Re: Request for feedback on hardware for a new database server

On 18-3-2011 4:02 Scott Marlowe wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 6:51 PM, Oliver Charles
> <postgresql-perf(at)ocharles(dot)org(dot)uk> wrote:
>
> Another point. My experience with 1U chassis and cooling is that they
> don't move enough air across their cards to make sure they stay cool.
> You'd be better off ordering a 2U chassis with 8 3.5" drive bays so
> you can add drives later if you need to, and it'll provide more
> cooling air across the card.
>
> Our current big 48 core servers are running plain LSI SAS adapters
> without HW RAID because the LSI 8888s we were using overheated and
> cooked themselves to death after about 3 months. Those are 1U chassis
> machines, and our newer machines are all 2U boxes now.

We have several 1U boxes (mostly Dell and Sun) running and had several
in the past. And we've never had any heating problems with them. That
includes machines with more power hungry processors than are currently
available, all power slurping FB-dimm slots occupied and two raid cards
installed.

But than again, a 2U box will likely have more cooling capacity, no
matter how you look at it.

Another tip that may be useful; look at 2.5" drives. Afaik there is no
really good reason to use 3.5" drives for new servers. The 2.5" drives
save power and room - and thus may allow more air flowing through the
enclosure - and offer the same performance and reliability (the first I
know for sure, the second I'm pretty sure of but haven't seen much proof
of lately).

You could even have a 8- or 10-disk 1U enclosure in that way or up to 24
disks in 2U. But those configurations will require some attention to
cooling again.

Best regards,

Arjen