Most businesses reach a point where they ask themselves a question: What type of server do I need? Once that question hits their mind, most business owners immediately jump on the internet and start looking at servers on a specific manufacturers website. Flabbergasted by prices they see, they typically either close the window and try to forget they ever looked at the servers or they start digging for the absolute cheapest server on the website.
Well, unfortunately, this is the wrong method of going about the look for a new server. Here’s how you should be looking:
How many users will be connecting to the server? Do you plan on hiring more people within the next year or so?
What types of things will be on the server? Do you need file storage and sharing, do you need an internal website to post information, do you want to move your email to an in-house Exchange (email) server?
Will you need a database to query against?
What programs will you need installed on the server for everyone to use?
How much storage do you think you require? A small amount or huge?
Will you be needing other servers later? Perhaps you’ve considered running a Virtual Server for a secondary use?
Those are all relevant questions for any business thinking of running a server. If we’ve gone over your head on the above questions, don’t worry – I’ll work through them with you here…
Q: How many users will be connecting to the server? Do you plan on hiring more people within the next year or so?
This question is here for multiple reasons. We need to see how many User Connection Licenses you’ll need (The industry calls them a CAL) as well as how many users will be getting onto your server. If you plan on hiring one or two people later, that’s fine – but if you plan on ramping up and hiring a lot of people later, that might be an issue. This question also allows you to figure out if you can use a Small Business Server license since it’s limited to 75 people.
Q: What types of things will be on the server? Do you need file storage and sharing, do you need an internal website to post information, do you want to move your email to an in-house Exchange (email) server?
Perhaps the most important question of the day – what will you be using the server for? An application installed at one central location? Gobs of files like pictures and documents in one spot or something else? Do you plan on using it for your email or web server? Or perhaps everything I just listed? This question tells us how “big” of a server you need and how much storage you need on it. It also tells us how redundant the data needs to be. I know I used some big words, so lets break them down:
“Big”: Big is a relative term here. When we say this, we mean how many processors and how much memory you’ll need. Processors are things that you’re starting to hear about on TV from Intel: Dual-Core, Quad-Core… This is the brain of the computer and ultimately controls what you can and cannot do. The memory is basically short-term memory. Typically, on a server, we recommend 12GB or more, but never less than 8GB. To put that into perspective: On your typical desktop, you’re going to run anywhere from 1GB for a low-end machine to 4GB for a higher end machine.
Q: Will you need a database to query against?
A simple question, but one that is VERY important. While most people think a database is there only when they need it and it’s just “a small program”, installing any type of database software on a server is a big decision… The reason is that databases use a decent chunk of memory when they start getting queried. They also take up connections to the server (non-CAL), so a server can sometimes get upset and block the amount of connections allowed. On top of all that, databases get picky on where their files are located on the disk, so installing a busy database on a one-disk server is a no-no…
Q: What programs will you need installed on the server for everyone to use?
This is another one of those big questions that a lot of people may not think of. Are you installing an application that everyone in the office will use or just a few people? Does this application use email, or .Net or a special connecting port that the firewall will need to work with?
Q: How much storage do you think you require? A small amount or huge?
While prices for consumer storage have come down, enterprise based solutions on most servers are still plenty expensive. Storage on a server is at a premium because you typically need to have the space setup to allow a hard drive to fail. This means you lose space, but again, a drive can fail and your hardware can keep going. Some people may say “I’ve never had a drive fail!”, great – count yourself one of the lucky few. It’s different with a server though. Servers run do much more than your typical desktop and workstation. They work 24/7/365 without a break and they do all kinds of things that you don’t even know about. That being said, it is possible to have enough storage to backup ever computer in the office, but it’s far too expensive in most cases.
Q: Will you be needing other servers later? Perhaps you’ve considered running a Virtual Server for a secondary use?
There are times when you need a second server due to the first server starting to slow down due to how it’s being used. One thing you can do, especially if you know this will happen, is buy a REALLY nice and fast server once, then put virtual servers on that hardware. This means you don’t buy as much hardware. Certain cases that I can think of for this are testing servers for applications, internal web servers, etc.
Now that I’ve covered the main questions, I wanted to talk about the actual hardware. I already said there are pro’s and con’s to building or buying a server, here are those:
Building:
Pro: Cheaper, more flexibility of components, you absolutely know what quality is going into it, you pick all the brands and you can price shop across the entire internet.
Con: Typically, other than a 30 day to 1 year hardware warranty, there isn’t an overall 1+ year warranty offered. Other than the hardware manufacturers, individually, there isn’t a technical support department for when things have problems.
Buying:
Pro: You get hardware and software support, you get a 1+ year warranty – if you pay for it. You get the “trusted” name of the company you buy from.
Con: Parts are bulk-bought or manufactured specifically for the task at hand, which can cause lock-in. Expensive, compared to a custom-built solution.
I’ll leave it like that because if you’re at a point that you believe a server should be installed, you really need to speak with a professional to see what type of hardware you need for your environment. Protocol16 also offers Consulting for companies that are looking to buy their own hardware, but need a little professional advice on which hardware to buy.
I have another problem as well. Some companies have started to sell “Servers” to companies that have typical workstation components in a nice “pretty” shell. This means a typical company buying this type of solution pays 3-4 times what the hardware is actually worth because they simply don’t know what’s inside the box they’re buying. Right now, there are “new” servers coming out on the market running Atom processors. These are (roughly) the same processors that run in Netbooks. These Atom servers are designed to run very specific programs, operating systems, etc. and are not made to be used as an office server.
As always, if you have any questions, please let us know.
Justin
