How do i build a server?

[gabe54541]

Hi, im 16 years old and have a budget of about 300 dollars... i wanted to see what i could buy for that to start out with a server. Im a very experienced computer builder...

I know how to install windows ect. i just want to know what i would need for a starting server. Im trying to learn because i plan on being a networker... Please put into

perspective that im not going to be buying some 1500 dollar server im willing to buy older equiptment... (not to old)

[ARikozuM]

Wait a couple of years, find a nice woman, and send son to butler school... #badjoke

 

What do you want the server to do?

[gabe54541]

4 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Wait a couple of years, find a nice woman, and send son to butler school... #badjoke

 

What do you want the server to do?

more of a storage server... (dont need extreme networking yet, lol) 

[BubblyCharizard]

for a storage server, you really could look into buying a used workstation or desktop PC, throw in a few decent HDDs and use Linux or something like unraid for the OS

 

Windows would work too, but I'm prefer to use something more lightwieght

[gabe54541]

Just now, BubblyCharizard said:

for a storage server, you really could look into buying a used workstation or desktop PC, throw in a few decent HDDs and use Linux or something like unraid for the OS

 

Windows would work too, but I'm prefer to use something more lightwieght

i have windows server 2016... lol

[BubblyCharizard]

Just now, gabe54541 said:

i have windows server 2016... lol

a little overkill for a storage server....but hey you could create a home domain 

[ARikozuM]

I would look into some dual-core Pentiums, possibly Ivy Bridge to Haswell, with accompanying motherboard with support for ECC. Get a case that supports however many drives you'd like to grow into (4-8 is standard fare) and a low wattage sufficient for your needs (i.e. 350W or 430W Bronze or higher of good quality). 

 

You can look into some of the OS's that are offered for your needs, i.e. file server/NAS, Plex/video transcoding, surveillance. 

 

You can also scour Ebay for some used Dell R710's or Lenovo servers. 

[njmyers3]

Yeah, I'd use a Linux Server distro. Running Windows alone on a $300 computer doesn't do very well, so running Windows Server with clients connecting to it probably wouldn't be a great idea.

[ARikozuM]

Just now, njmyers3 said:

Yeah, I'd use a Linux Server distro. Running Windows alone on a $300 computer doesn't do very well, so running Windows Server with clients connecting to it probably wouldn't be a great idea.

Windows Server will run fine on a $300 system. It's not like he's serving an enterprise off an Athlon 64.

[ARikozuM]

This might be up your forte, @leadeater.

[gabe54541]

35 minutes ago, njmyers3 said:

Yeah, I'd use a Linux Server distro. Running Windows alone on a $300 computer doesn't do very well, so running Windows Server with clients connecting to it probably wouldn't be a great idea.

 

34 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Windows Server will run fine on a $300 system. It's not like he's serving an enterprise off an Athlon 64.

 

37 minutes ago, BubblyCharizard said:

a little overkill for a storage server....but hey you could create a home domain 

how would a dell power edge 1900 server be? its either that for 75 bucks or a dell power edge R510? for 200...

[GDRRiley]

24 minutes ago, gabe54541 said:

 

 

how would a dell power edge 1900 server be? its either that for 75 bucks or a dell power edge R510? for 200...

the r510s are good just check what size HDD it fits as 2.5in drives are a lot more. 

[ARikozuM]

33 minutes ago, gabe54541 said:

how would a dell power edge 1900 server be? its either that for 75 bucks or a dell power edge R510? for 200...

Can you link me the page?

[gabe54541]

21 minutes ago, GDRRiley said:

the r510s are good just check what size HDD it fits as 2.5in drives are a lot more. 

ill see soon, one sec

 

[Ginz]

If you're heading down the networking path, I'd definitely recommend learning and using Linux for your home server

[Pixel5]

would also recommend linux if you want to get into networking.

also its less about having an actual usable server if you want to learn from it, it's more about having something you can actually learn from.

 

for ease of use and price you may want to consider so simply get two raspberry pi´s and start to integrate them into your network, maybe even let one of them replicate the file structure to the other and stuff like this, this is how you will learn the most for the lowest cost.

