Server Setup Help

[Blaze5546]

Hey everyone!

 

I am starting to build a server and I have a rack and a switch but I am a bit lost from there. What else do I need to get besides the actual drives and like a drive storage piece? Any recommendations on parts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!

[SteveiJobs]

Don't build a server unless you need to for hardware reasons. Decommissioned enterprise gear is way cheaper and getting replacement parts is way easier. Dell stuff is particularly cost effective and you can get 12th gen stuff (i.e. Poweredge 320, 420, 520, 620, 720) for reasonable prices on eBay.

[Electronics Wizardy]

What are you requirements and budgets?want to run?

 

How many tb of storage do you need? What vms do you 

[Blaze5546]

This is just a personal server, looking to probably just use Microsoft Server. Probably will start with just a couple TBs. The budget is probably a couple hundred dollars. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Blaze5546 said:

This is just a personal server, looking to probably just use Microsoft Server. Probably will start with just a couple TBs. The budget is probably a couple hundred dollars. 

If you have a rack, id just get a used rackmount server, like a dell r720.

 

Look into running a hypervisor on the host, like esxi, proxmox, or hyper-v. That makes many things much easier, like backups, snapshots, moving to new hardware.

 

 

[Blaze5546]

2 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

If you have a rack, id just get a used rackmount server, like a dell r720.

 

Look into running a hypervisor on the host, like esxi, proxmox, or hyper-v. That makes many things much easier, like backups, snapshots, moving to new hardware.

 

 

Wonderful! thank you so much! Is there anything else I would need? Just the HDD's?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Blaze5546 said:

Wonderful! thank you so much! Is there anything else I would need? Just the HDD's?

Depends on the server. Most ready to boot, some will need things like ram or cpus.

 

Make sure you get trays for it, it won't fit the hdds without them

 

How much do you care about power usage, those systems don't sip power, probably about 100-150w under normal use, depends on config.

 

Do you care about noise, there not silent, but not awful normally.

[Blaze5546]

3 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Depends on the server. Most ready to boot, some will need things like ram or cpus.

 

Make sure you get trays for it, it won't fit the hdds without them

 

How much do you care about power usage, those systems don't sip power, probably about 100-150w under normal use, depends on config.

 

Do you care about noise, there not silent, but not awful normally.

Oh I dont really worry too much about power usage and sound shouldn't be an issue either. Where can I get the trays for HDD's?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Blaze5546 said:

Oh I dont really worry too much about power usage and sound shouldn't be an issue either. Where can I get the trays for HDD's?

ebay will have all of these parts. Search for servermodel trays

 

Here is a server id look at https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-PowerEdge-R720XD-LFF-Server-2x-E5-2640-2-5GHz-12-Cores-16GB-RAM-H710/184079776106?hash=item2adc02796a:g:hfYAAOSwW2teYDVp

 

A bit pricy, but lff/3.5 models go for more money normally.