classiccmp server hardware

From: Jay West <jwest_at_classiccmp.org>
Date: Sat Oct 9 18:21:40 2004

I said I'd look at what is in there, here's the scoop.

Boom 1U case, room for MB, PS, many fans, two HD's, slimline floppy and
slimline CD, and a single PCI card
ASUS TUSI-M motherboard
Intel Celeron 1.2ghz, 256K cache, 100mhz FSB
(2) 512mb low profile SDR DIMMS
Mitsumi SR243T1 slim cd
Citizen OSDA-39D floppy drive (heavily modified with a dremel tool to fit
right)
20gb PATA drive for OS
160gb PATA drive for data, list, websites, etc.

The motherboard ide controller is ATA100 or 133, I forget which. Before you
snivel at the hardware... the classiccmp server doesn't NEED to be extremely
fast and seems to do just fine with the horsepower it has. Of course that's
because it runs FreeBSD (trolling).

The end-goal here is reliability in case of drive failure. I see two
options. I could get an additional 160HD, a Promise raid 1 card, and a riser
card (think I already have one). Then the OS & data would be on one 160gb
drive and we'd mirror to the other 160gb. This is the cheapest option.

The other option would be using a motherboard with built-in raid. This would
involve replacing the motherboard, the memory, and the cpu. Perhaps the
power supply too, which may or may not mean a new case.... I would still
need to buy another 160gb drive. Definitely a lot more expensive. Plus since
it's an older 1U case, trying to find a motherboard that fit it just right
may be troublesome with boards being sent back cause they dont fit, etc.
Plus the frustration of trying to make sure the newer/faster processor
heatsink and fan would fit into the 1U case, which can sometimes be
impossible.

In the event that the server runs out of horsepower, if we go the first
route, we wouldn't have lost any investment cause we'd still be able to use
the two 160gb PATA drives. The only money wasted would be on the promise
RAID controller.

So, my vote would be to go with another 160gb, riser card, and promise raid
1 card. But I'm open to any and all options. Theres about $200 or so in the
kitty right now for the server. I'd love some input, mayber there's options
I haven't thought of.

Regards,

Jay West
Received on Sat Oct 09 2004 - 18:21:40 BST