outatime Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 IT Folk, I've just had a quote for a 5/6 user network running Microsoft SBS 2003 and the server recommended is as follows: Dell Poweredge 1900 4 Gb RAM 5 x 73gb SATA HDD RAID Controller DAT 72 Internal Back-up Device 10 Tapes and 1 Cleaning Tape It will be used for running a fairly basic (not SQL) production control system and general office stuff. Please could anyone tell me whether a server of this specification is necessary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 It'll run very nicely but it does seem like overkill for such a small number of users, on the plus side it should allow expansion in the future and scope for more powerful apps if necessary. It's probably quite hard to buy an off the shelf server solution with a lower spec though I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Seems ok to me, have you looked at HP DL series servers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieSteve Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Seems very overkill to me but then there's no money in tin. Server prices tend to be pretty low anyway (just bought a test box with 2gb RAM for £600) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BASHTHEBISHOP Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Definitely say thats an overkill. With that many users you dont even need a proper server setup. A slightly enhanced PC would cope no problem. Once you have more than 10 users you need a proper server setup for windows type networks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outatime Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 Seems ok to me, have you looked at HP DL series servers? A previous quote I had was for a HP Proliant ML, it was a lot cheaper but the quote is over a year old. Seems very overkill to me but then there's no money in tin. Server prices tend to be pretty low anyway (just bought a test box with 2gb RAM for £600) The spec he is trying to sell me is £4200! Do I really need 5 HDD's and 4Gb Ram? Definitely say thats an overkill. With that many users you dont even need a proper server setup. A slightly enhanced PC would cope no problem. Once you have more than 10 users you need a proper server setup for windows type networks. A few people have said this, including the company that makes the production control software. I am not sure whether the extra power, functions and security a server brings are necessary. They would be nice though. It'll run very nicely but it does seem like overkill for such a small number of users, on the plus side it should allow expansion in the future and scope for more powerful apps if necessary. It's probably quite hard to buy an off the shelf server solution with a lower spec though I guess. I should hope it runs nicely for the price they are after. I don't want a system that will be out of date in a year, but don't know enough to say there is or is not a cheaper alternative. Thanks for the advice everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Way too expensive, can't see it costing that much direct from dell. I'd drop to 2GB, but whether or not you need all that disc space only you can say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieSteve Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 The spec he is trying to sell me is £4200! Do I really need 5 HDD's and 4Gb Ram? Nope. If it's just a basic file & print I'd just go for 2gb and a 3 disk RAID 5. Nice and easy, cheap and it works! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&kc=305&l=en&oc=PE111901&s=bsd&sbc=pedge_1900 £2000 plus VAT for a similar spec minus the backup side of things (which you'd obviously want to add) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashpoint Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 £5000 He's taking the piss. For 5 users, get bought a Dell Poweredge 2950 for half that pair of Mirrored 75Gb 2Gb of RAM and it flyes as a webserver with a database back end. Serves over a million pages per week and that hardly ever get over 25% usage. That 1950 really is overkill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Looks like a sensible spec. I've never understood why lots of businesses are happy to spend 50k on a company BMW but won't pay a few grand for the systems that their businesses rely on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outatime Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 Looks like a sensible spec. I've never understood why lots of businesses are happy to spend 50k on a company BMW but won't pay a few grand for the systems that their businesses rely on. Fair point, and one I expected from someone. I never buy anything for my business without researching fully whether it is necessary and cost effective, hence my post. The general concensus seems to be that is overspecced for our network, you obviously think otherwise. No company BMW's here, I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 The general concensus seems to be that is overspecced for our network, you obviously think otherwise. If you're planning to run SBS2003 on it then I'd expect this machine to last you 4 maybe 5 years depending upon your growth. Anything less then you're looking at 3 years max. It has RAID 5 with hot swap I imagine. That means you can loose two hard drives without loosing data. I have known this happen, especially if you don't monitor when that hotswap kicks in! DAT backup is a no brainer if you want to ensure your data is removable from the premesis and in a fire proof safe. In server terms it's not an expensive unit. Yes, I'd say this is a 10 user plus server, but how long will it be before you're this size? This is on par with what I would expect my sales people to quote for a professional Small Business solution. No company BMW's here, I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole Sensible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamc Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 you also need to think about growth over the next few years, how long you expect your hardware to sufficiently support your users, daily usage, etc. I can make an entire job out of capacity planning... I would rather spend the money on it now and say yes its overkill, than be without it, when you need. My company has just forked out for 4 servers of the ML status, and not one of them is needed now. Good pieces of kit, lots of potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamanC Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Looks like a sensible spec. I've never understood why lots of businesses are happy to spend 50k on a company BMW but won't pay a few grand for the systems that their businesses rely on. Totally agree with this. Yes maybe you could half the memory and whittle it down to just two drives mirroring each other. But as Pete has highlighted your server is essential to day to day running of your business. Imagine your sever gives up for 24 hours, imagine the money you would be using with staff sitting around picking their nose unable to work. Nothing is worse seeing a desktop PC in the corner named 'the server' supporting 200 users and managers saying "oh, its a bit slow". Choosing the right server is probably one of the most back office decisions you will make. Getting it right will leave you with a care free mind and minimal downtime, get it wrong and it will bite you in the balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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