Looking for lower power server to act as storage host

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smithse79

smithse79

Active Member
Sep 17, 2014
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My current server setup is getting long in the tooth, and I'm looking to upgrade. Firstly, I need somewhere to move my storage. Currently, I am running a Dual E5-2670 setup that also runs Plex. This connects to a NetApp DS4246 that houses my disks for bulk storage. I am just looking to replace the head of the system as I'm happy with my disk shelf. Here are my requirements:
  1. Lower power - This will only be used for bulk ZFS storage. Plex will move to be a VM on my VM host
  2. Enough expansion for SAS HBA and 10Gb SFP+ (if 10Gb networking is built-in, then that's fine too)
  3. Preferably Rack mount, 1u or 2u
  4. Quiet - I know this is a hard thing to find in such a small form factor, but for low power, it shouldn't be too hard.
I saw the thread for the Lenovo P520 and it ticks most of the boxes, but is not rack mount and I don't know about power. Is this a bad choice?
 
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rtech

Active Member
Jun 2, 2021
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1U and quiet pick one. Unless you are talking about 15W TDP passively cooled CPU but no SAS/SFP card will like no air moving.
How many disks you have?
Why dont you reuse current chassis?

Power saving is mainly feature of lower C-states:
Any pcie device without ASPM will not allow machine to reach these states so you should theoretically go with motherboards that have these features integrated.

You should search for SFP NIC that is ASPM enabled to reach more power saving C-states.
No SAS card that i know is ASPM enabled. For better power saving go with motherboard with enough SATA ports.
 
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rtech

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Jun 2, 2021
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If you will have some missing feature or problem with BIOS firmware or warranty issue most likely you are on you own.
Will your SFP modules work in this? Some HW is picky about this.
Disk incompatibilies are rare, RAM likewise.
Is that PCIE really 8x and what version it is 3.0 or 2.0?
 
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i386

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Mar 18, 2016
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smithse79 said:
I saw the thread for the Lenovo P520 and it ticks most of the boxes, but is not rack mount and I don't know about power. Is this a bad choice?
Click to expand...
At least the mainboard and psu are proprietary form factor and can't be replaced with something you might have at home from another pc/server.
For me this would make the p520 a "bad choice".
 
smithse79

smithse79

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Sep 17, 2014
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So, as I am wont to do, I ignored all advice and ordered parts for a Xeon E3-1235L based system. It's not minimal power, but a lot less than I've got now which is the goal. I got a 2U chassis for it to help it be a bit quieter than 1U. Also, that allows me to run multiple half-height PCIE cards for the HBA and a 10Gb network port. All-in I'm out about $650. Had I gone with the C3758, getting 10Gb network plus having room for the HBA would have cost me at least $1500 so I'm happy with this.
 
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