We’ve spoken a number of times about network hardware and managing networks, but what about your servers? If you’re starting a new business or upgrading an existing entry-level server, how do you go about measuring your needs and choosing the right operating systems and software so that you server is up to the challenge of supporting your company network as it grows over the coming years?
There are a number of factors that need to be considered, not just concerning current server load and capability, but also the scalability of your server. You don’t want to be investing in an budget or entry-level server that just meets you needs now, only to discover that in a year’s time you need to upgrade it to a more powerful one. Similarly, you don’t want to over-invest in a supercharged server with all the bells-and-whistles that you really don’t need.
Here are some basic guidelines and rules of thumb to help you plan:
Computing Power
Here we’re talking about processors and RAM.
Let’s start with processor cores, the brain of your server. 2 x 64-bit processor cores is pretty standard for entry level these days, but 4 cores should give you plenty of room for growth for the next few years.
Moving on to RAM, the memory capacity of your server. Again, start with a standard of 4 GB of RAM. This should give you enough for an average workload of 10-15 users, but if you’ll be having more than 15 users, or a heavier workload – graphics or video for instance – then add another 8 – 12 GB for better performance.
Storage
The amount of storage required varies tremendously between businesses and applications. Graphics companies tend to create vast amounts of data, whereas accountants databases will use much less space, so lets take an average. If you have a range of applications that use a database, it’s not unusual for that database to grow to around 100GB in size quite quickly, and will continue to do so as the years go on. For this example, fit your server with a 500 GB or 1TB drive; that way, the server will have enough space for the database to grow, as well as plenty of room for the server’s operating system, your various applications, users files, email storage etc.
Connections
Your server should have at least a Gigabit wired connection -never wireless with a server – gigabit Ethernet with category 6 cable ideally.
Server Footprint
The physical size of your server depends on the space available in your office. If space is tight, you;ll need to purchase a server with a mini frame or blade format, but if you’re lucky, you’ll have a dedicated area where you can house a standard server chassis, or a network cabinet where you can install rack servers with your network switches.
Power and Heat Considerations
Make sure that you have an adequate power source close to your server or in your server area. Avoid stringing chains of extension cords together; use a single power block with fault tolerance, or better still an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). A UPS will provide protection from power spikes etc., and give you enough battery power to power down your server properly in case of a power outage.
And avoid shutting your server in a cupboard with no airflow. It’s doing a great deal of work for you, and therefore generating a lot of heat, therefore it’s cooling fans need to pull in cool air and expel the heat in order for it keep working and not overheat and time-out. ideally, server cabinets and server rooms should be air conditioned, but this isn’t always possible, so arrange whatever air flow and cooling you can within your budget and space.
Operating System
Choice of operating system (OS) depends largely on your area of industry and your chosen make of server. With OS options available from Windows, Linux, Apple, and other providers, there’s lots of choice. this post goes into more detail about operating systems, and this one talks further about servers.
Other Software
Your other server-based applications, such as CRM databases, accounting systems, and graphics systems depend upon your business, but make sure that you server specification exceeds the minimum requirements of your applications, especially if you’re running more than one network program from a single server.
For more help and advice on server and network planning and deployment, contact TechPoint.
Call TechPoint: 1-888-801-1777 | Email: Sales: sales@tech-point.ca | Online: www.tech-point.ca
