Building Application Server 20 users

bearbear

Honorable
Oct 6, 2012
7
0
10,510
I am building a new application server for 20 users.
current server cant keep up anymore, especially during busy hours, keep on freezing.

i read a similar thread with similar needs to my own, and considering having the same processor which is Xeon 5620.
but still unsure what to buy. Please help!



budget is around $550 to $650.
OS will be windows server 2008
12 gig memory
Server will be running for 13 hrs a day
 
Solution
I don't think there is still a place on earth where HP, IBM or DELL don't sell and deliver there servers. :)
You can go with a local dealer of cause. The main server attribute here is the XEON processor, that supports the ECC RAM. Some of the ASUS motherboards support single XEONs with ECC RAM. But you should first try to find out what the bottleneck of your old server is. Is it the CPU that is always near 100%? The Intel Xeon DP E5506 in an ML150 is not that much faster then the one you have and two of them stretches the budget. The Xeon E3-1225 for single socket servers is faster and cheaper. Even AMD FX CPUs are an option, cause Asus boards support the build in ECC feature. If the CPU is not the bottleneck, it could be the RAM or...

sk1939

Distinguished
First off, you really should not power down a server, just getting that out of the way. Second, what are the specs on your current box?

With a budget of $650 I don't think your going to be able to get a Xeon E5620, since it costs almost $400 alone. I would suggest either a Lenovo ThinkServer TS130 or HP ProLiant ML150 G6 from Newegg with the base amount of RAM and then purchase additional RAM to meet 12 (or 16GB) at a lower cost. I would also go with the older ML150G6 simply because it can support dual processors (1 installed) and has 8 more ram slots than a Sandy Bridge-based system like the TS130.
 


+1
 

bearbear

Honorable
Oct 6, 2012
7
0
10,510
Thank you for the needed information.

I currently have a Xeon 3220 @ 2.40 ghz 2.40ghz, and 4 gig Ram. still at DDR 2 with 2 slots only.
I know it is kinda weak and old, that is why i am upgrading.

When you say Lenovo ThinkServer TS130 or HP ProLiant ML150 G6 from Newegg.
it is already a package deal, with all the hardware needed for a server right? " if yes"
I think purchase will be a problem since i am from the Philippines, but i can ask local dealers to spec me same as Newegg.

what is the suggested budget for Lenovo ThinkServer TS130 or HP ProLiant ML150 G6? $900?



 
I don't think there is still a place on earth where HP, IBM or DELL don't sell and deliver there servers. :)
You can go with a local dealer of cause. The main server attribute here is the XEON processor, that supports the ECC RAM. Some of the ASUS motherboards support single XEONs with ECC RAM. But you should first try to find out what the bottleneck of your old server is. Is it the CPU that is always near 100%? The Intel Xeon DP E5506 in an ML150 is not that much faster then the one you have and two of them stretches the budget. The Xeon E3-1225 for single socket servers is faster and cheaper. Even AMD FX CPUs are an option, cause Asus boards support the build in ECC feature. If the CPU is not the bottleneck, it could be the RAM or the disks. Sometimes distributing the load on faster / more disks or a SSD for the operating system solves the problem. Keep in mind you need a 64-bit OS for more RAM, if you don't already have it on 64bit.
 
Solution

bearbear

Honorable
Oct 6, 2012
7
0
10,510
What you said is true. Problem could simply be Ram or disk and upgrade to 64bit.
CPU usage is always low though.
Atleast now i know what to do and understand the general idea of upgrading my server.
The one you recommended Xeon E3-1225 is great and cheap but does not have Hyper-Threading Technology.
Should i be concerned about that?

Thanks for the reply. learned a lot from this. =)
 
You can go for Hyper-Threading, but i don't think it's an issue here. Typically server applications are not optimized for multithreading anyway. If it's a windows server, it's easy to find out. In task manager you see if all your cores are working on the same level. (I don't have a tool on hand to do that on unix/linux but for sure there is one).