Low power, IPMI and VT-d...?

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McKajVah

Member
Nov 14, 2011
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Norway
Hi.

I'm looking for a low power server, used or new build.

I have three requirements, Low power, IPMI and VT-d.

I need the IPMI to control the server (power on/off, view screen, remote keyboard mouse+++) as I'm working offshore and stay away from the machine at least 14 days at a time.

What are my options...?

-Kaj
 

PigLover

Moderator
Jan 26, 2011
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How low power?
What are you going to run on it?
What are you going to pass through with VT-d? Disk controller? USB? Something else?
How many PCIe slots will you need? How many of them must be passthrogh capable?
Are you committed to IPMI or are alternatives like Vpro/AMT - which accomplish the same thing - OK?

You could start with a SuperMicro S-series Atom board, extremely low power, ECC, IPMI, but the only expansion slot is PCI (yuch!).

Or look at the Intel DQ77KB and pair it with a low-power E3 CPU (like the E3-1265L v2). This will give you <20watt idle, vPRO AMT for remote access, but only a single x4 PCIe slot.

There are lots and lots more options out there. Easier to pare it down to some good choices for you with a bit more info about your app.
 

McKajVah

Member
Nov 14, 2011
59
10
8
Norway
Thanks for your suggestions, but there are some problems... I think.

I'm going to run the following on it.
Pfsense with 2-3 VPN server/clients
Unraid server
2-4 Linux Vm's,

VT-d is for 4xonboard SATA controller, 1xNetwork card and USB.

From what I can understand 8Gb ram should be enough. I don't think a Atom will be enough and from what I know Atom does not support VT-d...?

I must admit I don't know aything about vPRO AMT. Can you turn the machine on/off from a remote location? Is it possible to log in using a web-browser, or do you need special software?

It's staying on 24/7 and one of the Linux Vm's is critical.

How much would a system with Supermico X9SCL+-F and a E3-1265L v2 8GB ram and SSD use at idle? Please look away from the Unraid HDD's, as these will spindown when not in use.

Thanks.
Kaj
 

cactus

Moderator
Jan 25, 2011
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Or look at the Intel DQ77KB and pair it with a low-power E3 CPU (like the E3-1265L v2). This will give you <20watt idle, vPRO AMT for remote access, but only a single x4 PCIe slot.
Is the idle power from experience? If so, what OS?

How much would a system with Supermico X9SCL+-F and a E3-1265L v2 8GB ram and SSD use at idle? Please look away from the Unraid HDD's, as these will spindown when not in use.
If you look at the main site reviews of the E3's, Patrick gives idle and load power draw. If you don't expect the CPU to be loaded often, most storage servers in my experience, I estimate any of the E3V2's will idle <40W. My desktop (E3-1245V2, 16GB, HD6950, Intel 320 SSD, ConnectX2) idles <50W when I can get the HD6950 to down clock. The config Piglover suggested is pretty amazing for idle power, especially if using a non-windows OS.

Personally I would go with Supermicro X9, an E3-1240V2 and the smallest gold/platinum rated PSU you can find, like this 200W Gold Supermicro or the Supermicro PWS-341P-1H 340W Plat. 200W is cutting it really close, 150W conservative max for CPU, ram, and SSD and ~60W for four HDDs.

You need to be able to route to the IPMI IP to get to it. If you are virtualizing your router and the box dies, you are out of luck. You may look at doing a dedicated router/firewall appliance that can be a VPN end point.
 

McKajVah

Member
Nov 14, 2011
59
10
8
Norway
You need to be able to route to the IPMI IP to get to it. If you are virtualizing your router and the box dies, you are out of luck. You may look at doing a dedicated router/firewall appliance that can be a VPN end point.
Oh man, to be honest I really didn't think about it... I think I've found a solution in using a Via C3 machine as a pfsense failover firewall/router. I don't think the Via C3 would be fast enough to handle 50mbits+ Aes-256-cbc connections, but will be more than enough to restart the main server. I'm also hoping pfsense get AES-NI support, it seems to be broken in the betas...