Where to purchase a server from?

JohnCleary

Hi all,
I've been tasked with the purchase of a new server.

We haven't looked too much into spec yet, but basically:
2 x CPU
64GB RAM
2 x HDD's (8TB each - RAID1) - We will be backing up daily to External HDD
2 x NIC's

This will be running Windows Server 2016 Standard and will be running Hyper-V.

Essentially, i'd like to purchase out-of-the-box, but happy to source OS and install interdependently.

Any advise on where to start shopping much appreciated.

-EDIT- Going to go with a tower rather than rack.

BailMeOut

HP or Dell direct would be where I'd start.

They both will have a model that will suit you needs and you can order direct from either.

thekooman

we've bought from Elara before.

Nelbert

2 x traditional HDDs may be slow for Hyper-V if you plan to make full use of all that RAM and have more than 1 or 2 VMs.

JohnCleary

Nelbert wrote: »

2 x traditional HDDs may be slow for Hyper-V if you plan to make full use of all that RAM and have more than 1 or 2 VMs.

Got sorted in the end... but regarding your post, what would you suggest?

shanec1928

JohnCleary wrote: »

Got sorted in the end... but regarding your post, what would you suggest?

sas or if budget allowed ssds

lotas

if you dont mind slightly older tech, BargainHardware.co.uk does some very nice gear. Got a load of machines for both our office and home from them.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Mentioned above, but would highly suggest adding SSDs for the VMs

grimeire

I buy all mine from ebay. Have not had a problem with any and the prices are very low.

tech

hard to beat dell.ie

Eoin Kavanagh 64

Interesting task you have there.
Without knowing the background to the load the server will be under it is hard to specify a tower suitable for the needs.

Some questions come to mind though ...

Processors

Why 2 Processors and how many cores per processor?.
Windows Server allows for 2 virtual machines per licence but the licence must be purchased for a minimum of 16 cores.
The install can be done with Hyper V 2016 as the host and 2 windows Server 2016 VM's or with the Server 2016 with Hyper V feature as the host OS with 2 Server 2016 VM's providing the Host OS is only used to manage and host the VMs.

The other issue with dual processors and low amounts of memory modules if the memory bus per processor is not maximised.
Xeon Processors generally have 6 memory channels per processor and can utilise 2 Ram Slots per channel (12 Dimms. With 64GB you will not be getting the benefit of utilising the processors memory bandwidth.

Given the Windows server minimum per core licensing at 16 cores and memory channels, a single 16 core Xeon Silver processor might be a better choice (load dependent).

Disk Choice ....

Again depends on the need, SSDs are without doubt the fastest option, but with significant cost implications. Consumer grade SSD should be ignored and server grade SSDs should be chosen with attention to the read/write cycles you foresee. Some are geared towards light writes and others towards intensive writes which will ultimately determine the cost and life span of the drive (usually expressed as Daily Writes per Drive) depending on how much data is written.

Raid level, another choice to make dependent on the use, I see no dedicated hot spare drive in your list, a good idea to order a 3rd and set it up as a dedicated hot spare within the system. Generally more drives in an array = better performance.

Redundancy ....

Perhaps the most important question to ask, you have your server, you have your backup, you have tested the recovery ... now what are you going to do if the physical server goes down due to hardware failure?. Do you have a backup server in place?.
One should consider the "COST" to the business if you were down for a week while you source and install a replacement server. Does it make economic sense to have a 2nd standby server?. You've been tasked to provide a server in this case .... all eyes will be on you when your colleagues can't perform their daily tasks. Business continuity is the key here and attention should be paid to single point failure and its consequences in cost v's cost of providing a redundant recovery solution.


Personally I've always used IBM Servers throughout the past 20 years and recently rebadged as Lenovo Servers. Currently I'm running dual Lenovo ST550 with Server 2016 & Hyper V Feature and 4 VM's (server2016) in various roles (DB, DNS&DHCP, File & Print, Production Control Software. I originally installed HyperV 2016 as the Host OS to lower the possible attack area, but have since switched to Server2016 with HyperV as the Host OS for my own sanity. One acts as the main Hyper v host while the other is a hyper v replica. Very easy to set up within Hyper v if you have the spare hardware.

I am comfortable supporting my own business needs with this model, it may very well be overkill for you.
Good luck with your task!