Recommended rack-mount servers?
Discussion
pmanson said:
Are these going to be running Mission Critical apps? If so how much downtime can you afford?
If they're being installed in an office are these users computer literate or is all the support going to be remote?
We can afford some downtime as we've built in full redundancy in that there are two identical systems spreading the load and one system could just about handle a day's capacity.If they're being installed in an office are these users computer literate or is all the support going to be remote?
The users aren't going to be computer experts but there is a local IT resource who would take care of 1st line support for us, however if there's a software issue they will want us to get involved pretty quickly and efficiently.
The unusual thing about this application is the form factor - we need compact, powerful PC's which are small and rackmountable but don't intrude too much if installed in a small office or customer-facing environment. i also want to try and standardise on a manufacturer going forward and preferably one we can rely on to support the hardware anywhere in the world (some of these systems could end up in pretty remote locations).
fastfreddy said:
Can anyone give me an idea of hoe noisey the HP DL360's are?
If I had a sound pressure meter to hand I'd tell you.For what it's worth, I've got one in my office at home, and I switch it off when I'm not using it. If it had to leave it running all the time (it's a VMware test platform) I'd co-lo it.
However in a data centre context they aren't particularly noisy, especially for what they are.
fastfreddy said:
The unusual thing about this application is the form factor - we need compact, powerful PC's which are small and rackmountable but don't intrude too much if installed in a small office or customer-facing environment. i also want to try and standardise on a manufacturer going forward and preferably one we can rely on to support the hardware anywhere in the world (some of these systems could end up in pretty remote locations).
I presume these are going into a proper server room away from the office? If you are putting these in an office they make a hell of a racket having only 1" fans which scream at you.
fastfreddy said:
pmanson said:
Are these going to be running Mission Critical apps? If so how much downtime can you afford?
If they're being installed in an office are these users computer literate or is all the support going to be remote?
We can afford some downtime as we've built in full redundancy in that there are two identical systems spreading the load and one system could just about handle a day's capacity.If they're being installed in an office are these users computer literate or is all the support going to be remote?
The users aren't going to be computer experts but there is a local IT resource who would take care of 1st line support for us, however if there's a software issue they will want us to get involved pretty quickly and efficiently.
The unusual thing about this application is the form factor - we need compact, powerful PC's which are small and rackmountable but don't intrude too much if installed in a small office or customer-facing environment. i also want to try and standardise on a manufacturer going forward and preferably one we can rely on to support the hardware anywhere in the world (some of these systems could end up in pretty remote locations).
The Supermicro I'm using at the moment is fairly noisy and compared to a quiet office PC, you would probably complain if you had it sat next to you all day.
However, these systems will be built into a false wall so the back of the servers will be effectively in a different space to the people. I'm also thinking now that I could get them put in a glass fronted rack to cut down noise into the office even further.
As long as they aren't noisier than the Supermicros I'll be OK, but none of these manufacturers seem to quote dB figures in their specs...
However, these systems will be built into a false wall so the back of the servers will be effectively in a different space to the people. I'm also thinking now that I could get them put in a glass fronted rack to cut down noise into the office even further.
As long as they aren't noisier than the Supermicros I'll be OK, but none of these manufacturers seem to quote dB figures in their specs...
theboss said:
fastfreddy said:
glass fronted rack
I wouldn't if I were you - they pull cool air in from the frontfastfreddy said:
theboss said:
fastfreddy said:
glass fronted rack
I wouldn't if I were you - they pull cool air in from the frontIt sounds like a case for experimentation, as there are just a few servers and I presume air-con is mandatory in Aus, you can always monitor the server temperatures through the ILO and the machines will shut down if a threshold is exceeded.
Most noise complaints about DLs come from people who don't install the system management drivers on them and are hence running the fans at full speed all the time. DL380s are much quieter than 360s though, but all servers will make a fair racket.
If you're worried about noise then try racks from http://www.kellsystems.co.uk/
If you're worried about noise then try racks from http://www.kellsystems.co.uk/
fastfreddy said:
The Supermicro I'm using at the moment is fairly noisy and compared to a quiet office PC, you would probably complain if you had it sat next to you all day.