 

One of the dell servers you mentioned will be bulky, loud and consume much power but wont be any better for actual learning then a simple raspberry pi.

[Emmien]

If you want to be a "networker" look into Linux server OSs. 

If you want a reasonably simple NAS, which can run VMs, look at UnRaid. You could run UnRaid and run Linux in a VM for testing things.

 

 

[Jarsky]

building your own server isn't going to help with networking. 

 

You want some sort of enterprise gear if you want to learn the enterprise side of thing such as iLO/Management networks, RAID configurations,SNMP monitoring, etc...

So  you'd be best to look at second hand enterprise servers such as Dell R610/710's and HP DL360/380's. 

If you're interested in network you'll also want to make sure you have a managed switch so you can do VLAN's for creating management networks. 

 

Need more clarification on what you mean by 'networker' though, you're interested in getting into infrastructure?

I'm an infrastructure and a wintel engineer so my experience is primarily with:

- Server Hardware including Cisco UCS & HP Blade systems

- Unix/Linux OS

- Wintel (Server 2003/2008/2012/2016, Exchange, Skype, SQL Database)

- Hypervisor/Virtualisation platforms (primarily VMware vCenter and Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop)

- Storage & Backups (FibreSwitching/SAN, NAS, Hypervisor Datastores & Software backup solutions like TSM, Commvault, Netbackup, Veem, etc...)

- Cisco networking (routing & switching)

- Juniper & Checkpoint firewalls

 

You'll want to focus on just 1 aspect really, since each technology can be extremely involved in learning. 

 

So maybe consider what aspect of infrastructure you're interested in and do some research before buying hardware. 

 

Also maybe check out Lynda.com for learning and consider looking at doing a paper wether that be something as simple as an MCSA Server or CCNA qualification.

You'll learn a lot without having to buy/touch actual hardware, and it will help you decide what you're really interested in. 

 

 

[Dlog]

If you want to learn storage for fun why not just make a VM on your current computer and have at it. A few 3GB virtual disks and wala a virtual storage server environment to try out whatever storage OS you desire.MS, Freenas, even Netapp has a VM test lab.

 

If your looking at networking you should look for some of the simulated Cisco products. You can create an entire virtual network without spending a dime on hardware. 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Reminds me of my little project with Windows Server that I just stopped working on. Currently sat unplugged as my bed side table for about a year now.

[gabe54541]

On 8/25/2017 at 7:07 PM, Jarsky said:

building your own server isn't going to help with networking. 

 

You want some sort of enterprise gear if you want to learn the enterprise side of thing such as iLO/Management networks, RAID configurations,SNMP monitoring, etc...

So  you'd be best to look at second hand enterprise servers such as Dell R610/710's and HP DL360/380's. 

If you're interested in network you'll also want to make sure you have a managed switch so you can do VLAN's for creating management networks. 

 

Need more clarification on what you mean by 'networker' though, you're interested in getting into infrastructure?

I'm an infrastructure and a wintel engineer so my experience is primarily with:

- Server Hardware including Cisco UCS & HP Blade systems

- Unix/Linux OS

- Wintel (Server 2003/2008/2012/2016, Exchange, Skype, SQL Database)

- Hypervisor/Virtualisation platforms (primarily VMware vCenter and Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop)

- Storage & Backups (FibreSwitching/SAN, NAS, Hypervisor Datastores & Software backup solutions like TSM, Commvault, Netbackup, Veem, etc...)

- Cisco networking (routing & switching)

- Juniper & Checkpoint firewalls

 

You'll want to focus on just 1 aspect really, since each technology can be extremely involved in learning. 

 

So maybe consider what aspect of infrastructure you're interested in and do some research before buying hardware. 

 

Also maybe check out Lynda.com for learning and consider looking at doing a paper wether that be something as simple as an MCSA Server or CCNA qualification.

You'll learn a lot without having to buy/touch actual hardware, and it will help you decide what you're really interested in. 

 

 

im interested in routing serevrs amongst each other and building them (more like network wiring) also setting up networks and install operating systems...

or being a networking engineer (pretty much a cabling tech)

[Akolyte]

I'm 18 and a network engineering student.  Microsoft is still huge but Linux is your best option, even for experience.  Scripting is one of the most important skills of any high level networking pro including powershell, bash, and other Linux shells that you might encounter like Kshell and even scripting for proprietary systems like IBM AIX.  

