Paul Kraus wrote:
Thanks for this pointer ... I have been looking for a small (low
power) "server" for a bit now and did not realize that HP had anything
in the line below the ML-1xx.
One of the reviews at the HP site note that the 5.25" media bay is
IDE only (from a BIOS perspective), can you confirm or deny this ? I
really want 6 drives (2 x 250 GB OS, 4 x 1 TB data), and using the
5.25" bay plus the eSata I can get there. Although if I can use a
couple 16 GB USB flash drives for OS I *might* go that route.
I am not planning on using encryption, so the CPU is probably not a
limitation for me.
On Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 12:55 PM, Roberto Waltman <li...@rwaltman.com> wrote:
I recently bought an HP Proliant Microserver for a home file server.
( pics and more here:
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=20968192 )
I installed 5 1.5TB (5900 RPM) drives, upgraded the memory to 8GB, and
installed Solaris 11 Express without a hitch.
A few simple tests using "dd" with 1gb and 2gb files showed excellent
transfer rates: ~200 MB/sec on a 5 drive raidz2 pool, ~310 MB/sec on a five
drive pool with no redundancy.
That is, until I enabled encryption, which brought the transfer rates down
to around 20 MB/sec...
I did reply before, but I don't see my response in the list, so here
it goes again.
? can you confirm or deny this ?
I can do both! ;)
The disk controller ports #4 (esata,) and #5 (optical drive bay,) work
in IDE mode if you use an official HP BIOS. They can be configured to
work in AHCI mode after flashing a patched BIOS from a Russian
website. Caveat emptor?
Some people installed a SATA controller in one of the PCI-e slots.
That solves the BIOS issue as well as the problem of routing a cable
in and out to connect an internal disk to the external SATA port. (If
you go for 6 drives, more below) But I don?t recall a report using
this combination with ZFS/Solaris.
There is a long thread here:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1555868 , with some useful
information, including pictures of a 6 disk arrangement.
I would recommend against doing something like that, because of
cooling/air-flow issues in addition to loosing the ability to change
drives quickly.
I installed 4 drives in the drive cage and a fifth one in an AMS
removable rack. I chose this one
http://www.amselectronics.com/DS_136SSBK.pdf partially because of the
built-in fan.
If you are creative, there is still room to install one or two 2.5?
solid state drives above/below the 5? bay or flat against the back
wall. Three or more for 1.8? drives. One can be easily plugged to the
internal USB connector using a bus powered USB to SATA adapter. For
more than one, or for speed, you will need a SATA controller.
Be aware that there are two identically looking models; one comes with
a 250Gb disk and a 160 Watt PS, the other with a 160Gb disk and a 200
Watt PS. Make sure you get the later.
I can get a few pictures of my setup, but that will have to wait for
the weekend.
Another review, with power and temperature measurements:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/HP_Proliant_MicroServer
Finally, if you want to occasionally use for desktop duty, the
graphics are a little sluggish. Nvidia has a few PCI-e x1 cards (PNY
Quadro NVS,) that consume between 17 and 25 watts. They claim driver
support for Solaris.
--
Roberto Waltman
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