first server build, need advice!

ms-d0s

Reputable
Aug 25, 2014
1
0
4,510
Hi guys.

Interested in building a server at home, landed my first job in IT support this year so I'd like a little dev area at home to have a proper network set up.

I want to build an mini ATX box prefs, would like to fit it all in a bitfenix prodigy.
Not really fussed on a budget, I want something I can really experiment and learn from. Prefs under 700
I would like to run Vmware as my first layer and then preferably windows server 2012, a virtual firewall (Sophos or watchgaurd) and possibily a windows 8 Vm
I'd like it to run AD, I would have probably 10-20 users max.
I would like to muck around with roaming/redirected profiles.
Not going to bother with an exchange server.
I would like to run a backup solution, we use various backup solutions depending on our clients, I won't be running back ups all day. Probably once a day.
This box would have to be a NAS/File server as well.

I pretty much want a network at home, everything but an exchange server. This is how I learn best.

I really have no idea what I should buy for this, google actually wasn't to helpful.

Mobo: Micro-ATX Asus H87M-E (More sata ports the better, will require raid onboard prefs)
Cpu: Core i5 4590T (Thought I might need a little bit more CPU power for doing AD/Backups)
Ram: looking at 4-8gb.
PSU: Whatever is enough, I will do this last.
NIC: Not sure at the moment.
HDD: Haven't decided which specific color to choose. I've read that Seagate greens are bad long term.

Any advice, greatly appriciated. Would like to have this all done in the next few weeks :)
Overall nothing is set in stone, would love that box tho, that case is sick!
 
Solution
Start with REAL server parts.... Get a motherboard with IPMI so that you are used to using remote access via IPMI. Get a real hardware RAID controller so that you are used to dealing with the BIOS and setup of hardware RAID. Get a quad port Intel ethernet card. Get used to having a lot of NICs in a box. You are going to want A LOT more RAM than you have to run VMs. Get at least a managed layer 2 switch to go along with this. You will want some VLANs. Build this as a headless box so that you are used to RDP and remote access. Treat it like it was in Antarctica and you have no physical access.

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
Start with REAL server parts.... Get a motherboard with IPMI so that you are used to using remote access via IPMI. Get a real hardware RAID controller so that you are used to dealing with the BIOS and setup of hardware RAID. Get a quad port Intel ethernet card. Get used to having a lot of NICs in a box. You are going to want A LOT more RAM than you have to run VMs. Get at least a managed layer 2 switch to go along with this. You will want some VLANs. Build this as a headless box so that you are used to RDP and remote access. Treat it like it was in Antarctica and you have no physical access.
 
Solution