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NAS/Hyper-V Build Advice


JeffMc

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Hello!  I'm looking for some advice on a server build I'm planning.  Primarily this server will be a fileserver and Plex or Emby server supporting at least 2 streams at a time.  OS will be Windows Server 2012 R2, and I want to run at least a couple of Hyper-V guests on this machine so it won't just be a NAS.  I use DrivePool currently and I'd like to stick with that.

 

I already have drives - a Samsung 850 Pro 1TB for OS and VMs, a smaller SSD that I can use for write cache, and several WD Red NAS drives.  I don't want to do a rack mount build, so I plan to use a Caselabs Mercury S8 with 3 x 4-in-3 Hot Swap bays for a total of 12 hot swap bays. I'm leaning toward this model of drive bay, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OUSU8MI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER , but I'd love suggestions.

 

I'm up to speed on the gaming side of builds, but when it comes to server components I'm just not sure what makes the most sense these days.  So, what I really need advice on is Motherboard/CPU/Memory, and a drive controller if necessary.  I'm looking to support at least 14 drives. I'd like to keep these 3-4 components under $1,000.

 

I'm thinking I will run a Xeon E5 of some kind, but I'm not sure which model would be the best bang for the buck. Since it's on 24x7, something with low power requirements would be nice.

 

For the motherboard, I'd like to stay ATX or smaller.  I'm fine with an add-on card like the IBM m1015 (or any other suggestions) to get support for the minimum 14 drives.  Multiple NICs would be nice too, but not required. 

 

For memory I'm targeting 32GB.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff

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Well, to start off with, I would highly recommend a separate system for virtualization.  Plex/Emby are pretty CPU intensive, so, a separate system will do you better.

 

 

That said, as for hardware, it depends on what you're looking at.  

Supermicro and ASRock RACK have a good selection of server/workstation grade motherboards.  

The one recommendation I do have is to make sure it has IPMI.  It's meant for "out of band management", meaning that you can access the BIOS, mount ISOs, etc. It makes installation and maintenance a lot easier.

 

As for CPU, it depends on your budget. A Xeon E3 may be a better purchase, as it will definitely be a bit cheaper.  However, if you do plan on running VMs and Plex/Emby, than an E5 may be a better choice. 

 

As to specifics, it's been awhile since I've looked at CPUs, so I can't really give you much help.

 

As for memory: ECC. Period. 

 

 

As for controller card, I recommend an LSI. They're on the bit more expensive side, but they're enterprise grade.  Unfortunately, this will really set you back. To get enough to power 14+ drives will cost you ~$600 or more. 

The IBM ServeRAID M1015 may be a good choice, but you'd need to get several of these cards, or you'd need to get an SAS Expander (such as the Intel RES2SV240).

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