A Small Business Server for a true Small Business

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Small Business Server for a true Small Business

Published 13 November 07 08:52 AM | RjBass  Edit

So about two months ago, the owner of a small business came to me and asked if he could get a server for his business that wouldn't cost him an arm and a leg.  Having only built desktops in the past, I wasn't really sure, but told him I would l check it out and get back to him.  This very same business already has a Windows Small Business Server, however it is easily over 4 years old and is running a Pentium 4 processor with 1gb of memory (upgraded from 512mb) and a 120gb hard drive (upgraded from a 80gb). 

I asked him what he was looking for in a new SBS and he told me he needed something faster.  His business had grown just slightly and as a result, when users were accessing the same program on the server they would see some serious slow downs.  Their hard drive was also nearly full, so at a minimum he would need a larger hard drive. He also wanted something that would be upgradeable.  Their old server could only handle a very small selection of upgrades, and after having it for over 4 years, it could not be upgraded enough to keep them happy for another 4 years to come.  So longevity was an issue as well.  Implementation into their current system along with ease of use was also an issue.  Their old server uses Windows Small Business Server 2003, and the owner has become very used to working with it.  So he wanted the new server to run the same software, but with a fresh new install.   

He went on to tell me that power consumption was an issue.  Between the server, desktops, and laptops they could have as many as 13 systems on and online at any given time.  Aside from the laptops, the desktops and the server could consume a large amount of power for a small business on a tight budget, so a server that would provide greater performance with lower power consumption was preferred (as is usually the case).

So I went to work looking to find the products that would satisfy his need for better performance without drawing to much power, and keeping within his $4,000 budget..........Yes that's right, $4,000 for a server installed.

Being that I had never built a server before, I wasn't sure where to start.  But just to get some ideas, I started with Dell.  Their old server was a Dell PowerEdge SC420, so I went to the Dell website and checked out some of their current SBS offerings.  Currently Dell offers the same server with more modern upgrades to include a dual core Intel Pentium E2140 for about $1,200.  Not knowing what that same server with the Intel P4 cost four years ago, I assumed it was somewhere between $800 and $1,000.  Being that their new budget was $4,000, they were obviously looking for something a bit better if not bigger.  So looking on at the Dell site I saw their SC840 which comes standard with an Intel Xeon Dual Core processor, 1gb of memory and a 120gb hard drive starting at $1,000.  While this server offers better performance with the dual core Xeon CPU, the rest of the specs were pretty much even with their current configuration.  So I looked on and I found the new T105.  This server like many of Dells desktops and laptops is a semi custom built machine.  So I customized it with some more robust specs.  I added a 2.0ghz AMD Opteron Dual Core processor, 4gb DDR2 667 memory, one 80gb Hard Drive for the OS and one 500gb hard drive for the file server, DVD burner and gigabit lan, and Windows SBS 2003 with 10 user licenses.  The cost for this machine is hovering right around $2,800 installed.  Now this server meets all of the owners requirements, except for one thing, upgrade ability.  As I have already learned, after 4 years I am not so sure that getting upgrades from Dell will be such an easy task.   However looking at the business's current server, it is obvious that Dell's servers are built to last.  I really loved that fact that the T105 uses the AMD Opteron processor.  While the Opterons are by far not the fastest or most powerful server processors, they do, in my opinion, offer much better power consumption ratings making their performance per $$ slightly better. 

That being the case, I then set out to see if I could design a server, based off of those same specs in the T105 but with better upgrade ability options in the future. 

Building a computer can be a daunting task for those who don't have any experience or proper education.  Building a server that needs to meet the demands of a business can be even more daunting, even if the designer has computer building experience.  This is why many system builders won't build servers.  Why spend the time and effort, and risk their reputation on a server when they can get a big name server from Dell or HP.  If the server fails then all the blame can be given to the server manufacturer.  But while that may be a good way to go for the short run, in the long term (4+ years) it can lead to higher replacement and upgrade costs.  While that may not really be an issue for larger corporations, for a small business on a tight budget, that can nearly make or break the business.  And in today's uncertain economic times, that is a risk that many small business's are not willing to take. 

Fortunately for those who have experience, education, and the gonads to give it a try, we have retailers like Newegg with their advanced search functions that can really assist in helping a system builder design a system or a server to the exact specifications requested from the buyer.   

Now if you read through all that and your hungry for more, let's get to the good stuff.  Here is the system I designed and why I did it this way. 

The new small business server specs (with all parts ordered from Newegg):

AMD Opteron Santa Rosa 2212 2.0ghz Dual Core Socket F Processor (Link) - $179.99 + Shipping

4gb Kingston DDR2 667 Registered Server Memory (Link) - $44.99 (each) + Shipping

ASUS KFN5-D SLI Dual 1207 NVIDIA nForce Professional 3600 Extended ATX Server Motherboard (Link) - $299.99 + Shipping

MSI RX1550-TD128EH Radeon X1550 128MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card (Link) - $28.99 + Shipping

Western Digital Caviar WD800JD 80gb 7200RPM 8mb Cache Sata Hard Drive OEM (for the OS and Programs) (Link) - $42.99 + Shipping

Western Digital Caviar WD5000AAJS 500gb 7200RPM 8mb Cache Sata Hard Drive OEM (for data) (Link) - $99.99 with Free Shipping

COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RP-550-PCAR ATX from factor 12V V2.01 550W Power Supply (Link) - $69.99 + Shipping

Hec 69R5BB Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail (Link) - $64.99 + Shipping

Super Talent Internal All In One USB/Memory Card Reader Retail (Link) - $7.99 + Shipping 

Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition with 5cal (Link) - $439.99 + Shipping

Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 5 Cal Addition (Link) - $429.99 + Shipping

Plus other small pieces like the Opteron Cooling fan and heat sink in the 3.5 pitch mount for the motherboard, a P4 to P8 CPU power adaptor for the power supply and motherboard.

Based on those specs, I was able to assemble a new server that met all the specs of the Dell T105 and then some.  The system I designed features the dual socket F configuration.  While the system I built only has one dual core processor, it is capable of taking two in the future.  Not only that, but this motherboard is also capable of taking the new Opteron Barcelona Quad Core processors, meaning that future upgrades could see two dual core processors or up to two quad core processors without having to change out any of the other important hardware.  As is the single dual core Opteron is already a huge improvement over their old single core Pentium 4 processor.  So this leaves the business with PLENTY of room to upgrade their cpu/cpu's.  And before anybody ask, while the motherboard can take two processors, it only requires one to operate.  This kept the initial cost of the hardware down to start them off while again providing much improved performance over their old Pentium 4 configuration. 

The system I designed also comes with the 4gb of DDR2 667 memory which is 3gb more then their old system.  However the motherboard can take up to 32gb which again leaves plenty of room to grow.  With the current prices and popularity of DDR2 memory, I think it is safe to say that it will continue to be around for a few years, so I am not worried about availability in the future. 

If four or five years in the future the business wants to completely upgrade their server to a whole new system with the latest technology of the time, they will be able to do so without having to purchase a whole new system like company's such as Dell and HP practically require.  While there is no guarantee that I will still be in this business 4 or 5 years down the road, the system I designed can be worked on by just about any system builder, meaning that even if I am not around, nearly any other builder with the proper knowledge can step in and take over where I left off. 

So going back to the system specs, I designed a new system exceeding the specs of the Dell T105 that meets the small business's needs in regards to current requirements with more options to upgrade in the future.  With the above specs I listed, the system cost a few hundred dollars less then the T105 with the shipping (at $2,800 the Dell system at their price also comes with a Dell technician coming in to set it up).  So remember the business owner has a budget of $4,000.  Well obviously some of the extra money will go to me to come in and setup the new server on their old network as I don't do this stuff for free.  But why would the business be willing to pay more overall for their server and for me to build it and come in and set it up instead of just having Dell do it?  Well being that I have been their IT admin for the last two years, I know their current network configuration and server like the back of my hand.  While the Dell technician will most likely do a fantastic job of getting the server in place and ready to roll, will he ghost over their old hard drive with all their data?  Will he or she be able to set up their new server on the network with the exact shared drive letter configurations?  Well maybe he can.  But when you take a stranger and bring him into the mix to set this up after having never even seen the network in the past and not knowing the people working on it daily, chances are he or she will get some stuff wrong. The small business knows that if I build it, and I come in and deploy it on the network on a weekend, they will return to work on a Monday and the only thing that will be different is the performance and speed as I will set it up exactly like their last system.    

But in the end, the cost of the server, for me to build it, and for me to deploy it onto their network still does not equal $4,000.  If $4,000 is the business's budget and they want the most bang for their buck, I am sure there are couple other things I can add to their network that would really help increase performance. 

Their current network consist of eight desktops (soon to be 10) that connect at 108mbps through the LAN.  The Lan is setup with 3 network switches, one wireless router and their DSL modem.  Two of the switches, and the router have transfer speeds of 108mbps, while the third switch is a newer Netgear that has gigabit network speeds.  The new server motherboard has dual gigabit LAN ports.  So in an effort to increase network speeds between the 8 desktops and the server I also got them a new D-Link wireless router with gigabit lan and 108mbps WAN (Link), eight Encore gigabit PCI network cards (Link), and two more Trendnet gigabit network switches (Link).

Along with some new ethernet cables, all the new server hardware, and the network hardware came to about $2,250 with shipping and before the mail in rebates (which there were a few). 

So now the small business will not only get a new, more powerful and faster small business server, but also a gigabit internal network.  They will also have their high speed copy machine/printer added to the network for their larger print jobs.  To install the whole thing, server, gigabit network and the copy machine, total cost will come in at $3,850.  $150 less then the budget called for. 

Now I know some of you will scream at me for doing so much while charging so little, so I should make it clear that my work in the IT industry is only part time work.  My fiance has the big career job while I spend most of my time at home taking care of the kids, being involved with their school, coaching soccer etc...  I don't work in this industry to support the family.  I do it because I love the work and if I don't I get pretty bored during the school days.  So in a effort to keep me busy with new clients, I do most of my work for non profit small business's, schools, churches, and lower income families.  So I don't charge them nearly as much as another IT pro would charge a for profit business that's turning a decent profit. 

So that being the case, I just helped a great not for profit business step into a nice new server with a much faster network etc.. and came in just under budget.  Maybe that extra budget money will come back to me in the form of a bonus, and if it does it will leave me just as fast as a contribution to another not for profit organization like the Salvation Army for the holiday season. 

Anyways, so for you IT guys who have to work under a very tight budget but want the best for your customers, what I have just shown you is one way to make it happen at a very reasonable cost. 

If any of you have some things you would like to add, problems with my configuration, charges etc... please comment as I am always open to discussion.