Common Components

Server cases

Every good server starts with a decent case. The choice of server enclosure is every bit as important as the selection of  components - processor, motherboard, disk drives, etc - that make up the hardware portion of the server. A well designed enclosure should protect its innards from dust, provide ample airflow for cooling and somehow manage to be quiet about it. Some server cases have so many fans that you'd think that you were running a leaf blower. That makes for great airflow, but a lousy office environment. Noisy fans might be OK for a dedicated room frequented only by IT people, but it is absolutely unworkable for a small office environment. Fortunately, there are some good solutions for these requirements. One manufacturer in particular has paid attention to high airflow, low noise issues for small office environments -that's Antec.

The Antec P180 case provides an outstanding foundation for a small business network server. The P180 is truly a revolutionary breakthrough in case design. Dual chambers isolate the power supply and CPU into separate cooling zones with up to 5 configurable fans. Three-layer sound-deadening panels dampen noise even in very high-performance systems.  Click to see a demo animation of Antec case features. This is a must-see.

We've selected The Antec P180 enclosure for use in of our custom-built small business server program. Good looks, outstanding function and surprising affordability rank it as best-in-class.

The following items will be common to the first two classes of server: entry level and small business.

Motherboard:

We strongly recommend Intel and ASUS motherboards for custom workstation solutions. The brands have proven track records and we make the selection based upon your use and needs.
 

Memory:

We recommend the Patriot eXtreme Performance 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit in either 1 GB or 2 GB kits. This pair of  memory sticks will occupy 2 of the four memory slots on the Intel DG965 motherboard, leaving two open for another gigabyte or two of memory upgrade later on. We've selected this particular model because it is conservatively built, supports dual channel operation (that means that it's blazing fast) and comes with on-board heat spreaders to prolong service life. It's not the cheapest memory product around, but lowest-bidder parts have no place in a business oriented server. 1 GB is the minimum starting server memory recommendation - Patriot also makes 4-gigabyte kits.

Disk Drives:

We now have reasonably affordable hard disk drives in the terabyte capacity range. But the choice of drive complement should not be made upon size alone. Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), heat dissipation and spindle speed are all critical items. So larger is better - up to a point. Service life and reliability are (or should be) the prime factors in the choice of disk drives for your server. For a server drive complement and as a general rule, we suggest the following minimum:

DVD RW Drive:

A necessity for any server.  Used to load software and also as a backup medium. Please visit our page concerning backup and restoration in order to gain an understanding of just how crucial this is to the survival of your business.