So, installed, things are nice.
This OS is much better about caching things then Win2k3 was.
Point in case:
Win2k3, HS NEVER lagged, because the OS drive was ALWAYS spinning. Maybe it was something I did, maybe it was the OS. I think more the OS. The reason is, I have just about finished putting all the SAME programs on Win2k8, as I had on Win2k3. BUT, Win2k8 is spinning down the drive.
What does this mean? It means that sometimes, when I access a webpage, or have HS turn on a light, the drive must spin up BEFORE the commands are executed. Fun.
I like that it is better about spinning down my RAID array. However, not the OS drive.
Win2k3 had my array and the OS drive running. The supplemental storage drives (holds movies for streaming) spun down. Win2k8 spins EVERYTHING down.
So, my solution will be to setup an event that will cause a read of some .ini file...every say 10 minutes. I can "further" reduce power use and excess spinning during down times. I.e. when we are not home or when we are sleeping. I know this is not perfect, but it is easy.
The other solutions are more work / $$. I can get a SSD, Might use a bit more power OVERALL, but I'm guessing that it will be less as the OS driver will stay spun down much longer.
Say $100-200 for 40GB. Install time is next to nothing. SATA is easy to plug in, and the OS will just show it as a new drive.
One other possibility is to install a ram drive.
Choices are:
-use an i-Drive from Gigabyte ebay for $100-300
-install ramdrive software (anywhere from free to $1000+, depending on features. Most are about $10-40)
hardware:
power concerns and cost. At that price, I might as well get a SSD. HS doesn't write to the drive THAT much that I need to care (look at the HomeTroller...they use a SSD!).
Software:
Nice, BUT Win2k8 uses EVERY possible bit of ram for caching everything it can think of. I'm sure it is caching some stuff, JUST in case. So, will this affect my performance of the server?
My mobo can take 4 sticks, 1GB each. Currently I have 2 1GB sticks and 2 512meg sticks. Maybe I dump the two 512meg sticks and get 1 GB sticks. Then I keep the same performance and gain a ram drive. THEN HS has instant access to everything, and the drives can all stay "sleeping".
Features of software are a bit of a concern. If I am already spending some cash on new RAM, I would personally try to keep the cost of the software down. Do I want it to automatically save a drive image and reload upon boot? Timed backups of the image (in case of power failure)? Do I use the free version and just roll my own features?
*Backup, I can use any drive imaging software
*Restore, the same software just images back on the drive after boot
*As for worry if I loose power...the server just needs to be stable enough to shutdown properly. It is running on a battery, and at the speed of ram, I can just dump a new incremental image of the drive using software I already own, WITHOUT hurting the performance of HS.
So, what kind of memory does my server take? How much does it cost?
According to my last receipt, It's PC-3200 ram.
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?inv...0C3-DT&cat=RAM
So about $73 each stick. (I know there are other brands cheaper, but I try to stick to the name-brand only stuff ... Kingston, Corsair, etc. I've had VERY good luck with these).
Wow, that was a lot...anyone have thoughts? Comments? Questions?
--Dan
This OS is much better about caching things then Win2k3 was.
Point in case:
Win2k3, HS NEVER lagged, because the OS drive was ALWAYS spinning. Maybe it was something I did, maybe it was the OS. I think more the OS. The reason is, I have just about finished putting all the SAME programs on Win2k8, as I had on Win2k3. BUT, Win2k8 is spinning down the drive.
What does this mean? It means that sometimes, when I access a webpage, or have HS turn on a light, the drive must spin up BEFORE the commands are executed. Fun.
I like that it is better about spinning down my RAID array. However, not the OS drive.
Win2k3 had my array and the OS drive running. The supplemental storage drives (holds movies for streaming) spun down. Win2k8 spins EVERYTHING down.
So, my solution will be to setup an event that will cause a read of some .ini file...every say 10 minutes. I can "further" reduce power use and excess spinning during down times. I.e. when we are not home or when we are sleeping. I know this is not perfect, but it is easy.
The other solutions are more work / $$. I can get a SSD, Might use a bit more power OVERALL, but I'm guessing that it will be less as the OS driver will stay spun down much longer.
Say $100-200 for 40GB. Install time is next to nothing. SATA is easy to plug in, and the OS will just show it as a new drive.
One other possibility is to install a ram drive.
Choices are:
-use an i-Drive from Gigabyte ebay for $100-300
-install ramdrive software (anywhere from free to $1000+, depending on features. Most are about $10-40)
hardware:
power concerns and cost. At that price, I might as well get a SSD. HS doesn't write to the drive THAT much that I need to care (look at the HomeTroller...they use a SSD!).
Software:
Nice, BUT Win2k8 uses EVERY possible bit of ram for caching everything it can think of. I'm sure it is caching some stuff, JUST in case. So, will this affect my performance of the server?
My mobo can take 4 sticks, 1GB each. Currently I have 2 1GB sticks and 2 512meg sticks. Maybe I dump the two 512meg sticks and get 1 GB sticks. Then I keep the same performance and gain a ram drive. THEN HS has instant access to everything, and the drives can all stay "sleeping".
Features of software are a bit of a concern. If I am already spending some cash on new RAM, I would personally try to keep the cost of the software down. Do I want it to automatically save a drive image and reload upon boot? Timed backups of the image (in case of power failure)? Do I use the free version and just roll my own features?
*Backup, I can use any drive imaging software
*Restore, the same software just images back on the drive after boot
*As for worry if I loose power...the server just needs to be stable enough to shutdown properly. It is running on a battery, and at the speed of ram, I can just dump a new incremental image of the drive using software I already own, WITHOUT hurting the performance of HS.
So, what kind of memory does my server take? How much does it cost?
According to my last receipt, It's PC-3200 ram.
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?inv...0C3-DT&cat=RAM
So about $73 each stick. (I know there are other brands cheaper, but I try to stick to the name-brand only stuff ... Kingston, Corsair, etc. I've had VERY good luck with these).
Wow, that was a lot...anyone have thoughts? Comments? Questions?
--Dan
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