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- Windows Server or Linux server OS?
- Past testing by researchers have yielded faster processing on servers running Linux than Windows. Some researchers only comfortable working within Windows.
- If Windows Server used, buy ~$100 software on server (free clients) to enable moving large amounts of data to server more speedily.
- If Windows Server used, Chemistry IT must work out the "how", with group's input. Examples of unknowns:
- How will user accounts and their access work? How many simultaneously? Per user accounts or shared accounts? How manage contention, if desired by group?
- There will be monthly (or maybe every 3 months) shutdown periods to ensure baseline patching and OS, file-share and hardware checking.
- Chemistry IT will coordinate with group, as we do for many other servers we manage for other research groups.
Chemistry IT expects group to purchase and maintain an adequately sized, rack-mount uninterruptible poser supply (UPS) for servers we manage.
- Approximate cost is $200-450; need to size correctly. Expect batteries to last 3-4 years easily.
- Budget about $200 (reality-check amount with Michael Hint) for hardware costs related to the rack and networking required.
- Chemistry IT can often contribute some used items "free", too, if available and of adequate quality.
Server spec suggestions and costs
| Minimum proposed server | |||||
| Criteria | Current |
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| desktop's specs | Represents ~4 TIMES the desktop specs |
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| Cost increase if go up |
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| a level or so | Borrowed Dell |
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Server specs, PowerEdge R430 (1 U) | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cores, hyper-threading (HT) | 4 cores (one processor) i5-6500, 3.20 GHz (Not HT capable) | Total 16 cores (Two, 8-cores each) Each: Xeon Silver 4110, 2.10GHz 11MB Cache (85W) HT-capable | 16 total cores => 20 total cores
16 total cores => 24 total cores
*Availability delay, as of 12/22/17. | 16 cores (Two, 8 cores each) HT-capable Each: The now-older processor, Xeon E5-2620 v4 2.10GHz 20MB Cache (85W) | Hyper-threading (HT) is useful to the group. Group tested performance between HT being turned on and off. With HT, test system showed 32 cores. 25 of these could be used without saturation, and thus without delaying processing time. Without HT, only 16 cores available so maximum much less than 25 effectively used under HT. Notes:
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Storage All SSD. | 500 GB SSD | 2TB is 4 times the space: 2.0TB Samsung 960 PRO M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive (cost is $1,499) Above configuration is the fastest option since combines OS and data on fast bus.
| If need less space, easy. Save about $375 per 500GB. Replace 2.0TB at left with:
If more space is needed, more complicated and slower, but of course doable. Please ask. |
| 400 GB SSD | Large amounts of data not needed to be stored on server, nor moved from server. Instead, simply deleted from server after processing. | ||||
| RAM | 32 GB | 128 GB | +$1,440: 128 GB => 256 GB | 32 GB | |
| Warranty | 3 year, NBD Dell on-campus "parts locker" | 3 year |
, Advanced Parts Replacement Warranty | Warranty upgrades (all non-NBD):
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| 5 year, NBD, 5x10 on-site. | |
| Other |
| n/a | n/a |
Option: Redundant power supply unit (+$224). Option: Any value in Dual and/or 10-Gigabit Ethernet? |
| (+$150-500) | Network card: Quad-port, 1Gb. | |
| Total cost, approx. | ~$1,000 |
each (*4 => $4,000) | ~$5,500 |
for just the server | Easy to add $500 - $18,000 to SAME server! | ~$3,700. Compared to minimum recommendation:
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Core prices snap-shot
- Prices taken 12/22/2017
- Prices go up dramatically with both core-count and processor speeds.
- Cache sizes and power consumption also increase with capabilities.
- This chart of estimated marginal costs is a sub-set of options pulled from <https://www.thinkmate.com/system/rax-xs4-21s1-sh> and <https://www.thinkmate.com/system/rax-xs4-21s1-10g>, focusing on SLOWEST procs to reduce costs. Other, more expensive-per-proc (faster) options available.
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