewer RPM's uses new platter technology and consequently performs on par to faster drives but is much cooler. With disks it really pays to read the reviews. My two cents. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
Dennis Gallien wrote:
Re hard disks: While some manufacturers in general have better quality than others, the particular model is more important. E.g., WD has good overall quality but its early green drives had very mixed results.
Yes, they die too soon.
I just added a highly-rated Samsung to my server which while having fewer RPM's uses new platter technology and consequently performs on par to faster drives but is much cooler. With disks it really pays to read the reviews.
It is also usually worth paying the extra money for server-grade drives. (i.e. intended for 24-hour operation). -- Per Jessen, Zürich (4.1°C) -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
On 11/20/2011 3:10 PM, John Andersen wrote:
On 11/20/2011 1:00 AM, Andreas wrote:
Hi, I need some basic recommendations for a server. It won't be cutting edge. As of now I run a postgresql and a wee bit of internal web-serving for 30 people on an average PC. Mainly it hosts the database.
I'm aiming a bit higher now like more than 4GB and a quadcore cpu or something like that. WOW ;)
Is there anything to avoid with the new Suse? Any issue with certain mainboards, chipsets or CPUs like i7 or the newer AMDs? The performance of the graphics chip is not really important. An onboard solution would do. Which makes the least problems right now, AMD or Nvidia?
Are there recommendable harddisks? Currently I've got two 250GB pieces as softraid1 and thats plenty of capacity. I'd like to get the fastest for an affordable price, though.
Is there an UPS that works smoothly with Suse so it can shutdown the server when it needs to?
For servers just get good nics and good hard drives and good cooling. One or two hot spares for your raid won't hurt. Consider bigger drives. Even if you don't currently need them.
Dual independent power supplies are nice, because they do fail sometimes. Any of the mainstream UPS seem to have solutions that work on Linux. http://linux.die.net/man/8/upsmon http://www.apcupsd.org/ http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netsysm/article.php/10954_3295841_...
Any onboard video solution will do because you probably won't use it much, it doesn't need to do anything other than run text mode in reality. Once you get the OS installed and ssh up there is really little reason to touch the server physically.
Enough memory is probably less than you might expect unless that postgresgl is huge, or you decide to run virtual machines on the server. Then, 6 might not be enough. just don't let them populate all slots in case your workload changes.
As for CPUs and cores, I suspect 4 cores is overkill but hard to avoid in these days, and dirt cheap. No reason to go with any cutting edge chipsets here.
I never spec servers as high end machines in terms of processing power. The do almost no work.
I always make sure the bios supports serial console redirection also. Most motherboards that advertize themselves as "server" motherboards or found in "server" systems, will have this even if you can't find it explicitly mentioned anywhere in the sales literature. For as little as $300 you can get a combined serial console and remote reboot appliance that can handle two servers. That's not much better than putting a drac card into a server that only supports that one server, but for only $100 more you can go up to a box that can support 8 servers, then you're down to $50/server. Cheaper if you find used stuff on ebay. I get 16 port serial console servers for $50 to $150 and 10 port pdu's for $100 to $200 routinely. Or you may be able to do full remote management via net only with ipmi built in to many server boards, and might be able to get away without needing a special appliance by using other neighboring computers. And you can add a $20 card to get remote reboot if the built-in remote management doesn't provide a bullet proof power control. Being able to do full remote management (as in, you can do even a complete fresh bare metal install and access the bios, access the console when the network is broken or swamped with virus traffic, power-cycle the machine when all else fails, all remotely) is just one of the things that distinguishes "server" from "desktop" but is not usually talked about all that much. Along with dual or quad nics, and 6 or even 12 sata ports. (Though with ssd's coming down in price and being so much faster than disks, you no longer need a lot of channels/spindles to get good disk i/o.) And component layout for front-to-back air flow in a rackmount case, which a desktop board is completely wrong for. And ecc ram. And redundant, hot-swappable power supplies as you mentioned, and hot swappable drive bays. -- bkw -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org
participants (5)
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Andreas
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Brian K. White
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Dennis Gallien
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John Andersen
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Per Jessen