> (2) You want a 64-bit CPU. So that probably rules > out your P4 machines, > unless they were extremely late-model P4s with the > EM64T features. > Given that file-serving alone is relatively low-CPU, > you can get away > with practically any 64-bit capable CPU made in the > last 4 years.
Assuming you're topped out at 4GB RAM by your motherboard, how much difference does 32bit vs 64bit make? Some of the old (cheap) SCSI cards I have only have 32 bit drivers on x86. The cards supported in the 64bit kernel I have to buy, maybe for more then I paid for my motherboard+cpu+RAM. So I'm curious about that point. > (5) external cases/enclosures are expensive, but > nice. The bang-for-buck > is in the "workgroup server" case, which (besides > being a PC case) > generally holds 8-10 drives for about $300 or so. Even more bang for the buck: PC case with power supply 42" SATA cables SATA to slot bracket cables disk drive power adapters to SATA power adapters 1-2 120mm fans Bolt the drives into the case. Plug in the power adapters Bolt the SATA to slot brackets in Plug the SATA connectors into the drives. Mount the fan(s) in the case so it pulls air across the drives. Bolt the box up. Now you have drives in a box with SATA ports out the back. Now plug the 42" cables into your server in the SATA ports and feed them out a hole in the case. I label the port numbers on the cables. Plug the 42" cables into the SATA ports of the drives in a box. Power the drives in a box up before your server. I've found this works. SATA isn't sensitive to setup as SCSI was in the past. You did mention this was for a home lab right? I've been running this way in my servers for 4 years. > If the solution you really want is an external disk > enclosure hooked to > some sort of a driver/head machine, check out > used/off-lease IBM or HP > opteron workstations, which tend to go for $500 or > so, loaded. Sun v20z > and IBM e326m 1U rackmount servers are in the same > price range. > > -- > Erik Trimble > Java System Support This message posted from opensolaris.org _______________________________________________ zfs-discuss mailing list zfs-discuss@opensolaris.org http://mail.opensolaris.org/mailman/listinfo/zfs-discuss
