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 Post subject: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 18:30 
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For years I've had an HP micro server type thing which has served me well, but just doesn't have anywhere near enough grunt to keep up these days, so I'm looking for a replacement.
I don't really want a NAS, because I'd prefer to run Windows on the thing for various reasons, so I've been trying to see what's out there. What I'm basically after is:

Windows machine (though I'll supply my own OS)
Moderately quiet
Not too power hungry (because always on)
No need for graphics over and above onboard (unless there's benefits for e.g. GPU offloading)
Four+ drive bays


I'll use it for plex, backups, potentially running some VMs on, and I want to piss about with some dev stuff also. Only high demand stuff will be video transcoding.

Thoughts, ideas?

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 18:47 
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Unpossible!

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I suspect an external drive bay connected to a NUC is in your future


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 18:50 
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Cras wrote:
Only high demand stuff will be video transcoding.

If you plan on using newsgroups and such, it'll also have to work pretty hard to process the downloaded files.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 18:54 
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Grim... wrote:
Cras wrote:
Only high demand stuff will be video transcoding.

If you plan on using newsgroups and such, it'll also have to work pretty hard to process the downloaded files.


Valid, but that can be to some extent backgrounded.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 18:55 
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DavPaz wrote:
I suspect an external drive bay connected to a NUC is in your future


As far as I can tell, NUCs are expensive as fuck for no apparent reason.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 18:57 
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You could build a fairly nice and quiet PC for cheap that would do a job for you. All in one itx mobo, midi tower case etc


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 19:06 
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Yeah, I have a feeling self-build might end up being the route to take.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 19:31 
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Cras wrote:
Grim... wrote:
Cras wrote:
Only high demand stuff will be video transcoding.

If you plan on using newsgroups and such, it'll also have to work pretty hard to process the downloaded files.


Valid, but that can be to some extent backgrounded.

When you work it out make sure to tell me how to do it.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 19:55 
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By which I mean it doesn't have to do the work in real time, like transcoding on demand does

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 21:12 
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Cras wrote:
By which I mean it doesn't have to do the work in real time, like transcoding on demand does

True, but if it starts decompressing while your PC is trying to transcode all the sads happen.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 21:32 
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There is that. Anything you can do with processor/core affinity?

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 21:54 
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Grim... wrote:
Cras wrote:
By which I mean it doesn't have to do the work in real time, like transcoding on demand does

True, but if it starts decompressing while your PC is trying to transcode all the sads happen.

The answer is never transcode. My Microserver does everything else Cras listed flawlessly.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 22:08 
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Admittedly my server doesn't run Windows, though.

Also, you're gonna end up self-building I reckon. You'll have to put some effort into designing low-noise cooling though.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 22:43 
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Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Grim... wrote:
Cras wrote:
By which I mean it doesn't have to do the work in real time, like transcoding on demand does

True, but if it starts decompressing while your PC is trying to transcode all the sads happen.

The answer is never transcode. My Microserver does everything else Cras listed flawlessly.

Or tell Sabnzbd to only transcode at 3am. That tends to run me out of hard drive space, though.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 2:49 
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sabnzbd doesn't transcode you n00b


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 10:24 
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Whoops. I meant process. AS ANY FULE NO

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 16:59 
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It's looking like I can get a small/quiet box with an external USB3 enclosure for around £900 for the spec I want, or do the same thing in a Tower enclosure for around £800. Hmmm. More than I wanted to spend really, but I can't really get that price down without compromising on spec.

That's for a Core i5/3GHz, 16GB RAM, and a 4TB external array (3x2TB Raid 5).

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:01 
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Is there not a HP microserver with updated specs?


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:06 
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They've dumped their home line and are all aimed at the small business space now. They're all Xeon based, so pricy and noisy.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:10 
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No calue in upgrading your server? I doubled the RAM and changed the CPU in mine.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:10 
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Sort it out, Kov!


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:11 
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DavPaz wrote:
Sort it out, Kov!

Can you sort out my admission to your uni please?

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:12 
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Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
No calue in upgrading your server? I doubled the RAM and changed the CPU in mine.


It's a custom motherboard format so no option to upgrade there, and the chipset is c.2009

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:19 
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Lonewolves wrote:
DavPaz wrote:
Sort it out, Kov!

Can you sort out my admission to your uni please?

Yep. £9000 please.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:25 
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Give you're now looking at almost a grand, what about installing a NAS turnkey OS on the Microserver and running something like a NUC for Windows with the storage mounted?


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:27 
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Hmmm. Reusing the microserver as a NAS definitely has merit. I'd rather go direct USB/eSATA, but there'd definitely be a cost save to doing it that way. Interesting.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:29 
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DavPaz wrote:
Sort it out, Kov!


I will have a word.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:30 
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Which microserver do you have now Cras? Let's thrash this out.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:35 
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Mediasmart EX490. 2.2GHz Celeron with 2Gb RAM. There's plenty of online guides around to whacking FreeNAS on it, looks like.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:45 
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It's a socket 775 with a g33 express chipset. It could in theory take a Quad core q9650.

edit: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from= ... 0&_sacat=0

Could be a nice boost for a few quids.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:50 
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Only one memory slot is a bugger. I've never seen bigger than a 2GB DDR2 stick

edit: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-GB-PC2-6400 ... Sw9GhYbmuB

They do exist!


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:51 
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But yeah... false economy really :)


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:52 
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I don't want to upgrade it, I think that's wasted money and effort. That quad-core chip is eight years old and I can't see it being a vast improvement, even over a celeron

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:53 
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Cras wrote:
I don't want to upgrade it, I think that's wasted money and effort. That quad-core chip is eight years old and I can't see it being a vast improvement, even over a celeron

Yep. I agree. It was worth a 10 minute look though.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:55 
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Oh indeed sir, appreciate it! I think the idea of repurposing it as a NAS has legs, that'll probably save me a couple of hundred quid.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 17:56 
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Cras wrote:
Oh indeed sir, appreciate it! I think the idea of repurposing it as a NAS has legs, that'll probably save me a couple of hundred quid.

Does it have Gb LAN?

edit: Yes. I have the specs open in another tab

Giphy "duh":
http://media.giphy.com/media/147md7Nq2YZvc4/giphy-loop.mp4


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 18:18 
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Regarding FreeNAS:

It's very nice. But the banner feature, ZFS, may be too RAM-hungry for you. Also it doesn't support array expansion which is a pisser.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 18:45 
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I'd suggest its banner feature is 'free' ;)

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 18:56 
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There's a hojillion Linux options that are also free, but none of them have ZFS.


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 15:31 
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So I fired the box up to give it a go last night, to a chorus of flashing red lights. A couple of hours of investigation, and it appears from everything I can tell that the SATA controller is toast. *Sigh* So scratch that idea, and I've shelled out for new stuff from scratch. Luckily there's not currently any RAID on the drives that are in there so at least I'll be able to pull the data off.

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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 15:32 
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How... convenient


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 Post subject: Re: Home server RMD
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 15:37 
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I'll not deny I'm one for throwing money at new shiny, but I was looking forward to pissing about with repurposing the old box. Now I'll repurpose it as a plant pot.

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