Home Server Hardware Suggestions?

[bcuz]

I just found out about all of the software I can get for free as a student. For example, I can get Windows Server 2019 Datacenter for free. I want to build a home server (I'm a CS student, and I want to be able to practice setting up databases, hosting websites, use it as a NAS, or just test out my ideas), but I don't know what kind of hardware I will need. I was looking at the hardware requirements, and saw this:

 

Processor

• 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor
• Compatible with x64 instruction set
• Supports NX and DEP
• Supports CMPXCHG16b, LAHF/SAHF, and PrefetchW
• Supports Second Level Address Translation (EPT or NPT)

RAM

• 512 MB (2 GB for Server with Desktop Experience installation option)
• ECC (Error Correcting Code) type or similar technology, for physical host deployments

Storage controller and disk space requirements

Computers that run Windows Server 2019 must include a storage adapter that is compliant with the PCI Express architecture specification. Persistent storage devices on servers classified as hard disk drives must not be PATA. Windows Server 2019 does not allow ATA/PATA/IDE/EIDE for boot, page, or data drives.

The following are the estimated minimum disk space requirements for the system partition.

Minimum: 32 GB

Network adapter requirements

Network adapters used with this release should include these features:

• An Ethernet adapter capable of at least gigabit throughput
• Compliant with the PCI Express architecture specification.

A network adapter that supports network debugging (KDNet) is useful, but not a minimum requirement.

A network adapter that supports the Pre-boot Execution Environment (PXE) is useful, but not a minimum requirement.

Other requirements

The following items are not strictly required, but are necessary for certain features:

• UEFI 2.3.1c-based system and firmware that supports secure boot

• Trusted Platform Module

• Graphics device and monitor capable of Super VGA (1024 x 768) or higher-resolution

• Keyboard and Microsoft® mouse (or other compatible pointing device)
  
  
  
   

What kind of hardware would I need for this? I'm not super familiar with all of these terms, but I'm assuming I won't just be able to run this on consumer hardware. 
I would like to have something in a PC form factor if possible. Would something like an i9-9900k work for the processor? What kind of ram do I need?

 

This is going to be a long term project of mine, so price isn't a huge issue.

 

Any suggestions are welcome!

[LIGISTX]

I.... would honestly not even run that. I would look into running ESXi as a hypervisor, and run VM's under that of your choosing. My homelab is like that, and its super fun and works great! Also, more potential to mess around with stuff since everything can be its own VM.

 

Anyways, to answer the actual question, a server will run on any old hardware. As my sig shows, my homelab is running on a i3 (i3's support ECC, if you want ECC but need more horsepower, a Xeon is your only other option on the intel side of things), but depending what your doing, I bet an i3 is plenty. I have never had issues with mine, and I run 4-5 ubuntu server VM's next to freenas....

 

So, being a CS student, I would look into something like this, it can give you a better understanding of rolling out VM's and could even roll your own ZFS server in Ubuntu or something (or arch, cuz arch lol). I run freenas since its well supported and I don't want to mess around with my storage, and that is a totally valid approach as well. Rolling your own can be fun, but for me its not worth the risk or hassle.

 

Anyways, yea. Thats my two cents. ESXi has a free version, most linux distros are free, and freenas is, you guessed it, free!

[SupaKomputa]

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/129951/intel-pentium-gold-g5400-processor-4m-cache-3-70-ghz.html

with this motherboard:

https://www.asus.com/us/Commercial-Servers-Workstations/WS-C246-PRO/

[bcuz]

2 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

or arch, cuz arch lol

Lol

4 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

a Xeon is your only other option on the intel side of things

What are my options on AMD?

5 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

for me its not worth the risk or hassle.

One of the reasons I want to use Windows Server is so that I can play around with it. I think that getting comfortable with this kind of software will be helpful in the future. If I didn't get it for free I would do something else, but seeing as I have the chance to try it out for free, why not give it a try?

[SupaKomputa]

OR LGA2011 Xeons (Aliexpress)

 

With this motherboard

[LIGISTX]

1 minute ago, bcuz said:

Lol

What are my options on AMD?

One of the reasons I want to use Windows Server is so that I can play around with it. I think that getting comfortable with this kind of software will be helpful in the future. If I didn't get it for free I would do something else, but seeing as I have the chance to try it out for free, why not give it a try?

I like the new AMD stuff, but from a "mess around with server stuff for fun" I am not sold on it yet. I don't know the state of the drivers and such, and at this point "Intel just works". Not to say AMD can't be a great option, all AMD chips also support ECC which is bad ass! I just personally don't have the patients for working out weird microcode or driver issues with a new player like AMD. That said, maybe the concerns early Ryzen had are no longer issues. I just don't personally know.

 

And true, can always run that windows server dealio in a VM under ESXi ;). That would likely be most real world.

[SupaKomputa]

1 minute ago, LIGISTX said:

I like the new AMD stuff, but from a "mess around with server stuff for fun" I am not sold on it yet. I don't know the state of the drivers and such, and at this point "Intel just works". Not to say AMD can't be a great option, all AMD chips also support ECC which is bad ass! I just personally don't have the patients for working out weird microcode or driver issues with a new player like AMD. That said, maybe the concerns early Ryzen had are no longer issues. I just don't personally know.

 

And true, can always run that windows server dealio in a VM under ESXi ;). That would likely be most real world.

As much as i liked Ryzen, currently no Ryzen motherboard supports ECC Reg, only Plain ECC which priced similar than a regular ram. Defeat the purpose of "for fun".

 

For fun, the out of date sandy bridge Xeon have it all. The cpu is cheap (can go up to 8core / 16 threads) & DDR3 ECC Reg is super cheap.

[bcuz]

1 hour ago, SupaKomputa said:

As much as i liked Ryzen, currently no Ryzen motherboard supports ECC Reg, only Plain ECC which priced similar than a regular ram.

 

1 hour ago, LIGISTX said:

all AMD chips also support ECC which is bad ass!

Is it possible to run windows server without ECC ram? I have a few older (4-5 years old) desktops. Is it possible to install Windows Server 2019 on these desktops? One has the following specs:

i5-6400

Nvidia gt730

16GB DDR3 (I'm not sure of the speed)

1TB HDD

[LIGISTX]

21 hours ago, bcuz said:

 

Is it possible to run windows server without ECC ram? I have a few older (4-5 years old) desktops. Is it possible to install Windows Server 2019 on these desktops? One has the following specs:

i5-6400

Nvidia gt730

16GB DDR3 (I'm not sure of the speed)

1TB HDD

Yea, there is never a system requirement for ECC. It’s just for “data integrity” sake. Nothing “requires it”.

 

And yea, im sure it will work on that. And if not, o well? Worth a try lol. All that will happen is it won’t instal/boot, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t.