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Its getting to the point that I really need a server at home to consolidate family photos, video, have real computer backups, etc. Did some research and decided to go with Microsoft's "Windows Home Server power pack 3". Found a few websites that talk about building servers for WHS, and followed their advice to get a machine that is oriented to throughput, but not so much application processing.
If your into building PC's here's the parts list/specs:
(1) Microsoft Windows Home Server Operating System Software with Power Pack 3, 32-bit, 1Server, 10 CAL, License and Media, P/N:CCQ-00099. OEM
(1) ASUS M4N68T-M V2 Socket AM3 uATX Motherboard, NVIDIA nForce 630a Chipset, Supports AMD Socket AM3 CPUs, Dual DDR3 1800(O.C.), SATA 3Gb/s RAID, PCIe 2.0 x16, Onboard Video, Gigabit LAN
(1) AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 4000MHz Socket AM3 Dual-Core 45nm Processor.
(2) HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.C HDS721010CLA332 (0F10383) 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"" Internal Hard Drive
(1) Kingston ValueRAM 2GB DDR3 1333 System Memory, 240-pin DIMM, CL9, non-ECC, Unbuffered.
(1)Black Broadway Com Corp 943 Steel m-ATX Computer Case, w/ 500W PSU and Card Reader.
(2) Masscool 120mm Case Fan, Ball bearing, 3 / 4""Pin.
Notice there are no sound or video cards, and only 2 Gig of memory. The onboard sound and video are more than sufficient for a box that has no monitor, keyboard or mouse. And 2 Gig of memory is more than enough for the server software.
I like this small micro ATX case because it has space for 6 hard drives, plus more if the top bays are used. The USB ports on the front (hidden behind a fold down panel) make it easy to attach external drives. Might get an additional card that supports external SATA connections.
The best feature of Windows Home Server is that additional drives can just be plugged in, and it handles the rest. Its configured to do data mirroring rather than a Raid setup. This is so that if one drive fails, another can be plugged in and the server will do the mirror build from the other drive. No data is lost. Also, if the server dies for any reason, the drives can be removed and plugged into a regular windows PC and accessed if needed in an emergency.
Here are some photos of the build:
Bare case:
Main Board installed, drives, connect USB, card reader, front panel, etc
WHS loaded up just fine and has been running without a hitch. Access to the "shares" is very fast. Its on 24/7, but is set up to hibernate after 20 minutes of no access so it spends most of its time asleep.
Have loaded all the photos on it, and music too. Next is to load up all the video from tape and the 1080p video my Nikon shoots. Then a media player like the WDTV Live will be added to stream it all to the TV.
Could use some suggestions for a good small UPS that has communications through a USB or comm port to shut the server down on power loss. Is APC still one of the best?
If your into building PC's here's the parts list/specs:
(1) Microsoft Windows Home Server Operating System Software with Power Pack 3, 32-bit, 1Server, 10 CAL, License and Media, P/N:CCQ-00099. OEM
(1) ASUS M4N68T-M V2 Socket AM3 uATX Motherboard, NVIDIA nForce 630a Chipset, Supports AMD Socket AM3 CPUs, Dual DDR3 1800(O.C.), SATA 3Gb/s RAID, PCIe 2.0 x16, Onboard Video, Gigabit LAN
(1) AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 4000MHz Socket AM3 Dual-Core 45nm Processor.
(2) HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.C HDS721010CLA332 (0F10383) 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"" Internal Hard Drive
(1) Kingston ValueRAM 2GB DDR3 1333 System Memory, 240-pin DIMM, CL9, non-ECC, Unbuffered.
(1)Black Broadway Com Corp 943 Steel m-ATX Computer Case, w/ 500W PSU and Card Reader.
(2) Masscool 120mm Case Fan, Ball bearing, 3 / 4""Pin.
Notice there are no sound or video cards, and only 2 Gig of memory. The onboard sound and video are more than sufficient for a box that has no monitor, keyboard or mouse. And 2 Gig of memory is more than enough for the server software.
I like this small micro ATX case because it has space for 6 hard drives, plus more if the top bays are used. The USB ports on the front (hidden behind a fold down panel) make it easy to attach external drives. Might get an additional card that supports external SATA connections.
The best feature of Windows Home Server is that additional drives can just be plugged in, and it handles the rest. Its configured to do data mirroring rather than a Raid setup. This is so that if one drive fails, another can be plugged in and the server will do the mirror build from the other drive. No data is lost. Also, if the server dies for any reason, the drives can be removed and plugged into a regular windows PC and accessed if needed in an emergency.
Here are some photos of the build:
Bare case:
Main Board installed, drives, connect USB, card reader, front panel, etc
WHS loaded up just fine and has been running without a hitch. Access to the "shares" is very fast. Its on 24/7, but is set up to hibernate after 20 minutes of no access so it spends most of its time asleep.
Have loaded all the photos on it, and music too. Next is to load up all the video from tape and the 1080p video my Nikon shoots. Then a media player like the WDTV Live will be added to stream it all to the TV.
Could use some suggestions for a good small UPS that has communications through a USB or comm port to shut the server down on power loss. Is APC still one of the best?
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