Diy sos

Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.
D

distracted247

New Member
Mar 17, 2012
16
1
3
DIY SOS Server Edition​


PARTS​
Build’s Name: N/A

Operating System/ Storage Platform: I have access to MSDN Subscription / Open Source software

CPU:
  • (3) Xeon L5630
  • Xeon E5606
  • Xeon E5504
Motherboard: Included in each chassis

Chassis:
  • 2U IBM X3650 M3
  • 1U IBM X3550 M3
  • 1U Lenovo RD210
  • HP DL160 G6
Drives:
  • 31GB SATA SSD
  • (4) 2.5" 146GB 15K SAS
  • (8) 2.5" 146GB 10K SAS
  • (2) 2.5" 300GB 10K SAS
  • (2) 2.5" 500GB SATA
RAM:
  • (12) 8GB DDR3 1333 1.5V
  • (6) 8GB DDR3 1333 1.35V
  • (6) 2GB DDR3 1333 1.5V
  • (3) 4GB DDR3 1333 1.5V
Add-in Cards:
  • M1015
  • M5015
  • M5014
  • M5025
  • ServeRAID-BR10i
  • Fujitsu RAID CTRL SAS 6G Int D2616 512MB Rev4
  • IBM QLE2462 2 Port 4Gb Dual Port FC HBA
  • (2) IBM QLogic 10G CNA 42C1800
  • (3) IBM 10/100/1000 2 Port Daughter Card
Power Supply:
  • (7) 780W IBM Hot Swap
  • 500W HE HP Supply

Other Bits:
  • (2) Spare IBM 8 HDD Kit with SAS expander and SAS cables for the X3650
  • IBM DVD Multiburner
  • (3) Lightscribe DVD burner
  • IBM EXP2524
  • (2) Fujitsu Fibrecat SX80
  • Several PDU
  • More power cables than you can shake a stick at

Existing Home Hardware:
  • PS3
  • Several Android smart phone
  • Macbook Pro
  • Several Windows Laptop




USAGE PROFILE:​
  • Storing precious memories
  • Storing and sharing digital Media such as DVD/CD/Blu Ray
  • Use to learn MSDN software
  • Use to learn Autodesk software - Workstation
  • Use to learn Vsphere hypervisor
  • Use to learn other free resources
  • Firewall
  • Backup data stored on existing home hardware
  • Edit video / photos (family not professional)
  • Host a low traffic website
  • Home Automation
  • HTPC - Remotely? Is this even possible, perhaps with Remote-FX or something similar?
  • Anything else I can think of, this is after all, going to be a machine for trying new things.


Other information:

I would like to create a home system that is capable of storing all the digital memories I have of our family. For this purpose reliability and backup is of paramount importance and for that reason I will not only be storing this data at home but also off site. The off site backup isn't in the scope of this discussion but I make mention of it for the sake of completeness.
The hardware I have at my disposal was selected for its robustness as well as redundancy and remote management features; primarily though I bought it because it was available and it was cheap!
I do not intend to use all the hardware I have listed, nor do I think I have all the parts of that I need, but I hope to make the best of what I have and sell whatever I don't use to buy any items that are missing.

Some points to note:
  • I do not have the caddies (or importantly the drive interposer) I need for the SX80 so unless I can find them or the complete drives cheaply I will almost certainly have to sell these units.
  • I do not have the caddies for the EXP2524 so the same applies, if I can't find a cheap source of them or cheap drives in the caddies (custom extended caddies but no interposer required) the unit will have to go.
  • The caddies and drives for the X3550/X3650/RD210/DL160 units are readily available on eBay so I see no problem picking them up as I go.
  • I have installed the kits required to allow the maximum number of 2.5" drives to be installed in the IBM and Lenovo servers, this means 6 in the RD210, 8 in the X3550 and 16 in the X3650.
  • The DL160 is limited to just 2 non hot swap 3.5" drives at this time.
  • I have installed a daughter card in each of the IBM / Lenovo servers to bring the total on board Ethernet ports up to 5 from 3 (1 port is for remote management only).
  • The Power supplies installed in the IBM/Lenovo systems are not the most efficient ones I could be using. If I keep the servers then I would like to move to the 460W power supplies if I am able to find a cheap source of them (no luck yet).
  • The DL160 Power supply cannot be replaced with a more power efficient supply since it is not the common hot swap module, however it is listed as a High Efficiency part.
  • I need to find a suitable Graphics card.

I would like to accomplish everything I set out to do using just the X3650 and the EXP2524 if is it practical. I would then sell the remaining hardware to pay for more storage, however I don’t know if this will be possible which is why I am asking for your advice and assistance. If it comes down to using 2 boxes to accomplish what I need then I would prefer to use the 2 IBM units because they share many parts which makes for easier maintenance and trouble shooting.

As it stands I picture the X3650 as a storage server based around ZFS running on top of a hypervisor with 2 L5630 and 96GB RAM installed. Additional virtual servers can be added to serve whatever role is required. The X3550 if required would be the web server and perform other internet facing duties to ensure that the data on the X3650 is accessible from home but not open to abuse from the internet. The specifications of the X3550 could be 1 L5630 with 48GB 1.35V RAM and as few as possible drives to keep it as low power as possible.

My plans aren't nearly as detailed as they need to be at the moment so you can see there is much room for refinement and I would really appreciate your input.

Thank you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom