[SGVLUG] Need a micro server? $200+tax for

[matti]

HEY! This looks like something interesting from reading the comments on newegg
Looks like it runs a lot of the Open/Free OSes and makes a great NAS w ZFS...
I'd be sooo attempted to buy this.. so I figured someone else maybe also..

Details below - thanks matti



Back Again HP ProLiant N40L Ultra Micro Tower Server System w/ AMD Turion II Neo N40L 1.5GHz, 2GB DDR3, 250GB HDD $200 + Free Shipping

http://slickdeals.net/f/4204718-Back-Again-HP-ProLiant-N40L-Ultra-Micro-Tower-Server-System-w-AMD-Turion-II-Neo-N40L-1-5GHz-2GB-DDR3-250GB-HDD-200-Free-Shipping


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references: comments from Newegg

1)
I have three of these boxes currently running now both personally and for business uses.

The first is running FreeBSD 8.2 and is acting as the file server for a group of OS X boxes.

The second is running FreeBSD 9.0 and has three drives installed and formatted in ZFS in a RAID-Z configuration and also handles mythtv.

The third is running Windows Server 2003 and handles network printing as well as terminal services for a small business.

I bought one of these in 2011 and liked it so much I bought the second box this year as I wanted a ZFS array for my home network. I have had nothing but positive experiences with it. All of the hardware works out of the box with FreeBSD (and I would assume based on the other reviews pretty much every other Unix-like OS)

There are lots of great little touches on these boxes such as when you open the drive door it includes a wrench for the drives.

There is also a USB port directly on the board which is a nice place to store your OS.

2)
 Solaris 11 11/11 installed without a hitch. All devices recognized. No driver issues. Makes a great little ZFS NAS.

3)
Other Thoughts: Overall extremely happy with this thing. Running four 2TB drives in software raid on Ubuntu Server 11.10. In this setup it runs amazing, easily as good as some of the enterprise class devices I use at work.

4)
 I bought it to run FreeNAS 8.0.4 with ZFS, and one of the details of that is that the data drives have to be distinct from the boot drives. As it turns out, booting it from a USB stick is recommended by the FreeNAS team and there is an easy-to-reach USB port on the motherboard for a stick!


5)
Cons: Dual core and not quad core. no USB 3.0.

6)
 This small server is perfect for a home FreeNAS or OMV server

7)
Pros: - Quiet, small, easy to add drives, 2 slots for add-on cards, affordable, low power (27 watts idle, 3 disks), gigabit LAN, 64-bit CPU.
- Very fast copies to and from via LAN, topping at about 120+ MB for large ISO or MKV files. Folders with smaller files go slower, depends on their content.
- Compatible with ESXi 5, MS Server 2008 R2, Ubuntu Server 11.10 x64
- Plenty of USB ports
- Third party BIOS available to unlock IDE ports as SATA
- Some mods are possible but not needed; works great out of the box with some more RAM.
Cons: I know this is an entry-level server system, but cons are cons:
- hard drives are non hot-plug. Not a huge deal, but the ability to hot-plug a drive for backups would be nice. Have to use USB drives for offsites backups to avoid shutting down the server.
- initial 2GB RAM is limiting, and you will likely need to upgrade. Max it out and future proof yourself.
- Not much "server management" software from HP. Drivers are available on their site though.
- Unplugging the SATA controller from the board is a pain! This is necessary when upgrading the RAM. Don't just "pull" it out, use a small screw driver to "push-in" the pin on the connector.
- 2 cores and 1.5 GHz can be a limiting factor for heavier loads and multitasking. 
- Only Raid 0/1, no raid 5
- No pass-through disks for ESXi, raid volume recognized as individual disks.
- Some Linux distros (Fedora 15 & 16, Mint 11 & 12) failed to install or load. I know it's Red Hat compatible, but didn't try anything else.
- USB kb/mouse
Other Thoughts: I wrote a lot of cons, but they may not really affect everyone. I was specific on my needs. I purchased this server for home use. It's currently working as a file server, but I plan to install Subsonic and PS3 Media Server in the near future. It is running Windows Server 2008 R2, and works with Core version too. Ubuntu Server 11.10 works as well. WHS 2011 should work, didn't try it.
Virtualization works great under Hyper-V; ESXi 5 was too slow installing the OS from a local datastore. 
Installed a HP P212 raid card adapter for raid 5. Not very difficult to install; some cable routing needed.
Installed BIOS mod; moved the 250 GB to the ODD slot for OS, have 3 HD204UIs on raid 5 on the P212 controller; read speeds top at about 345MB+; write about 223MB+ under ATTO standard test. Plan to add 4th data disk soon.
Great overall small server. Recommended for those who want a file server & prefer "hands on" and flexibility. Purchased this over a dedicated NAS for speed, price, and flexibil