 

Im not gonna give you advice on components but my advice is to use OpenSuse, CentOS or Ubuntu as the operating system (OpenSuse is easiest cuz of YaST). And install Xen or KVM hypervisor (ideally Xen) and learn about virtualisation. 

 

Even if your sever only have 8GB of RAM it's enough to run one VM or maybe two.  And using Linux will give you great experience.  The truth is Linux is a steeper learning curve but if you know your way around it then it's easier to learn Windows.  

 

I also want to tell you about GNS3, which a tool network engis use to simulate real networks.  At my current workplace we use MikroTik and many ISPs are using them too.  The open source RouterOS used on many MikroTik routers has a specialised image for GNS3.  GNS3 is also free. 

 

If you want to be in hands on networking you will normally need a CCNP with relevant certs (A+, CWNA, CCNA Security, Network+, MCSA, RHCSA). 

 

The best advice I can ever give for an upcoming network tech is go to college.  It's almost a prerequisite today. And stay focused on Certs after that.  Go for what you love.  And also be aware IT has gotten more competitive.  You must work hard and efficiently to be a high paid IT worker today.  

 

Find mentors working for companies with high standards, the mentors I had worked for banks and IBM and were very helpful.  I cannot stress enough!  Find mentors! 

[Dlog]

9 hours ago, gabe54541 said:

im interested in routing serevrs amongst each other and building them (more like network wiring) also setting up networks and install operating systems...

or being a networking engineer (pretty much a cabling tech)

Your terms are a bit jumbled here but I think I get you. I think the job you are describing is a Datacenter tech. A Datacenter technician would be responsible for installing new servers into racks cabling them up and such, in smaler organizations you may be responsible for provisioning the servers after you install them. Something like the videos linked below.

 

A network engineer is a very different career path and would not likely deal with server installs. Though smaller organizations tend to force people to wear several hats so there is always that. When you talk about looking into network engineering your talking about configuring Switches, Routers, Tunnels, Virtual LANs, port security protocols, possibly advanced security appliances etc...  It might sound simple but it's very complex and often gets to be massive in scale. My organization runs several thousand network devices across the world and connects them all together to provide users access to a ton of resources. The sheer amount of configuration to ensure quality of service and data delivery is mind boggling. 

 

I'm lucky enough to have trained in several aspects of IT services, most people I work with picked a lane and stuck with it. (Security, Network, Hardware Support/Customer support, Server / Storage infrastructure, Specialized application services [AD/Exchange/Sharepoint/SQL etc...] and lastly hardware/software aquizitions [buying and managing stuff]) My broad view over everything helps me manage those under me and get through my day to day.

[Pixel5]

On 28.8.2017 at 11:19 PM, gabe54541 said:

im interested in routing serevrs amongst each other and building them (more like network wiring) also setting up networks and install operating systems...

or being a networking engineer (pretty much a cabling tech)

And this is exactly why i propose you step away from buying a beefy server and get something much smaller instead.

 

You want to learn the stuff around making multiple servers talk to each other and how to wire them up?

Then you dont want one beefy bulky server, you want multiple small machines so you can actually do what you wanted to, maybe even try to cluster them up to create a computing cluster.

 

whats the best way to do this on a budget?

a shit load of raspberry pi´s 

 

you may not get ultra fast network speeds but thats not what its all about when you want to learn how to set this things up and do the configuration.

[gabe54541]

i 

15 hours ago, Pixel5 said:

And this is exactly why i propose you step away from buying a beefy server and get something much smaller instead.

 

You want to learn the stuff around making multiple servers talk to each other and how to wire them up?

Then you dont want one beefy bulky server, you want multiple small machines so you can actually do what you wanted to, maybe even try to cluster them up to create a computing cluster.

 

whats the best way to do this on a budget?

a shit load of raspberry pi´s 

 

you may not get ultra fast network speeds but thats not what its all about when you want to learn how to set this things up and do the configuration.

i just found a server for 60 bucks and it has a 4TB hard drive and a nice asus motherboard and a 4U cumputer case