Recommend a quiet server

[mcwill]

I was hoping the 3.5 HCL would be available by now which would maybe solve my problem, but I can't afford to wait any longer so...

I'm looking to put in another ESX server, but this time in a domestic environment to act as a offsite backup, my study to be precise. In the office we run ESX on Dell PE1950s which are great as long as you aren't in the same room. Can anyone recommend a server that is...

1) On the HCL.

2) Preferably available with quad cores in a tower configuration.

3) Can be populated with approx 2TB of storage.

4) Is quieter than a jumbo jet on takeoff!

Thanks for any suggestions.

[zhouse]

Have you looked at the pedistal Dell servers such as the 1900 and 2900? While they are not exactly quiet they are quieter then their rack mount counterparts.

[mcwill]

I had assumed the 1900 & 2900 would be similar to the 1950 & 2950 in volume.

Thanks for the pointer I'll check them out.

[mcwill]

Hmmm, for some reason the 1900 isn't listed on the HCL, isn't it just a 1950 in a tower case?

[GBromage]

In this situation, you might be better off looking for a motherboard thats on the HCL, and fitting it into a fanless or noise reduced case. The biggest issues for noise (as I'm sure you know) is cooling so maybe even an external (out the window) or liquid-cooling option might be the way to go. These generally cost more and require some fiddling to set up, but ultimately rate a higher W.A.F. (Wife Acceptance Factor)

Another option might be to forgo the study and put a rack into your garage.

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[mcwill]

Thanks, but the only HCLs I can find don't appear to have a section for approved motherboards, do you have a link for the motherboard list?

[jhanekom]

The newer HP servers are extremely quiet. The ProLiant ML350 G5 is rated at just 35 dBA when operating at 23 degrees Centigrade ambient temperature, but only has 8 SFF drive slots. The ML370 G5 is rated at 43dBA, but has 16 SFF drive slots (and is a bit more expensive.)

I've not measured the actual sound pressure myself, but can attest to the fact that they're almost inaudible in a normal office environment. The only clue that they're switched on is that the lights are flashing, or by putting your hand behind it to feel the air flowing from the exhaust fans.

Maybe an ML350 G5 coupled with a suitable external storage solution - whether direct or network-attached - from another vendor? (Unfortunately, it seems all HP's proper DAS solutions are rack-mount units.)

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12475_div/12475_div.pdf

[e12pilot]

+1 on the G5 HP servers. We use the DL360G5 for our remote office installs of ESX, and I can have the thing running on my desk with no complaints. I am amazed the fans are even spinning.

When you first power the server on it gets a little loud, but once the BIOS loads things quiet down very fast.

Good luck.

[Jwoods]

On the IBM side of the fence there's the x3000 series tower servers, specifically the x3400 and x3500. Both have dual & quad core options with 8 or 12 drive options as well. And both are on the HCL. We've deployed a couple of these in our remote Mexico offices. As previously stated, the fans rev up on boot, but quiet down after post.

[jhanekom]

That DL360 (49dBA) is a freight train compared to the ML350. Every 10 dB equates to a doubling in "loudness".

Unfortunately I can't find vendor-published specs for any of the Dell and IBM servers (maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.)

The problem with disks - even on the IBM side - is that the small form factor SAS drives have not moved over to 300GB yet; the maximum size is still 146GB. The x3400 and x3500 IBM servers are not supported with SATA drives under 3.0.2 - not sure if this will change for 3.5.

The x3500 does have a model with eight LFF drive bays (which do have 300GB disks), which will give you about 1.9TB usable RAID5 space. I've looked but have unfortuantely not been able to find subjective noise level figures for this server.

[mcwill]

Thanks for the suggestions I'll certainly look at the ML350.

As you say, its just whether we can configure it up with enough disk space.

[swaterhouse]

Awesome thread - I am looking for the same thing. For storage I will say the StoreVault S500 is pretty quiet as well and the S300 which is cheaper and would do your 2TB of space should be even quieter as it was designed for "desktop" use.

As an aside what have you worked out as a deal with your company. I was planning on asking for a business level cable modem account that I can use for home\personal as well as for business connectivity for payment on the extra electricity usage. The other way to do it would be to either get a managed UPS or a "Kill-a'Watt" device to measure electricity usage and split the electric bill with the company.

[cmsJustin]

Even if you find a quiet server to place in a second location (your study), don't forget about cooling. Servers aren't meant to deal with home heating/cooling systems...

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