Server build advice

[TheGreatSatan]

I have a customer who wants a server build and I've been given the task of preparing a quote. Probelm is, they are not at all PC aware and don't have a clue what they'll need except for this:


Minimum Specifications:

Server must support up to six workstations and any shared software necessary for optimal performance of the office. Office computers utilize MS Office 2010 Professional and Quickbooks currently. Additional software needs may be forthcoming. This server is not anticipated to host the organization website, but may host email. The organization will be utilizing a VOIP phone system. To self-determine minimum specifications needed for this project or review the specifications associated with a Dell T410 Server EA , Lenovo Thinkserver TD230 or similar level server as a guide to the needs.

The computer they mention seem to fall in the $800 to $1100 range, but I think that's overkill. It seems that a server really just needs a dual core with a ton of storage. Here's my list thus far. Please critique it.

Intel i3 2100
Gigabyte Z68MX-UD2H (onboard audio/video)
4GB DDR3
DVD burner
Seagate 2TB 5900rpm drives x4
Antec 300 case

Total is around $700

What are your thoughts?

[Airbozo]

Lets see,

Server tasks;
Office doc server (shared drives)
Quickbooks (data storage)
(possible) Exchange server (lots of storage, memory intensive, cpu moderate)
VOIP (why mention this unless they want this system to handle it?) (memory, cpu, little storage)
OS: Server 2008 + 5 CAL (base OS comes with 5) (this could also solve the Document control issue with the included Sharepoint Foundation)

The Dell model is a xeon based system which will out perform the i3. Take that into account.

Depending on the size of the company, exchange could quickly overpower the system you spec'd out.

Gotta go, more later...

[x88x]

IDK what kind of load to anticipate from exchange (though I agree that is by far the most intensive application they mentioned), but unless the client specifically wants Intel, I would recommend going with a Phenom II X6 instead of the i3. For the same price as that i3 CPU/MBB set, you could get the GA-880GMA-USB3 (similar feature set as the Z68MX-UD2H) and a 1075T (ok, so it's not exactly the same...$5 more...or a 1090T for $10 more again). Way more bang for your buck there. And if they're going to be using it for an exchange server, I would recommend bumping up to 8GB or 16GB of RAM regardless of what CPU you put in.

[TheGreatSatan]

And what about storage? I originally thought 8TB, but is that enough?

[x88x]

It depends what they want to store. Only 6 workstations, but how many users? If it's running exchange, how big do they want their mailboxes to be? How much space do they need for their shared documents? TBH, I would expect 8TB to be massive overkill, from my experience. For context, my previous employer only had, iirc, a few hundred GB of storage on their regional exchange server that served probably almost a thousand employees. Granted, most of us only got 200MB mailboxes, but again, that's something that the customer needs to decide.

Also, thinking about storage, I would highly recommend a RAID array for this system. At the very least, RAID 5 with a hot-spare; at best something with a mirror level (ie, 1, 10, 01, 51, etc). And you should seriously consider using high-performance drives. For a simple document server or a personal fileserver, those slower drives are fine, but if several people are going to want to be able to access documents, exchange, and possibly other stuff as well? Yeah, you're gonna want some faster drives; at least 7200RPM SATA.

For price-range, configure those Dell and Levono servers with the memory, storage, and OS requirements you're looking at. They end up more in the $3,000-$4,000 range, not the $800-$1,100 they start at.

[TheGreatSatan]

I have the info you have. The above quote is all I have to go on. I think I'll go to an Intel 2400 and 4TB instead

[Fuganater]

You didn't include any license costs...

RAID 5 is a MUST in a business server. If your not using it then you shouldn't even have a server. I would go 16GB of RAM+ for future use. Do they want it to be rack mountable? Do they even have a rack yet? I would go with a Dell PowerEdge dual proc server and get a NAS. That way they can more drive space for future use.

When building a server, never think of what they need now, think what they will need in 1-2 years.

[x88x]

I have the info you have. The above quote is all I have to go on.
Then you need to talk to the customer. Sorry to be blunt, but I know I wouldn't be comfortable providing a mission-critical system to a customer with that limited information. A ballpark quote, sure, and maybe that's what they're looking for, but anything more than that they're gonna have to give more details about what they actually need to do with it.

Fuganater makes a good point about the license costs too. That's gonna add another $700+ to the cost.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116999

Then add on another $150+ for the RAID controller.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816117157

[TheGreatSatan]

That's all they even know. The guy I'm going through isn't computer literate and doesn't have a clue how or much less, who is gonna set it all up for them. I assume they'll just go with the already configured Dell or Lenovo anyway

[jonnymark]

Morning,
I have 4 Computer nodes all running a base install of Ubuntu Server x64

I wish to start hosting websites and want to isntall LAMP (Linux+Apache+MySQL+PHP4) and Mail.
I will also be using one of the nodes as a file server.
I will use Webmin as my administration.

Node 1: Apache+PHP4, phpMyadmin, Webmin
Node 2:
Node 3:
Node 4: BIND9, Webmin

[TheGreatSatan]

Node 1: Apache+PHP4, phpMyadmin, Webmin
Node 2:
Node 3:
Node 4: BIND9, Webmin

I don't know what any of that is