TechWareLabs Builds a Server

Author:  Jason Jacobs Date:  2007.01.22 Topic:  Hardware Provider:  Tyan Manufacturer:  Tyan

TechWareLabs Builds a New Server

Memory:

Our selection of memory was Kingston originally and ultimately Crucial, both companies offer excellent products which deliver stability and performance however we were able to acquire better performance ram from Crucial in the density were were looking for. All server testing and initial configuration was done using the Kingston ram. Ram modules tested were:

Kingston:

(2) Kingston Value Ram FB-Dimm DDR2 533 KVR533D2S8F4/512

Crucial:

(4) Crucial FB-Dimm PC2-5300 CL5 DDR2 667

We found that our board worked well with the Crucial memory and using the higher bandwidth ram gave us better performance. Both of these modules while DDR2 are FB-DIIMM's meaning fully buffered memory modules intended for server based motherboards which require this memory.

Cooling:

Our server cooling is accomplished through several means. The case provides excellent cooling which we will speak about later and direct processor cooling is through the use of CoolJag heatsinks intended to fit this 2U chassis. CoolJag produces heatsinks in low profiles using solid copper and high speed fans to carry away heat. Servers are typically found in a datacenter with raised floors and good air conditioning. These datacenters are often loaded with up to a few hundred or more rack mounted computers in arrays. Each rack will have upwards of 10 fans cooling the components inside. Thus noise is usually not a consideration when selecting a heatsink for a server, only airflow and compatibility are. The CoolJag heatsinks do a wonderful job of keeping the Xeons inside the server only slightly above room temperature.

Case:

One of the larger copncerns in building a new server is the case. Typically server builds are done in Rack mounted cases which conserve on space and allow for a more free flow of air and component layout within. We selected a 2U case which gave us enough height to pack components in and allowed for use of standard components instead of low profile power supplies and heatsinks. ANTEC was kind enough to provide not only the case but also the power supply. After a slight confusion over the incorrect power supply we received the correct one immediately. A big thanks to Antec for helping us with our build. We insisted on Antec for our power needs as a server is usually up 24x7 and thus the power supply must have a high MTBF for continued reliability.

 

Now for the Build