Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]


Groups > linux.debian.user > #212405

Re: Server hardware advice.

From David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com>
Newsgroups linux.debian.user
Subject Re: Server hardware advice.
Date 2019-08-08 09:10 +0200
Message-ID <ysKIF-28K-7@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References <ysmQ1-3Sj-1@gated-at.bofh.it>
Organization linux.* mail to news gateway

Show all headers | View raw


On 8/6/19 10:29 PM, Steven Mainor wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I'm looking for advice on how to build a home server with a primary focus on
> security. 

Have you considered OpenBSD?  Security is their top priority.


> I plan to run nextcloud and a mail server that will serve 3 to 5
> people at most.

Have you considered a mail hosting provider?  The Internet is a war zone 
and mail servers are prime targets.  Are you prepared to fight that 
battle 24x7?  Do you want you home IP that visible?  Will your mail 
users tolerate down-time?  I provide e-mail addresses for myself and for 
family members; I pay professionals to host my mail service.


Hosting Nextcloud locally allows you to get at your data at LAN speeds, but:

1.  Do you have a good firewall/ router, and know how to use it?

2.  Will Nextcloud run in a DMZ?

3.  Does Nextcloud require a public IP -- e.g. DNS or dynamic DNS?


> My requirements are:
> 
> A server setup that can be run with completely open source software and
> doesn't require any binaries to boot. I don't trust anything closed source for
> this particular project.

I prefer Intel brand motherboards, and Dell products with Intel chips, 
because the hardware quality is good, support documents are available 
for many years,  and Intel supports FOSS with reference source code. So, 
a given FOSS OS distribution has the best chance of working OOTB on such 
hardware without needing binary firmware.  That said, the Intel WiFi 
board I installed in this Dell laptop does require binary firmware.


> A gigabit ethernet port.

More than one can be very useful.


> A USB3.0 port or SATA connector to attach storage to.

Internal headers, internal ports, or external ports?


SATA DOM?


M.2, etc.?


I have had issues with FOSS and USB 3.0 ports.  USB 2.0 is slower, but 
more reliable.


I have found internal to be more reliable than external.


Get at least four internal SATA 6 Gbps ports -- boot disk, optical disk, 
two data disks (mirrored).  I prefer six.


> Enough processor power and ram to run nextcloud and the mail server from an
> encrypted hard drive (LUKS) efficiently with moderate throughput saving and
> reading files from nextcloud.

Get a processor with AES-NI support.


Get a motherboard that uses ECC RAM and get ECC RAM.  Research your OS, 
file system(s), services, etc., for the amount of RAM needed, and pad 
according to budget and market price points.  I would not get less than 
2 @ 4 GB ECC.


> I would just build something x86 based but the amd/intel Platform Security
> Processor/IME stuff makes me nervous.

Do not connect an Ethernet port with a management chip directly to the 
Internet and/or disable the management chip in the CMOS setup.  If the 
box has more than one Ethernet port and you want the management 
features, connect the Ethernet port with the management chip to a 
air-walled administration LAN.


> So far I have been looking at single board computers like the ones listed
> here: https://wiki.debian.org/CheapServerBoxHardware#OSHW
> 
> I like the OLinuXino A20 LIME2 but I am not sure the processor will be enough
> to handle the overhead from an encrypted hard drive. I also don't like that it
> is only 32-bit since that will limit the file size nextcloud can handle as I
> understand it.
> 
> Is there anything similar to the OLinuXino A20 LIME2 but more powerful or is
> there a better option I haven't read about yet?

On 8/6/19 11:08 PM, Steven Mainor wrote:
> I would like to keep the budget under $500 not including the hard 
> drive(s) I already have drives. Less is better.

On 8/7/19 9:42 AM, Steven Mainor wrote:
> For my needs, I doubt anything more than a modern single board 
> computer is necessary. At least as far as compute power is concerned.


I have many doubts about SBC's and SFF computers -- fewer memory, 
expansion, and I/O slots and ports; fewer choices for processors, memory 
modules, cases, power supplies, expansion cards, etc.; fewer drive bays; 
heat issues; long-term vendor support; and the total system cost is 
always higher than an equivalent tower desktop or server.


I built my computers from good quality, standards-compliant, COTS 
desktop parts for 20+ years.  This allowed me to mix-and-match as 
required when parts died or became obsolete.  I still have two 64-bit 
desktop machines in use, and two 32-bit machines packed in their 
original boxes in the garage.


Then Intel stopped making desktop boards and I wanted ZFS.  ZFS wants 
ECC memory.  It was time to migrate to server hardware.


I needed to upgrade or replace my SOHO server late last year.  My old 
SOHO server was based on an Antec full tower ATX case and had an Intel 
D945GNT motherboard, Pentium D processor, and 2 @ 1 GB RAM.  One memory 
slot was bad, preventing installation of 4 @ 1 GB RAM, and dm-crypt 
without AES-NI cut disk performance in half or more.  I replaced the 
motherboard, CPU, and memory with a used server parts:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-S1200V3RP-Server-Board-Xeon-E3-1225v3-SR1KX-3-20GHz-8GB-Ram-I-O-Shield/123431007451?epid=1941949226&hash=item1cbd0fb4db:g:UuIAAOSwNJlb~bQi:rk:10:pf:0&LH_BIN=1


It works and the performance is amazing, but the case is bulky, the 
total system requires a fair amount of power, the fans are noisier than 
I like, and the internal 3.5" drive bays lack vibration isolation (so 
the HDD heads clatter).  Furthermore, I was using old HDD's and several 
died in as many months.  I needed something more modern and reliable.


I thought about putting a new Intel single processor server motherboard, 
Xeon processor, and ECC memory into my Antec Sonata III 500 case, but 
the cost was prohibitive ($600+).


I ended up buying a gently used Dell PowerEdge T30 for US$375.  It came 
with a Xeon E3-1225v5, 1 @ 8 GB ECC, 1 TB SATA HDD, and CD/DVD+-RW.  I 
removed the HDD and added a PC expansion slot 2.5" drive rack, 16 GB 
SATA SSD, 8 GB ECC, and two 3 TB enterprise SATA HDD's.  Total price was 
less than US$700.  It runs FreeBSD 11.2, GELI, ZFS, jails, Samba, and 
CVS.  It is energy efficient, quiet, and very fast.  The only downside 
is that the internal 3.5" drive bays lack vibration isolation.  (I need 
to add sheet rubber to damp the vibrations.)  This was the best value 
proposition I could find.  I hope to run it 24x7 for many years.


David

Back to linux.debian.user | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread


Thread

Server hardware advice. Steven Mainor <steve@degga.net> - 2019-08-07 07:40 +0200
  Re: Server hardware advice. Richard Hector <richard@walnut.gen.nz> - 2019-08-07 08:00 +0200
    Re: Server hardware advice. Steven Mainor <steve@degga.net> - 2019-08-07 08:10 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. Nektarios Katakis <nektarios@mail.nektarioskatakis.xyz> - 2019-08-07 12:20 +0200
        Re: Server hardware advice. mick crane <mick.crane@gmail.com> - 2019-08-07 14:10 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-08-07 17:00 +0200
        Re: Server hardware advice. Michael Stone <mstone@debian.org> - 2019-08-07 17:10 +0200
          Re: Server hardware advice. deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-08-07 17:20 +0200
            Re: Server hardware advice. Michael Stone <mstone@debian.org> - 2019-08-07 17:40 +0200
            Re: Server hardware advice. ghe <ghe@slsware.net> - 2019-08-07 17:50 +0200
            Re: Server hardware advice. Celejar <celejar@gmail.com> - 2019-08-08 00:20 +0200
        Re: Server hardware advice. Steven Mainor <steve@degga.net> - 2019-08-07 18:50 +0200
          Re: Server hardware advice. deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-08-08 07:50 +0200
            Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Nicolas George <george@nsup.org> - 2019-08-08 11:00 +0200
              Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Kenneth Parker <sea7kenp@gmail.com> - 2019-08-08 12:50 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-08 14:10 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> - 2019-08-08 16:20 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-08 17:00 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-08-08 17:20 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-08 18:00 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Judah Richardson <judahrichardson@gmail.com> - 2019-08-08 21:50 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-08-09 00:50 +0200
                [OT] Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2019-08-09 10:00 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Étienne Mollier <etienne.mollier@mailoo.org> - 2019-08-09 11:20 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2019-08-09 11:50 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Étienne Mollier <etienne.mollier@mailoo.org> - 2019-08-09 12:30 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) tomas@tuxteam.de - 2019-08-09 14:40 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Étienne Mollier <etienne.mollier@mailoo.org> - 2019-08-09 15:50 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2019-08-09 15:50 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude The Wanderer <wanderer@fastmail.fm> - 2019-08-09 16:00 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude Larry Martell <larry.martell@gmail.com> - 2019-08-09 16:10 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude Étienne Mollier <etienne.mollier@mailoo.org> - 2019-08-09 16:10 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2019-08-09 17:30 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude Étienne Mollier <etienne.mollier@mailoo.org> - 2019-08-09 19:00 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-08-09 18:30 +0200
                Re: [OT] Helpful attitude Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk> - 2019-08-09 20:50 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Curt <curty@free.fr> - 2019-08-08 22:20 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2019-08-09 16:10 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) ghe <ghe@slsware.net> - 2019-08-09 08:20 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2019-08-09 09:20 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) "Bob Crochelt" <rfc56@fastmail.com> - 2019-08-09 14:00 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2019-08-09 16:20 +0200
                Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) "Bob Crochelt" <rfc56@fastmail.com> - 2019-08-10 00:00 +0200
              Re: Helpful attitude (was: Server hardware advice.) rhkramer@gmail.com - 2019-08-08 14:10 +0200
  Re: Server hardware advice. Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2019-08-07 09:00 +0200
    Re: Server hardware advice. john doe <johndoe65534@mail.com> - 2019-08-07 09:40 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-07 10:50 +0200
    Re: Server hardware advice. Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-07 10:30 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2019-08-07 11:00 +0200
        Re: Server hardware advice. Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-07 11:10 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. Steven Mainor <steve@degga.net> - 2019-08-07 12:10 +0200
        Re: Server hardware advice. Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-07 12:50 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. jochen-2019-q2@ozark.de - 2019-08-07 22:40 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. Andrei POPESCU <andreimpopescu@gmail.com> - 2019-08-08 09:30 +0200
        Re: Server hardware advice. John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2019-08-09 05:20 +0200
          Re: Server hardware advice. Steven Mainor <steve@degga.net> - 2019-08-09 08:00 +0200
            Re: Server hardware advice. John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2019-08-09 15:40 +0200
              Re: Server hardware advice. deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-08-09 18:20 +0200
                Re: Server hardware advice. Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2019-08-09 19:00 +0200
                Re: Server hardware advice. Celejar <celejar@gmail.com> - 2019-08-09 19:20 +0200
                Re: Server hardware advice. Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2019-08-09 20:30 +0200
                OT "x times cheaper", was: Re: Server hardware advice. Richard Hector <richard@walnut.gen.nz> - 2019-08-10 10:00 +0200
                Re: OT "x times cheaper", was: Re: Server hardware advice. deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2019-08-10 11:20 +0200
                Re: OT "x times cheaper", was: Re: Server hardware advice. Richard Hector <richard@walnut.gen.nz> - 2019-08-10 11:30 +0200
                Re: OT "x times cheaper", was: Re: Server hardware advice. David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2019-08-10 17:10 +0200
                Re: OT "x times cheaper", was: Re: Server hardware advice. Richard Hector <richard@walnut.gen.nz> - 2019-08-11 00:50 +0200
                Re: OT "x times cheaper", was: Re: Server hardware advice. mick crane <mick.crane@gmail.com> - 2019-08-11 09:50 +0200
                Re: OT "x times cheaper", was: Re: Server hardware advice. Curt <curty@free.fr> - 2019-08-11 12:00 +0200
                Re: Server hardware advice. John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2019-08-09 19:50 +0200
                Re: Server hardware advice. Steven Mainor <steve@degga.net> - 2019-08-10 04:00 +0200
    Re: Server hardware advice. Steven Mainor <steve@degga.net> - 2019-08-07 12:00 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2019-08-07 13:00 +0200
  Re: Server hardware advice. David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com> - 2019-08-08 09:10 +0200
    Re: Server hardware advice. John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2019-08-08 15:20 +0200
    Re: Server hardware advice. Celejar <celejar@gmail.com> - 2019-08-08 15:50 +0200
      Re: Server hardware advice. Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> - 2019-08-08 16:30 +0200
        Re: Server hardware advice. Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-08 17:00 +0200
          Re: Server hardware advice. Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2019-08-08 17:30 +0200
            Re: Server hardware advice. Jonas Smedegaard <jonas@jones.dk> - 2019-08-08 18:20 +0200
              Re: Server hardware advice. Steven Mainor <steve@degga.net> - 2019-08-08 22:50 +0200
                Re: Server hardware advice. Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> - 2019-08-08 23:10 +0200
                Re: Server hardware advice. Michael Stone <mstone@debian.org> - 2019-08-08 23:20 +0200
        Re: Server hardware advice. David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com> - 2019-08-09 00:10 +0200
  Re: Server hardware advice. Igor Cicimov <icicimov@gmail.com> - 2019-08-09 12:20 +0200

csiph-web