Building a Server

[LiNuX]

Well I was speaking to lonewolf earlier about buying a server to host this forum along with a cs server or two but it seems like getting a server that is already built will cost me 10 times more than what I want to spend. Well not that much but its around there :radar:

Well I am a newb at building servers and knowing its parts - so what type of parts would you recommend for me?

I know i need a processor but which is good?
And what about memory, what is your recommended amount?
And also with space, where can i find good hard drives for this and which type would you recommend?
What type of cpu and gpu is recommended?
anyone know how much this can cost me? lol

thanks for all responses in advance

[KiNg_.-.OF.-._ChAoS]

http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2007/06/05/build_your_own_server/1

Not sure if this will help but I hope it does. :-)

[LiNuX]

http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2007/06/05/build_your_own_server/1

Not sure if this will help but I hope it does. :-)

thanks gave you +rep for the link - i'll look over it in a bit, kinda busy setting up something else :D

[KiNg_.-.OF.-._ChAoS]

No problem, I'll look for some more in the meantime. :-)

http://www.circuitcellar.com/library/print/0902/brady/brady.pdf

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/14077/53/

http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/server

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/mac/2002/11/05/apache_osx.html?CMP=ILC-S60H73598977&ATT=808

Do any of these seem useful?

[lonewolfxix]

i can build a pc for $400-$500 with a decent spec.. I'd recommend... something with a nice ammount of speed.. nothing too fancy in the graphics department.... let's see..

Intel Core2Duo E4400 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115014

MSI 945p motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130099

OCZ DDR2-800 2x1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227198

harddrive.. take your pick:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010150014%201035915133%201035407760&bop=And&Order=PRICE

MSI rx1550
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127292

Rosewill case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147073

rosewill stallion psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182074

extra fan (for front intake)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811998104

sorry didn't have time to add it all up, but that should be awesome for running a good few servers :)

[LiNuX]

thanks for speccing that for me but is there any maybe cheaper of these products that would work just as great lol because i think i told you about my budget and what you specced is pretty cheap but it'll still put me in debt with my father :-P

cheaper:
processor
memory
motherboard looks fine but im not an expert on it lol

just those three things, the others would/should work for me - cheap prices

[lonewolfxix]

Any cheaper I'd probably change to a different motherboard chipset and go for AMD as that'll offer even better price:performance ratio but you may see an extra 0.001cents/hour added to your electricity bill (just mocking all those intel fanboys who say their processors use less power, enough to actually make a difference to your electricity bill :) ) I'll spec it when I get up because i've been looking at bikes and listing things all day on ebay. 1:51am now... time may affect my judgement on good pc parts.

[LiNuX]

lol take ur time :-) im in no hurry, i may get it by this christmas because i'll have a whole month off from college, perfect time to put it together

and i just need one that'll work with a cs server - 1.6, source, or even both - and a bit of extra space to host this site lol :D - i dont think i'll need a faster internet but i may upgrade anyway - cuz my upload speed is under 600kb/s

thanks a lot lonewolf - appreciate it :D

[lonewolfxix]

good afternoon! ok, so a CS1.6 server and a CSS server and a site... I think my pc can do that and this thing only costs $600 in rip-off britain! and mine is for gaming! prices for parts should drop again by christmas so yeah, should be even cheaper then.

CPU: AMD Athlon64 X2 4200+ (i own this cpu, it's great, good performance, good price) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103747 $74

M/B: Asus M2N-MX SE (Friend uses same chipset.. seems decent.. decent onboard gpu if you keep the vram to minimum of the onboard only) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131183 $54.99

and the ram... $50.99 for 2gb seems pretty reasonable, especially OCZ since i paid $74 for some valueram that didn't even work :P but.. ahh what am i saying but for, that's THE BEST RAM you'll get for your money, you may have to pay a little more up front but mail in the rebate form you get quite a nice bit of cash in return

[wifi]

wow thats pretty cool lol :-P all you have to do is put the parts together right? because i may build up a computer myself lol, i need a new one anyway, and do you need a monitor to work that server?

