The new server is, in fact, now sitting behind me, and has been fired up once today, just to check out the hardware. Tomorrow I update the BIOS, firmware for the RAID controller, and hopefully start loading the OS. The config was just about the same in the end, but I changed to 2 8GB SDRAM= s so that each CPU could have one. Surprised no one caught that... A dual CPU machine can't evenly share 3 SDRAMs huh? ,o) Lot's of room for expansion, 6 slots total. The RAID so far looks good... I'm starting out with the two ultra fast 300G= B drives for now, and splitting them between a RAID 1 array for the OS and a RAID 0 array for the swap file, logs, downloads, and content which will change slowly and be backed up regularly to an external drive. In the future, I'll buy bigger drives and move the data off to that and expand the RAID 1 array... I think I can do that... time will tell... This thing has a little computer in the computer that monitors stuff like CPU temp, voltage, fan speed, etc... and will report that back via a separate IP address assigned in the bios. How freaking cool is that? (yeah, you guys probably know all about it, but it was news to me). So I can be setting at my workstation and watch the CPU load from a web browser. And the software RAID controller looks pretty good so far. RAID 0, 1, 5, or 10... of course I can't get 5 or 10 because I only purchased 2 drives... bu= t they are screamers! I'm hoping it will be with me a long time, and be a better investment than the Dell. -- James Newton 1-970-462-7764=20 -----Original Message----- From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of James Newton Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 13:52 To: James Newton Subject: [OT] New server comming, Request For Comment The server is dying, long live the server! SUMMARY: I'm looking for review, and advice from those with M$ server experience, and am willing to pay a fair amount (e.g. $100) for qualified professionals who are willing to spend a few minutes looking this over and offering suggestions. This is (another) big investment, and we just can't afford to screw it up. BACKGROUND/SERVER RAID FAIL: So we appear to have a busted server due to a "punctured stripe" issue on our raid array. Nate said this is Dell for "we sold you a cheap-assed RAID controller with awful firmware" and I'm incline= d to agree. Google "RAID punctured stripe" if you care to know more. If you know how to fix that without downing the server and reformatting / reinstalling, we would pay good money for a solution. SERVER REPLACEMENT: According to Dell, fixing it would mean downing the server for many days (at the speed I could rebuild it) so we have no choice but to purchase a new server. Obviously, it ain't gonna be Dell! We've had good luck with ASUS, HP, and IBM machines in the past, so those are my current preferences, but I'm open to other suggestions. I hear HP overheats= , and IBM is way over priced. We love our ASUS laptops and workstations. No problems. M$ ONLY: The machine must run SBS 2k8 pro with Exchange 7 and IIS 7 as that is what we have licensed and what I know. Just to be clear: NO! *nix is NOT an option. Period. Thank you, but no.=20 Here is the current setup I'm looking at: ASUS TS500-E6/PS4 Pedestal Server Barebone http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=3DN82E16816110045 2x Intel Xeon E5520 2.26GHz LGA 1366 80W Quad-Core Server Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=3DN82E16819117185 Patriot Signature 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM Server Memory Model PS312G13ER3K-E http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=3DN82E16820220423 2x Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=3DN82E16822136929 Total price just over $2200. ...which is pretty good... but still painful. ,o) Concerns: -- RAID: Concern has been expressed about the RAID system. The SATA Controller is an IntelR ICH10R with 6 SATA2 300MB/s ports and IntelR Matrix Storage support for software RAID 0, 1, 10 & 5. I would be running RAID 1. The current server with less processing power never exceeds 20% and average= s under 10. Any advice? -- RAM: Concern has also been expressed about the memory. The server says i= t supports:=20 Total Slots: 6 (3-channel per CPU, 3 DIMM per CPU) Capacity: Maximum up to 48GB (RDIMM); Maximum up to 24GB (UDIMM) Memory Type: DDR3 1066/1333 Reg DIMM/ Unbuffered DIMM with ECC=20 Memory Size: 1GB 2GB 4GB 8GB (RDIMM); 1GB 2GB 4GB (UDIMM) The memory is: 240-Pin Dual in-line memory module 2 Rank Double-sided modul= e 7.8US Refresh Interval (8192 CYCLES/64MS) Auto and self refresh capability Serial Presence-Detect (SPD) PCB height: 1181(mil) RoHS Compliant JEDEC Compliant Compatible Server board: Asus Z8NA-D6C Tyan S7025AGM2NR Intel S5520HC Tyan S7002G2NR-LE Intel S3420GPLC. Customers have reported success with several ASUS systems including the TS500 and the RS700. If you can see a problem, please speak up. -- DRIVES: Concern has been expressed about the Western Digital drives. Apparently they have a reputation for running hot? This model appears to be made to address those problems: "The 2.5-inch WD VelociRaptor is enclosed i= n a backplane-ready 3.5-inch enterprise-class mounting frame with a built-in heat sink that keeps this powerful little drive extra cool when installed i= n high-performance desktop chassis." It's also the only drive I could find with a 5 year warranty... But I'm very open to switching to a different drive, but I want an ultra fast drive as the HD's are almost always the major bottleneck in any system, and more so in a server. ACTION: Your input is valued and appreciated. Anyone with any comment will be welcomed. Please pass this on if you know someone who has experience wit= h this stuff. If you are a server professional, or know one, who would like t= o get paid to advise us, please send a link to your online CV or Resume. -- James Newton jamesnewton@piclist.com 1-970-462-7764=20 --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .