Home Servers, Network Storage and the Case House
by Loyd Case on December 2, 2009 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Postmortem: Nothing’s Perfect
For the time being, I’m planning on running the old ReadyNAS alongside the WHS box for a few weeks. Then I’ll switch over to the Windows Home Server box. After using WHS for a couple of weeks now, it seems much more flexible and, well, shiny, than the old NAS.
That said, no solution is perfect. There are a few gotchas about this particular system I built that I might do a little differently.
There’s the cost issue. Here’s the bill of materials, if you go out and buy all the components:
| Component | Model | Price |
| Case | Chenbro ES32067 | $120 |
| Motherboard | Intel DG41MJ | $80 |
| CPU | Intel E5200 | $64 |
| Memory | 2GB Kingston Value RAMD DDR2-800 | $41 |
| Storage | 2 x WD2002FYPS | $290 each; $580 total |
| Memory | 2GB Kingston Value RAMD DDR2-800 | $41 |
| Operating System | Windows Home Server OEM (SP1) | $85 |
| Total | $970 |
Just the $580 cost of the pair of WD2002FYPS drives could buy you a modest 2TB NAS system. The total cost of $970 is $150 - $300 more than similarly configured, off-the-shelf WHS systems, though many of those are Atom-based. So building your own WHS from scratch may not be a cost effective way to go.
Then there are the technical limitations I encountered.
Take the motherboard, for example. The BIOS setup is pretty limited, even by Intel motherboard standards. One thing I wanted to do was to undervolt and underclock the CPU slightly, to use even less power. But the BIOS doesn’t allow that, even if you enable the infamous “BIOS configuration jumper.”
After I built the system, I discovered that Chenbro actually builds the ES34069 mini-ITX server box with four cold swappable drive bays. That might be more flexible, but it’s also bulkier. The unit also uses an external 120W or 180W PSU brick, rather than a self-contained PSU.
So far, though, the case has been a winner. It’s actually seems quieter than the ReadyNAS, though I haven’t taken SPL measurements. It also fits nicely into the space that was taken up by the ReadyNAS.
Here’s the ReadyNAS in the storage area off the basement lab.
And here’s the Chenbro-based WHS system running. It’s a little taller, but not as wide, as the ReadyNAS, so fits very nicely. If anything, it’s a slightly more efficient use of the available space.
For most users who have modest home networks and simple backup needs, Windows Home Server may be overkill. I’m personally looking forward to the additional flexibility of an actual server, plus I’m also looking forward to experimenting with the various add-ins. So for my purposes, which are not the same as most users by any means, it’s all good.
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tyski - Thursday, December 3, 2009 - link
For better or worse, he used enterprise-class hard drives that do indeed cost ~$300 for 2TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8..., not the cheaper consumer-class hard drives that most of us use in our home PC builds. For work-related server builds, I prefer WD's enterprise-grade drives. But for a home server that is just going to hold a crap load of movies/music, I have to agree with the other posters, consumer-grade hard drives should be more than adequate, especially if you have good backup system in place.strikeback03 - Thursday, December 3, 2009 - link
My understanding of the article was that he already had these HDDs around, which is why he used them and quoted their cost. Not that anyone looking to replicate this system should necessarily buy this exact hardware.Though I don't see the point of the hot-swappable trays in this system, or of that case (esp if it is hidden in the basement). I might well turn my current desktop (E6600/P965) into a WHS once I build a new desktop.
strikeback03 - Thursday, December 3, 2009 - link
My understanding of the article was that he already had these HDDs around, which is why he used them and quoted their cost. Not that anyone looking to replicate this system should necessarily buy this exact hardware.Though I don't see the point of the hot-swappable trays in this system, or of that case (esp if it is hidden in the basement). I might well turn my current desktop (E6600/P965) into a WHS once I build a new desktop.
MrDiSante - Thursday, December 3, 2009 - link
Strongly agreed. On top of that I think the choice of case and HDDs is abysmal. You could easily have gotten 3x1.5TB for under $300 and gotten a mid-tower already with a power supply for under $60. That would've made your build actually palatable for the features that you get, although I'd still have gone with the HP's - their value added is worth it.nilepez - Thursday, December 3, 2009 - link
Didn't he say he had the drives sitting around already? They seem like overkill, but if he already owns the drives, why buy more drives?Plifzig - Thursday, December 3, 2009 - link
I've almost pulled the trigger on one of those in the past. Any chance that could serve my high-end stereo setup with lossless audio?I've also been considering the Logitech Squeezebox or Transporter route.
MadMan007 - Thursday, December 3, 2009 - link
Squeezecenter (the softwre for Squeezeboxes) runs perfectly well on WHS. Other network devices that just need to be pointed to a shared folder can stream media as well.thirdspaced - Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - link
I build all my PCs, but I chose the HP Mediasmart for several reasons.1. Extras
2. More Energy efficient then most home builds
3. Small compact size
4. Cost (well under $500 on places like Amazon)
The main criticism here is cost. Loyd could have saved money by getting 1.5 TB drives ($98 this last weekend )
mckirkus - Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - link
As our 'puters get fast enough to run cat brain simulators it behooves Anand to focus more on this sort of thing. Home automation, Media Center tech, explanations of technologies like Mkv, DTS vs. AC3, remote consolidation, home servers.Emerging consumer standards and trends in other words. That's tech too right?
jigglywiggly - Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - link
Why'd you buy a server chasis? They are overpriced for the most part, and are small, just get a large mid tower case, or full size tower, for cheap, and if you want HD bays on the front, you can buy drive bays for that.