After having used such servers as the HP MediaSmart Server, the HP Proliant MicroServer, and various Dell servers, I decided to set out to see if I could build my own server for a reasonable cost with features I desired.
The intent of this build is to showcase a server that can be used in the home with Windows Home Server 2011 (yes, this build is somewhat overkill), and in home based / small businesses, with Small Business Server 2011 Essentials or Small Business Server 2011 Standard.
My requirements were as follows:
· Total cost could not exceed $1500. (Ideally, I wanted to stay at or below $1000.)
· All parts used must be server grade. By that I mean, must have 3-5 year warranty depending on part, and similar to parts used by the major server manufacturers.
· Must support future expandability. Must support large amounts of memory and case used must support addition of multiple hard drives.
· With Windows 8 and Windows 8 Server on the horizon, processor support for Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) and hardware virtualization were key to this build.
So what parts did I use?
· Antec VSK-2450 Mid Tower Case
· Intel Xeon Processor E3-1230 (3.2GHz, 8MB Cache)
· Kingston 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 ECC RAM
· Western Digital RE4 Enterprise 1.0TB Hard Drive
Specs as configured:
· Intel Server Board S1200BTS
· 16GB ECC DDR3 RAM
· (1) 1.0TB Western Digital RE4 Enterprise Hard Drive
· Intel Xeon E3-1230 Processor
How does this build stack up to my requirements?
· Total cost: $1050+tax. I bought all the parts I needed from a local vendor instead of online and was willing to pay a bit more because of it. It is entirely possible to find these parts for cheaper online, but if you can, support your local businesses.
· Warranties on all parts are at least three years. Western Digital’s warranty is five years on enterprise hard drives, and on memory Kingston has a lifetime warranty.
· From an expandability standpoint, the case allows for up to 6 hard drives, the motherboard allows for 6 SATA connections, and the motherboard supports a maximum of 32GB of RAM.
· The processor used in this build supports hardware virtualization and SLAT, or as Intel calls it, Extended Page Tables. When looking for an Intel-based processor to be used for virtualization I suggest ensuring that it supports Intel-VT and Extended Page Tables. The Intel ARK tool, http://ark.intel.com, is a great resource for that type of information.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be showcasing more about what this server can do.
Tom on Tech 