However, these systems will be built into a false wall so the back of the servers will be effectively in a different space to the people. I'm also thinking now that I could get them put in a glass fronted rack to cut down noise into the office even further.
As long as they aren't noisier than the Supermicros I'll be OK, but none of these manufacturers seem to quote dB figures in their specs...
http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12572_na/12572_na.htmlHowever, these systems will be built into a false wall so the back of the servers will be effectively in a different space to the people. I'm also thinking now that I could get them put in a glass fronted rack to cut down noise into the office even further.
As long as they aren't noisier than the Supermicros I'll be OK, but none of these manufacturers seem to quote dB figures in their specs...
Search for acoustic noise near the bottom.
agent006 said:
Most noise complaints about DLs come from people who don't install the system management drivers on them and are hence running the fans at full speed all the time. DL380s are much quieter than 360s though, but all servers will make a fair racket.
If you're worried about noise then try racks from http://www.kellsystems.co.uk/
Hey I like the look of those racks - thanks for the link.If you're worried about noise then try racks from http://www.kellsystems.co.uk/
Also to the OP, on the subject of drivers, I don't believe that WinXP is a supported OS on HP DL kit, it may well work with Win2003 drivers but don't expect much help from HP if you have problems. Will your app not run on Win2003?
agent006 said:
Most noise complaints about DLs come from people who don't install the system management drivers on them and are hence running the fans at full speed all the time. DL380s are much quieter than 360s though, but all servers will make a fair racket.
If you're worried about noise then try racks from http://www.kellsystems.co.uk/
Thats very true but even after installing the s/w they're not exactly quiet. I had a DL380 that someone donated to a charity when they needed a server, in the end the charity had to reject it because it was just too noisy to work in the same room as even with the s/w installed to run the fans at low speed. I think whoever said earlier about the little 1" fans being to blame was spot on, they scream like banshees! They ended up with an old ML something or other, whisper quiet but sadly not rackmount.If you're worried about noise then try racks from http://www.kellsystems.co.uk/
just out of curiosity, why does it have to be rack mountable?
You could look into bladeservers as these are very small, but i think you need the main cage to slot them in to, which will probably make them over budget.
You can just buy trays to bolt into racks that allow anything to be put on them...such as a standard tower pc.
You could look into bladeservers as these are very small, but i think you need the main cage to slot them in to, which will probably make them over budget.
You can just buy trays to bolt into racks that allow anything to be put on them...such as a standard tower pc.
buggalugs said:
agent006 said:
Most noise complaints about DLs come from people who don't install the system management drivers on them and are hence running the fans at full speed all the time. DL380s are much quieter than 360s though, but all servers will make a fair racket.
If you're worried about noise then try racks from http://www.kellsystems.co.uk/
Thats very true but even after installing the s/w they're not exactly quiet. I had a DL380 that someone donated to a charity when they needed a server, in the end the charity had to reject it because it was just too noisy to work in the same room as even with the s/w installed to run the fans at low speed. I think whoever said earlier about the little 1" fans being to blame was spot on, they scream like banshees! They ended up with an old ML something or other, whisper quiet but sadly not rackmount.If you're worried about noise then try racks from http://www.kellsystems.co.uk/
The Griffalo said:
The G5's seem to be noticeably quieter than the earlier ones but even so I wouldn't call them quiet still.
We bought a few G5s recently and I can't hear my mate over the phone in the same room when they start up.Still, he says they settle down a bit once they are running.
Anyhoo Griffalo haven't you got any real work to be doing rather than arsing about on here?
(And no, I haven't got an electric fence I can go play with!)
theboss said:
HP's DL range are about as good as you can get for 1-2u rack servers. HP UK (not sure about Aus) are currently doing rebates on CPU and memory upgrades, I just bought a couple of DL360's (1u) with eight cores, 4GB and SAS RAID for ~£1300 ex VAT and disks.
Also if your app really is disk intensive then SATA almost certainly won't cut it. You really want a heavyweight SAS controller with BBWC and as many spindles as you can fit in the box.
just installed 4 360's here very cool bits of kitAlso if your app really is disk intensive then SATA almost certainly won't cut it. You really want a heavyweight SAS controller with BBWC and as many spindles as you can fit in the box.
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