SHOPPING GUIDE - SERVERS Part 1

Server Buying Guide: Configuration Options

What matters (and what doesn't) when setting up

your next server in a personalized way

• CPU, RAM, and storage have the biggest influence on your server's performance
• Whether you want more CPU cores or higher speeds depends on how you plan to use the server
• Solid-state drives (SSD) quickly became the preferred option for servers purchased from 2020 onwards

Overview

• What hardware components are most important to consider when building my server?
• How do I choose the right CPU, RAM, and storage?
• How should I configure my server to meet our business needs now and in the future?

This article will cover the three main configuration options that you should consider when purchasing a server.

Server Options

While you certainly need to consider additional items like the type of platform (Rack, Tower, or Blade) of the server, manufacturer, and whether you should buy a new or refurbished one, there are three main configuration options that you need to be aware of that directly affect your server's performance. These server configuration options are as follows:

• CPU Speed/Clock

• Random Access Memory (RAM)

• Storage (HDD and SSD)

CPU

Short for central processing unit, the CPU is the brain of the server and will have a direct impact on the performance and speed of the applications you run. When choosing a CPU, there are three main factors to consider:

• Clock Speed: Measured in gigahertz (GHz), clock speed determines how many continuous calculations your CPU can process at any given time. Clock speed, especially on CPUs with limited number of cores, is one of the key components that will determine the speed and responsiveness of a server.

• Cores: In the early days of computing, when many computers and servers came with only a single core, if the current process or application froze, the entire computer or server froze. Today, the ability to have multiple cores on a single CPU means that the workload can be distributed across multiple cores and operate independently of each other.

• Threads: Threading is the process by which a physical CPU is divided into multiple virtual cores, allowing it to simultaneously handle multiple processes. In short, two software threads can run simultaneously on a single CPU core, which increases the computing potential of the server.

So you might be wondering, "So, what's more important – higher clock speed or more cores when choosing a CPU for my server" and here's our answer: If the most important factor is the speed at which your server can load and interact with a particular application, then you'll want to focus on having higher clock speeds. On the other hand, if the most important factor is your server's ability to run multiple applications at once – albeit potentially running a bit slower – then core count is the most important factor when selecting a CPU.  

Memory (RAM)

Often abbreviated as RAM, random access memory is a critical component of your server's hardware configuration. The operating system, applications, and processes running on your server need to access (read) information and data and the random access memory (RAM) acts as a temporary repository for reading and writing information that is much faster for the CPU to access than otherwise it would be trying to access the same information directly from the server's hard drive.

So you might be wondering, "How much RAM do I need?" And the answer here is a bit more variable, but here are a few questions that can help guide you in the right direction:

• What will be the primary use of the server?

• How many users will access the server?

• What operating system and applications will I be running on the server when it is operational?

• Will the server be single-use (dedicated) or multi-use (shared)?

• How do we expect server usage to grow over its lifetime?

While it's true that there isn't a lot of RAM when setting up a server, it's an additional cost you'll have to pay for, so we like to start by recommending somewhere between 16GB and 64GB of RAM, but this can change depending on how you plan to use your server and how long you expect it to be in operation.

Storage (HDD and SSD)

Often, you'll hear the data storage component of a server simply referred to as a hard drive, but technically speaking, a hard disk drive is just one of two options for storage components you'll have for your server:

HDD: Short for hard disk drive, this storage option relies on magnets to rotate the disk heads along a metal disk to read and write data. Unlike the technology found in newer solid-state drives (SSDs), HDDs contain physically moving parts, which makes them more prone to potential failure. That said, modern HDDs designed for use in servers, which typically run 24/7/365, are extremely reliable and have minimal latency – especially when compared to equivalent HDDs built for personal computing devices. When choosing an HDD, you should consider the following:

• Interface: Broadly speaking, the hard drive interface is how the server motherboard connects to the hard drive. The two main types that you will have to choose from are SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) and SAS (Serial Attached SCSI). SATA drives are slower, but they come with a huge storage capacity of up to 18TB. On the other hand, SAS drives are extremely reliable and much faster than SATA drives, but they have a much smaller maximum storage capacity of close to 4TB.

• Speed: Determines how fast the disc can read or write data and is based on the rotation speed of the disc. Most SATA drives will have 5,400 or 7,200 RPM, while SAS drives can reach up to 15,000 RPM.

• Throughput: Also known as data throughput, throughput measures how quickly the retrieved data is returned to the CPU. For SATA drives, the maximum throughput is 6 GB/s, and for SAS drives it is 12 GB/s.

• Size: There are 2 HDD sizes – 3.5" and 2.5". The 3.5" variety will allow you to store more data, but this entails higher power consumption. Currently, the maximum storage capacity of a 3.5" is around 18 TB, while the 2.5" is around a maximum of 4 TB.

SSD: Short for solid-state drive, this latest technology utilizes flash storage, which relies on memory chips to store data — the same type used in random access memory (RAM). Unlike hard disk drives, solid-state drives contain no moving parts, have a significantly higher read/write speed, are shock/vibration resistant, and consume less power than their HDD counterpart. It seems like SSDs are a no-brainer when selecting a storage option for a server in 2023, right? Well, yes and no – there are a few drawbacks you should consider:

• Solid-state drives are significantly more expensive than hard disk drives

• Sometimes, solid-state drives can have problems with long-term data storage, but modern firmware has significantly reduced this problem

Average configuration of a File Server, Active Directory and a local application (ERP light)

Dell R720 / HP DL 380 Gen 8 Configuration Examples – Median

• 01 x E5-2650 V2 Processor - 8 Cores, 2.6 Ghz, 16 Threads, 20 Mb Cache
• 128 GB DDR3 RAM - PC3-12800R 1866 Mhz
• 04 x HDD 4 TB 3.5" SATA 7200 rpm - configured in RAID 5 (16 TB Total, Free 12 TB Raw), formatted around 10.8 TB.

Powerful configuration of a File Server, Active Directory and a local application (ERP light), Web Server IIS, SQL Server with 2 databases

Dell R730 / HP DL 380 Gen 9 Configuration Examples - Powerful

• 02 x E5-2695 V4 Processor - 18 Cores, 2.1 Ghz, 36 Threads, 45 Mb Cache
• 256 GB DDR4 RAM - PC4-17000R 2133 Mhz
• 04 x SSD 1.92 TB 2.5" SAS - configured in RAID 5 (7.68 TB Total, Free 5.76 TB Raw), formatted around 5.1 TB.