Server hardware for a startup
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Hello, I'm developing some client-server software, and the server side is running Linux, Postgresql and Python, the bottleneck will probably be the DB. The problem is, I don't know what sort of hardware to buy for my clients. Performance requirements are modest, but its reliability I'm worried about. A DIY job with my local PC shop can get me a quad-core 12MB L2 cache Intel, 8GB DDR3 Kingston RAM, and 4x500GB SATA 7500rpm WD HDDs (software RAID 0+1) with a $150 power source, extra cooling and a better case (from Thermaltake), and a $400 UPS, all of this should make it more reliable, and it costs less than $2k. (I've yet to do any stress-testing, but that kind of hardware should be able to cope with quite a beating) Then I looked at brand-name servers, like IBM X series, and Dells, and good God, the prices. If I want the same toys, I have to pay many times that amount. I understand that they have hot-swap, hardware RAID, and a nice badge, but what (else) on hell do they charge so much for? Is a Xeon with apparently the same performance specs as a normal Intel really worth a grand more? Dell must have gold-plated their keyboards, else I can't figure out why they charge ~70 bucks for a standard 104-key one, and a tape backup unit is around $700 :omg: My test server is a dual-core Intel with 2GB DDR2 RAM and 2x500GB 7500rpm HDDs (software RAID 1), hosting a low-traffic website, email and my software, for less than $500 (no UPS) and it never missed a beat since I installed it half a year ago. For a brand system with my performance specs (the quad-core set) I've seen quotes as high as 20 grand, so I must ask, CP folks: if you'd have to buy servers with roughly those specs, one for each customer, reliability is a huge concern, and higher server cost means less profit, would you pick DIY or brand name? Thanks for the help! :)
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Hello, I'm developing some client-server software, and the server side is running Linux, Postgresql and Python, the bottleneck will probably be the DB. The problem is, I don't know what sort of hardware to buy for my clients. Performance requirements are modest, but its reliability I'm worried about. A DIY job with my local PC shop can get me a quad-core 12MB L2 cache Intel, 8GB DDR3 Kingston RAM, and 4x500GB SATA 7500rpm WD HDDs (software RAID 0+1) with a $150 power source, extra cooling and a better case (from Thermaltake), and a $400 UPS, all of this should make it more reliable, and it costs less than $2k. (I've yet to do any stress-testing, but that kind of hardware should be able to cope with quite a beating) Then I looked at brand-name servers, like IBM X series, and Dells, and good God, the prices. If I want the same toys, I have to pay many times that amount. I understand that they have hot-swap, hardware RAID, and a nice badge, but what (else) on hell do they charge so much for? Is a Xeon with apparently the same performance specs as a normal Intel really worth a grand more? Dell must have gold-plated their keyboards, else I can't figure out why they charge ~70 bucks for a standard 104-key one, and a tape backup unit is around $700 :omg: My test server is a dual-core Intel with 2GB DDR2 RAM and 2x500GB 7500rpm HDDs (software RAID 1), hosting a low-traffic website, email and my software, for less than $500 (no UPS) and it never missed a beat since I installed it half a year ago. For a brand system with my performance specs (the quad-core set) I've seen quotes as high as 20 grand, so I must ask, CP folks: if you'd have to buy servers with roughly those specs, one for each customer, reliability is a huge concern, and higher server cost means less profit, would you pick DIY or brand name? Thanks for the help! :)
Apart from substituting Hardware RAID, I'd steer well clear of Software RAID if reliability is a concern, which would add approx $100. For your spec I would be tempted to go for a local builder, provided I was satisfied with their build quality/after sales service.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
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Apart from substituting Hardware RAID, I'd steer well clear of Software RAID if reliability is a concern, which would add approx $100. For your spec I would be tempted to go for a local builder, provided I was satisfied with their build quality/after sales service.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
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Hello, I'm developing some client-server software, and the server side is running Linux, Postgresql and Python, the bottleneck will probably be the DB. The problem is, I don't know what sort of hardware to buy for my clients. Performance requirements are modest, but its reliability I'm worried about. A DIY job with my local PC shop can get me a quad-core 12MB L2 cache Intel, 8GB DDR3 Kingston RAM, and 4x500GB SATA 7500rpm WD HDDs (software RAID 0+1) with a $150 power source, extra cooling and a better case (from Thermaltake), and a $400 UPS, all of this should make it more reliable, and it costs less than $2k. (I've yet to do any stress-testing, but that kind of hardware should be able to cope with quite a beating) Then I looked at brand-name servers, like IBM X series, and Dells, and good God, the prices. If I want the same toys, I have to pay many times that amount. I understand that they have hot-swap, hardware RAID, and a nice badge, but what (else) on hell do they charge so much for? Is a Xeon with apparently the same performance specs as a normal Intel really worth a grand more? Dell must have gold-plated their keyboards, else I can't figure out why they charge ~70 bucks for a standard 104-key one, and a tape backup unit is around $700 :omg: My test server is a dual-core Intel with 2GB DDR2 RAM and 2x500GB 7500rpm HDDs (software RAID 1), hosting a low-traffic website, email and my software, for less than $500 (no UPS) and it never missed a beat since I installed it half a year ago. For a brand system with my performance specs (the quad-core set) I've seen quotes as high as 20 grand, so I must ask, CP folks: if you'd have to buy servers with roughly those specs, one for each customer, reliability is a huge concern, and higher server cost means less profit, would you pick DIY or brand name? Thanks for the help! :)
Its overkill. No reason to be spending 2k on a startup server. You probably wont use anywhere near its limitations before it becomes obsolete