HP Proliant Microserver

[plutoz]

Picked up a Microserver last week, upgraded to 8GB RAM and installed OpenSUSE Linux x64 on a 16GB USB flash drive on the internal port. Seems to run really well, however it's pulling more power than I had hoped - about 45W according to my kill-a-watt. Seem high to anyone?

[castalla]

My server purchase fell through ... I have found another suppier. However, this has given me a chance to review the purchase.

My main hesitation is just how quiet or noisy is the server? I've read reports ranging from noisy, high-ptched whining to whisper quiet!

Feedback appreciated!

[Sridharm]

The fan is definitely noisy! I think the fan is rather large relative to the size of the box.

No way would I want ths in my listening room. Other than that, it is a cute box which is very customizable.

[Henry66]

If you want something noiseless you could try this:
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/...anless_pc.html
A lot more expensive than a Proliant Microserver though.

[castalla]

Thanks for the feedback.

I've decided to go for a Shuttle xs35 - I already have one as a HTPC. So, I know they are silent & low power consumtion - I'll get a sdd drive at a later date.

[tusken]

The fan is definitely noisy! I think the fan is rather large relative to the size of the box.

No way would I want ths in my listening room. Other than that, it is a cute box which is very customizable.

i agree. the fan is definitely noisier than some reports lead me to believe before i purchased it. its about the same noise as my normal desktop pc. I have it in a separate room so it doesnt matter to me but i certainly agree that you DEFINITELY would not want it in your listening room and people who can sleep with it in the same room must be deaf

[tusken]

Thanks for the feedback.

I've decided to go for a Shuttle xs35 - I already have one as a HTPC. So, I know they are silent & low power consumtion - I'll get a sdd drive at a later date.

i looked at that but since i need 4 - 6tb and i wanted it all inside the same box, no external hard drives, it wasnt an option for me

[plutoz]

If you want something noiseless you could try this:
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/...anless_pc.html
A lot more expensive than a Proliant Microserver though.

Wow that is really pricey! Nice looking though...

My MicroServer is down to 35W idle now, not sure what was going on those first few days maybe I was just checking at the wrong time. Performance with everything is so much better than my SheevaPlug, plus its very handy to have OpenSUSE GUI with FreeNX installed for remotely accessing the machine to do things that are just too difficult from the CLI.

I was looking for a new HTPC and came across this unit which I thought would be pretty good for LMS if your storage needs were minimal or you used mostly external drives / NAS

http://www.fit-pc.com/web/introducti...system-and-io/

Still a little pricey compared to the MicroServer but good if you want really low power usage with minimal footprint.

[Mnyb]

I just bought a micro server the N36L, nice piece of kit

Plan was to change mobo in my current server, but the cost diff was not much, this chassi is more practical .

I installed ClearOS 6.2 on it no desktop GUI just a ligthweigth server OS , this approach may lead to that you have to install some other bits and pieces here there to make it go , perl-CGI , perl Time::HiRez , java ,wget ,lame and acpi support ( so that the power button, and WOL works ) .

I did not opt for more ram than what came with the box, my old server uses a similar OS with 1GB and I never seen it swap in 4 years and there was always ram left .

The claimed 24dB noise level is b*ll , but you don't have a server in your listsening room anyway ffs
But I expect to turn it of and use WOL to boot it .

( have not investigated different sleep modes , bios is simpler than my old mobo , well one rainy day... )

I used the included drive for OS , did not bother with an SSD this time, put in an 2TB WD green something for the tunes

[Mnyb]

Scan time and respons is very good, this has more than enough power to comfortably run the server ,even if i cheaped and got the 1gb 1.3ghz N36L .

This kind of CPU has eveolved this dual core 1.3ghz run circles around my 1.2ghz via c7 single core ( in my old server ).
And it does not use more power .


Discovering files/directories: /media/music1* *(38708*of*38708) * Complete* 00:00:28
Scanning new music files: /media/music1* *(35161*of*35161) * Complete* 00:16:02
Discovering playlists: /media/Playlists* *(18*of*18) * Complete* 00:00:00
Scanning new playlists: /media/Playlists* *(17*of*17) * Complete* 00:00:12
Pre-caching Artwork* *(2778*of*2778) * Complete* 00:05:19
The server has finished scanning your media library.
Total Time:*00:22:01*(2012-04-22 Sunday / 07:15)
*

And sox/FLAC transcoding 24/96 to my boom only uses 6-7% CPU