Recommendations for an on budget File Server

[hmaster10]

Hi, I'm planning to build a file server since it's my first time building a file server, I like to ask help from experience members of the board. What I currently have are SATA HDDs for the rig.

Here are links to local stores:

• PC Gilmore
  
• PC Express
  
• RSun
  
• VillMan
  

* As of this post the estimated conversion rate is 1 Philippine Peso = 45 US Dollar.

[rendrag]

do you have an old system you could repurpose, or are you going to build this from scratch? when you say file server, are you only looking for storage, or are you looking to stream media and do other things?

[Zxian]

I'd also like to know a bit more about what you're looking for. The term "file server" is pretty varied, ranging from a simple second computer with hard drives, to a redundant server setup with fail-over support and dedicated RAID controllers.

What are the hard drives that you have? Are they all the same, or separate sizes and manufacturers?

[hmaster10]

do you have an old system you could repurpose, or are you going to build this from scratch? when you say file server, are you only looking for storage, or are you looking to stream media and do other things?

Some old parts are still usable (i.e. Video Card, Power Supply, Case, Fans). For the ram, I've not yet test them w/ memtest.I'm planning to use it as a storage device.

I'd also like to know a bit more about what you're looking for. The term "file server" is pretty varied, ranging from a simple second computer with hard drives, to a redundant server setup with fail-over support and dedicated RAID controllers.

What are the hard drives that you have? Are they all the same, or separate sizes and manufacturers?

I'm planning to use it as a storage device. (a simple second computer with hard drives). The HDDs I have are Western Digital & Seagate w/ varying sizes (80GB - 300GB). They are all SATA interface.

[cluberti]

Any old hardware will likely work fine - if you want to swing it, you could install Windows Home Server as well and make that second file server quite useful.

If it's just a file server for you or just a few people, processor speeds matter little if performance isn't important, and if it runs Windows then RAM isn't really important either (although if you are planning on using Linux/SAMBA, note that SAMBA does cache things in RAM heavily and having too little RAM for the workload can really slow it down). As always, disk space is most important no matter what. If you want redundancy beyond OS-created arrays, however, you'll need to consider a discreet SATA RAID card.

[hmaster10]

Any old hardware will likely work fine - if you want to swing it, you could install Windows Home Server as well and make that second file server quite useful.

If it's just a file server for you or just a few people, processor speeds matter little if performance isn't important, and if it runs Windows then RAM isn't really important either (although if you are planning on using Linux/SAMBA, note that SAMBA does cache things in RAM heavily and having too little RAM for the workload can really slow it down). As always, disk space is most important no matter what. If you want redundancy beyond OS-created arrays, however, you'll need to consider a discreet SATA RAID card.

It seems all old hardware I have are still usable except for the board.

Is the Gigabyte GA-946GM-DS2 board to much?

[Zxian]

I'd recommend getting a motherboard with a newer chipset than the Intel 945. This board uses the much newer P35 chipset, and shouldn't cost too much more than the board you were looking at.

You might want to consider an additional SATA PCI card for any additional hard drives that you might have space for.

[hmaster10]

I'd recommend getting a motherboard with a newer chipset than the Intel 945. This board uses the much newer P35 chipset, and shouldn't cost too much more than the board you were looking at.

You might want to consider an additional SATA PCI card for any additional hard drives that you might have space for.

Thanks Zxian, I'll try to see if I can fit it to my budget. BTW, I also need to change my Processor since it will not be compatible. Should I get a Core 2 Duo or just a P4

Incase a Core 2 Duo, I think I be getting Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 since its price difference w/ Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 is just minimal.

Edited May 29, 2008 by hmaster10

[Zxian]

For a basic file server - processing power is not needed. If you can find an E2100-series CPU for cheaper, then go for that. It'll do quite well for what you need.

What are the rest of the parts that you have? Make sure to indicate what kind of connector each one is (for example PCIe vs AGP for the video card). I'm just trying to make sure that all the parts will work together.

[hmaster10]

For a basic file server - processing power is not needed. If you can find an E2100-series CPU for cheaper, then go for that. It'll do quite well for what you need.

What are the rest of the parts that you have? Make sure to indicate what kind of connector each one is (for example PCIe vs AGP for the video card). I'm just trying to make sure that all the parts will work together.

Thanks Zxian, I manage to find an E2160 CPU.

Will a 1GB RAM suffice? Do I need a Dual-Channel, or a Single-Channel is enough?

EDIT:

I notice that the ram I had were DDRs not DDR2. I got myself a 1GB Single Channel one, since that is the only smallest available. But I was a bit slow, prices fluctuated so fast, that I got to spend a little bit higher than what I have canvas

Thanks guys (especially Zxian, for bearing with me ) , I hope my first file server is a success

Edited June 1, 2008 by hmaster10

[rendrag]

good luck... update the thread if more questions arise

[Zxian]

1GB single channel is plenty. Remember, this is a file server, not a high-powered machine. All you need is the bare minimum to hold and run your hard drives.