Hi, Gareth. The only reason was I was runing a ZFS NAS server inside VMware, and the best way to do that is to pass an HBA controller to the guest VM running ZFS so.Supermicro X1. Hack De Cash Social Wars Hack . SDV F Build Datacenter in a Box.I dont have room for a couple of rackmount servers anymore so I was thinking of ways to reduce the footprint and noise from my servers.Vmware Esxi Usb Drive Mounting Screws' title='Vmware Esxi Usb Drive Mounting Screws' />Ive been very happy with Supermicro hardware so heres my Supermicro Mini ITX Datacenter in a box build.Supermicro X1.SDV Motherboard.Unlike most processors, the Xeon D is SOC System on Chip meaning that its built into the motherboard.Depending on your compute needs, youve got a lot of pricing power flexibility with the Mini ITX Supermicro X1.SDV motherboards with the Xeon D SOC CPU ranging from a budget build of 2 cores to a ridiculous 1.Xeon E5 class processors How many cores do you want CPUMotherbord Options.A few things to keep in mind when choosing a board.JYIIgbBibI8/WQGzkLuusFI/AAAAAAAACAE/vmEa3TP_APQvTs-SltclRHghp0IqS7xhQCLcB/s1600/SNAG-0021.jpg' alt='Vmware Esxi Usb Drive Mounting Screws' title='Vmware Esxi Usb Drive Mounting Screws' />Some come with a FAN normally indicated by a after the core count, some dont.I suggest getting it with a fan unless youre putting some serious air flow such as with a 1.U server through the heatsink.I got one without a fan and had to do a Noctua mod below.Many versions of this board are rated for 7 years lifespan which means they have components designed to last longer than most boards Usually computers go obsolete before they die anyway, but its nice to have that option if youre looking for a permanent solution.A VMware NAS server thatll last you 7 years isnt bad at all On the last 5 digits, youll see two options TLN2.F and TLN4.F this refers to the number network Ethernet ports N2 comes with 2 x gigabit ports, and N4 usually comes with 2 gigabit plus 2 x 1.VM such as pf.Sense.I bought the first model just known as the X1.SDV F which comes with 8 cores and 2 gigabit network ports.This board looks like its designed for high density computing.Its like cramming dual Xeon E5s into a Mini ITX board.The Xeon D 1.Xeon E3 1. 23. 0v.GB memory, two nics this also comes in a model that offers two more 1.Gbe providing four nics, IPMI, 6 SATA 3 ports, a PCI E slot, and an M.Supermicro X1.SDV FIPMI KVM Over IP Out of Band Management.One of the great features of these motherboards is you will never need to plug in a keyboard, mouse, or monitor.In addition to the 2 or 4 normal Ethernet ports, there is one port off to the side, the management port.Unlike HP i.LO, this is a free feature on the Supermicro motherboards.The IPMI interface will get a DHCP address.You can download the Free IPMIView software from Supermicro, or use the Android app to scan your network for the IP address.Login as ADMIN ADMIN be sure to change the password.You can even reset or power off, and even if the power is off you can power on the server remotely.And of course you also get KVM over IP, which is so low level you can get into the BIOS and even load an ISO file from your workstation to boot off of over the networkWhen I first saw IPMI I made sure all my new servers have it.I hate messing around with keyboards and mice and monitors and I dont have room for a hardware based KVM solution.Free Printable Piano Sheet Music For Modern Songs With Violin .This out of band management port is the perfect answer.And the best part is the ability to manage your server from remote.I have used this to power on servers and load ISO files in California from Idaho.I should note that I would not be exposing the IPMI port over the internet, make sure its on its behind a firewall accessible only through VPN.Cooling issue heatsink not enough.The first boot was fine but it crashed after about 5 minutes while I was in the BIOS setup.I couldnt even get it to post.I finally realized the CPU was getting too hot.Supermicro probably meant for this model to be in a 1.U case with good air flow.The X1.SDV TLN4.F is a little extra but it comes with a CPU fan in addition to the 1.Gbe network adapters so keep that in mind if youre trying to decide between the two boards.Noctua to the Rescue.I couldnt find a CPU fan designed to fit this particular socket, so I bought a 6.MM Noctua NF A6x.MM Noctua Fan.This is my first Noctua fan and I think its the nicest fan Ive ever owned.It came packaged with screws, rubber leg things, an extension cord, a molex power adapter, and two noise reducer cables that slow the fan down a bit.I actually cant even hear the fan running at normal speed.Notcua Fan on Xeon D 1.Theres not really a good way to screw the fan and the heatsink into the motherboard together, but I took the four rubber things and sort of tucked them under the heatsink screws.This is surprisingly a secure fit, its not ideal but the fan is not going to go anywhere.Supermicro CSE 7.TQ 2.BThis is what you would expect from Supermicro, a quality server grade case.It comes with a 2.Four 3.Also it comes with labels numbered from 0 to 4 so you could choose to label starting at 0 the right way or 1.It is designed to fit two fixed 2.HDD cage, and the other can be used on top instead of an optical drive.The case is roomy enough to work with, I had no trouble adding an IBM Server.RAID M1.LSI 9.I took this shot just to note that if you could figure out a way to secure an extra drive, there is room to fit three drives, or perhaps two drives even with an optical drive, youd have to use a Y splitter to power it.I should also note that you could use the M.SSD.The case is pretty quiet, I cannot hear it at all with my other computers running in the same room so Im not sure how much noise it makes.This case reminds me of the HP Microserver Gen.I think a little more roomier and with Supermicro IPMI is free.Compared to the Silverstone DS3.Supermicro CS7.The DS3. 80 has the advantage of being able to hold more drives.The DS3.Between the two cases I much prefer the Supermicro CS 7.The DS3.The CS 7. 21 looks and feels much higher quality.Storage Capacity.I loaded mine with two Intel DC S3.SSDs and 4 x 6.TB drives in RAID Z RAID 5 the case can provide up to 1.TB of storage which is a good amount for any data hoarder wanting to get started.I think the Xeon D platform offers great value with a great range of power and pricing options.The prices on the Xeon D motherboards are reasonable considering the Motherboard and CPU are combined, if you went with a Xeon E3 or E5 platform youd be paying about the same or more to purchase them separately.Youll be paying anywhere from 3.Core Count Recommendations.For a NAS only box such as Free.NAS, Omni.OSNapp.It, NAS4. Free, etc.VMware All in one with Free.NAS and one or two light guest VMs Id go with a simple 2.C CPU.For a bhyve or VMware ZFS an all in one I think the 4.C is a great starter board, it will handle probably a lot more than most people need for a home server running a handful of VMs including the ability to trans code with a Plex or Emby server.From there you can get 6.C, 8.C, 1. 2C, or 1.C, as you start getting more cores the clock frequency starts to go down so you dont want to go overboard unless you really do need to use those cores.Also, consider that you may prefer to get two or three smaller boards to allow failover instead of one powerful server.What Do I Run On My Server Under My Desk Other Thoughts.Im pretty happy with the build, I really like how much power you can get into a microserver these days.My build has 8 cores 1.GB memory can go up to 1.GB, and with 6.
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