[lonewolfxix]

well i can build a pc (besides the parts supplied and all the parts bought to get it working) with a number 2 philips head screwdriver and a wire clipper :) and ofcourse the OS installation disc...
Ofcourse you need a monitor, keyboard and mouse for original setup but after original setup it should be pretty low maintenance and you can do most things through kernals and remote desktop viewers such as VNC and logmein remote access.
Most made mistake for those who know how to upgrade a pc is the motherboard, if you look at the bottom of a motherboard you'll notice a lot of pins, now look at the top side, you'll see 6 to 9 metal rings with holes in the middle, these line up with the holes on the tray in the case which the board mounts to, put in the stand-offs (little brass or iron screws with screw holes in the top) into the correct holes and proceed to screw the motherboard into those holes making sure they're pretty tight but not overly that it snaps the board, the I/O shield (the backplane where the mouse, keyboard etc. ports are) can be a pain to fit, push the little prongs on the usb port ones to the outside of the case and the ones going inside, push them up, make sure the shield is firmly in place in the back of the case and slide the motherboard into place and then using a weak force against the motherboard to bring it as far back in the case as possible against the rear of it screw in the central end screw till semi tight and then proceed to screw the rest in, once all are in you then tighten them down then proceed to install components :) I may be building a pc for a local soon, so if i do I may ask if it can be filmed so i can then show you guys.

Found a decent video that does things slightly dif to what i do (namely installing the cpu and heatsink on the board before installing which i have tried and generally came across problems such as screws not screwing in properly due to heatsink and fan size) the installation process of CPU's is different on different platforms, but as a key rule when installing any processor is "if you need to force it in, then it's the wrong way round/not the right processor" which when i spec a pc for you, i can assure you it's the right processor. all modern processors (since way back in the pentium 1/2 days which before that processors were like expansion cards) use a ZIF Socket, ZIF stands for Zero Insertion Force.

Don't be scared of building your first pc, it's not really that hard, don't take it as a walk in the park but definitely don't take it as something like brain surgery or rocket science. feel free to read as many tutorials and watch as many videos so you think you have an idea, just give me a price for the PC and i'll spec it, you don't have to worry what is compatible with what, just how to make it work :)

Some good ideas maybe to pick up an anti-static wristband, these cost about $6 and really help to determine the problem if your pc doesn't work (so you know it wasn't static electricity from you shorting the components) or maybe you want to buy a belkin pc set (search anti wristband on newegg.. seems to bring it up) for $23. also, never touch the pins, dirtying the contacts can damage it and cleaning it can be difficult (in the terms of it working afterwards) grab graphics cards either buy the heatsink or the pcb edges, motherboards by the back ports and ram slots or the pcb edges (i generally grab by the ports and ram slot teeth on the sides, sometimes the heatsink if it's big enough and secure enough, but generally don't do that.) If it doesn't work, don't modify or try to fix it yourself, tell your supplier it came dead or is incompatible and ask for a refund :P

[LiNuX]

lol good info there lonewolf - i'll serach for some video tuts later on - i went out and looked at some cases and processors - im better off buying online lol

if you film ur local pc making skills soon lol, just remember to show me along with anyone else u want to show lol, but me first :D

[LiNuX]

i've been searching for some motherboards myself, what do you think of these ones that i found, i'll be using the processor you've specified:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186114
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813153073

i contacted valve asking them If i need any license or have to do anything to run a cs server at home - waiting for response, hopefully its positive cuz then i'll start buying the parts slowly and put them together during my breaks

edit: what about this processor - the one u gave me is out of stock, this is is basically the same price just a different brand and stuff

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103206

[lonewolfxix]

Do not use those boards, jetway and foxconn boards are hellish, i hate them, do not use them unless you're really confident with what you're doing and know how to build a pc and are patient and have spare parts to test to find the faults. They're cheap but there's a reason for that, you need multiple of them or other boards, processors, memory sticks, harddrives aswell. The saving you make it really helps you lose it in time.
As for the processor.. yep, that's a better bet, that's the 65nm version (i didn't see it) it runs cooler so should be more stable.

Changed mind on board, go for this one instead, cheaper, same thing, but more stable it seems. Gigabyte GA-M61SME-S2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128045)

[LiNuX]

ok thanks lonewolf, i'll go with ur board then and take ur advice on taking out the graphics card -

i still have to wait for valve, making me wait too long

[diablo]

is it just me or r u missing a cd drive? and will u install a floppy drive? i dont know lol, i dont know too much about this

[LiNuX]

is it just me or r u missing a cd drive? and will u install a floppy drive? i dont know lol, i dont know too much about this

lol i remembered about that just keep forgetting to mention it here or ask lonewolf, i've discussed it with him already and found a good one :D thanks

[lonewolfxix]

Whenever i build a new rig i just keep my old drive, hence why none is listed, but reading reviews on optical drives is silly especially when you can get one for $30 or less new that burns basically any disc you can think of so any drive will do.

[LiNuX]

i just remember i have my cd-rom drive from my really old computer lol, just a cd drive, dont know if it works though - i may just try that or get a new one anyway just incase so i dont waste time waiting for it again