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diff --git a/content/blog/2022-11-27-server-build.org b/content/blog/2022-11-27-server-build.org deleted file mode 100644 index 0186a15..0000000 --- a/content/blog/2022-11-27-server-build.org +++ /dev/null @@ -1,141 +0,0 @@ -#+title: Building a Custom Rack-Mounted Server -#+date: 2022-11-27 -#+description: A retrospective on building my own rack-mounted server. -#+filetags: :hardware: - -* The Dilemma -For years, I have been using desktops and a Raspberry Pi as the backbone -of my homelab. I have always wanted to move toward a single dedicated -server that could handle all of my tasks, but was often put off by the -complexity of the choices (and financial roadblocks at some times). - -However, after purchasing a small server rack this past year, I have -been researching to see what kind of rack-mounted server I could buy. I -initially bought a Dell R720XD loaded up with everything I could ever -want in a server - but I did not care for it. It was far too loud, and -the age of the CPU/RAM was something I wanted to improve upon. - -After returning the R720XD, I decided that I wanted to build my own -server with modern, consumer-grade PC components. This time, I am very -happy with the results of my server. - -* Components -I'll start by listing all the components I used for this server build: - -- *Case*: - [[https://www.rosewill.com/rosewill-rsv-r4100u-black/p/9SIA072GJ92825][Rosewill - RSV-R4100U 4U Server Chassis Rackmount Case]] -- *Motherboard*: [[https://nzxt.com/product/n7-b550][NZXT B550]] -- *CPU*: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G with Radeon Graphics -- *GPU*: N/A - I specifically chose one of the few AMD CPUs that support - onboard graphics. -- *RAM*: 64GB RAM (2x32GB) /Max of 128GB RAM on this motherboard/ -- *Boot Drive*: Western Digital 500GB M.2 NVME SSD -- *HDD Bay*: - - 10TB WD White /(shucked, moved from previous server)/ - - 8TB WD White /(shucked, moved from previous server)/ - - 2 x 8TB WD Red Plus /(Black Friday lined up perfectly with this - build, so I grabbed two of these)/ -- *PSU*: Corsair RM850 PSU -- *Extras*: - - Corsair TM3Q Thermal Paste - - Noctua 120mm fan /(replacement for front case fan)/ - - 2 x Noctua 80mm fans /(replacement for rear case fans)/ - - CableMatters 6Gbps SATA Cables - -* Building the Server -This took quite a while for me to build (in my opinion of time), -totaling around 3 hours from start to finish. The case has some peculiar -construction, so you have to completely remove the ODD & HDD cages to -install the motherboard and other components first. - -Now, I've never built a computer of any kind before, so I was quite -nervous. Personally, the only challenging part was getting the CPU -cooler to screw into the motherboard without sliding the thermal paste -around too much underneath. I'm still not entirely sure if I did a great -job of it, but nothing's broken yet. - -The main components were all fine and simple. However, installing the -hard drives is slightly tedious as I need to power off the server and -completely unscrew the HDD cage to install or remove any drives. -Additionally, the drives are screwed directly into the metal cage with -small screws, which are quite a bit different from the HDD trays I'm -used to in other machines. - -Seeing that the cases with hot-swap bays were 3-4x the price, I'm okay -dealing with the tedium of removing the cage to install new drives. - -* Software -I'm not going to dive into the software as I have done so in other -recent posts. However, I wanted to note that I am using Alpine Linux on -this server and hosting most services inside Docker. No virtual machines -(VMs) and very few bare-metal services. - -* The Results -How did my build turn out? Well, after migrating my other servers and -their services over, I found that my server is blazing fast. The -heaviest of my applications, Plex, is handled with ease. Even 4k -streaming seems to be effortless. - -I am very happy with the results and will likely continue to improve on -this server as the years go by rather than buying another used server -online. - -** Mistakes I Made -This post wouldn't be complete unless I wrote about the mistakes I made -while building. The only real mistake I made beyond a "whoops I dropped -a screw" related to airflow and fan direction. - -While installing the two new hard drives that showed up on 2022-11-30 -and getting ready to install the case in my rack, I noticed that the -hard drive temperatures were quite high. - -I used the =smartctl= command for each of my drives (=/dev/sda= through -=/dev/sdd=): - -#+begin_src sh -doas smartctl -a /dev/sda | grep Temperature_Celsius -#+end_src - -The results were unusual - all four drives were idling at ~44-46 degrees -Celsius. The only drive that was cooler was my 10TB drive, which was at -38 degrees Celsius. I noted that this 10TB drive was also closest to the -case fan. - -#+begin_src sh -ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE -# /dev/sda -194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 147 147 000 Old_age Always - 44 (Min/Max 22/46) -# /dev/sdb -194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 141 141 000 Old_age Always - 46 (Min/Max 21/48) -# /dev/sdc -194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 144 144 000 Old_age Always - 45 (Min/Max 19/61) -# /dev/sdd -194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 171 171 000 Old_age Always - 38 (Min/Max 14/56) -#+end_src - -After looking to see if I could fit more fans into the case, I noticed -that the 120mm fan used for intake from the front of the case was -actually pushing air out of the case by mistake. This fan sits right in -front of the hard drive bay. - -Once I flipped the fan around to act as an intake fan, the temperatures -dropped immediately! They are now idling at ~31-33 degrees Celsius. A -single fan spinning the wrong way caused my drives to idle 10-15 degrees -higher than they should have. - -#+begin_src sh -ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE -# /dev/sda -194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 209 209 000 Old_age Always - 31 (Min/Max 14/56) -# /dev/sdb -194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 196 196 000 Old_age Always - 33 (Min/Max 19/61) -# /dev/sdc -194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 203 203 000 Old_age Always - 32 (Min/Max 21/48) -# /dev/sdd -194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0002 196 196 000 Old_age Always - 33 (Min/Max 22/46) -#+end_src - -This was a silly error to make, but I'm glad I found it today before I -screwed the case into the rack and made things a lot more tedious to -fix. |