# [Project] Junks Rackmount Farm Build



## this n00b again

im so lost in your post i dont' even know what you're looking for.

what is a renderblade?

anyways i did something similar but only have two PC's in it right now. I'm thinking of putting in a third one i have laying out but that still needs to be decided. anyways this work log is OLD, and i have it changed around a little bit with newer stuff and more stuff, etc. but anyways it will give you an idea.

http://www.overclock.net/case-mod-wo...ro-panzer.html

IT's 16U. i don't know if i'd go much bigger if i were you since the whole thing is pretty heavy after several units are installed.

as for 3U vs 4U. go 4U, it's more space but worth it. 3U is hard to get around and you'll have a harder time installing the components in it. ALSO the HSF height limitation.

the cooling was okay running not much hotter than my CM 690. just 1 or 2 C more. but i cut two 120mm fans in the top panel of one of them (the one that holds the QUAD) and it helped alot.


----------



## MXjunk127

I saw your thread last night, cool stuff, kinda what I am going for...

A renderblade is a single machine in a render farm, which is dedicated to the rendering of CGI/3d FX. I am rendering frames at, 1920x1080, and to render one frame I can be waiting quite a while. So, what I am doing is building several relatively fast machines to divy up the task a bit...So instead of 1 quad core work station going at it, I have 4-5 machines going at it, cutting my rendering time considerably. (IE, instead of 1 machine doing 300, 5 machines do 60 frames.) This will also allow me to work while my machines are rendering...Thats why I am thinking of going 3U even if it is more of a pain...

Here is the rack I got:










Here is a flowchart:










I think I explain what I am looking for a bit closer on my blog, see my sig if you are interested...

I am almost debating going 4U,getting a 42 rack, and cutting it down to like 30/w casters...I guess what I am asking is, is that a decent build for the price, and am I crazy for doing this? LOL

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.


----------



## this n00b again

it's a nice rack you got there.

okay so bascially renderblade is just like a network of PC's rendering together.

in that case you should go with the quads but go for workstation graphics cards like:
ATI FireGL
or
Nvidia FX Quattro

these will definitely help with the rendering, but will also bring the cost up since they do cost quite a bit for each GPU.

get:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233014 (after you make sure it will fit)

i know the 120mm model wont. if that doesn't then th AC freezer pro 7 will. I have it.

and bring the Clocks of the Quad up.

to keep the CPUs cool at 3U all i can think of is water cooling but this will have to be a separate unit probably taking up it's own rack space.

anyways i think you meant to say gigabit switch in your blog. I will update my Case mod log when i get back home, since there have been several changes to it.


----------



## MXjunk127

haha yeah gigabit, I am such a noob...I am an artist not a tech dude...although, I must admit, its fun!

GPUs actually don't help rendering with my software, its all done in the processor...I talked with the head of IT at a major company here and he told me all about what my set up should be...I will be running hot, but with in tolerance. If worse comes to worse I see I can use an AC window unit...

I am going to order the 3U stuff either tonight or tomorrow...will upgrade my build on here before I do...and will hopefully have something working by the end of the week. Once the first machine is up I will order more.

This guy said I don't have to have a patch panel and have enough room in that cabinet to either Velcro my switch to the side or put it under...I will be doing RDP so KVM cables wont be a problem either. I will wait and get a CPU Heatsink here in town so I can make sure one brand fits....

When I get it functional that's when I may trick the cabinet and cases out ..Thanks for all the help man, will keep this post updated.


----------



## this n00b again

yeah, you don't need a patch panel. i have one but didn't use it because the rackmount switch in my room wasn't even 100Mbps. it was 10Mbps so i scrapped it and bought gigabit switch.


----------



## MXjunk127

Here is the new 3U build, I have fans, and will get the Mobo here in town for $179. As you can see I striped them down even farther and am totally bare bones now, I am even going to dare using the PSU that comes with the case. I am hoping to drop below $600 for each machine...

Athena Power Black 3U Rackmount Server Case -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811192028

GIGABYTE LGA 775 MOBO - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128084

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

OCZ Platinum (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227298

EXCELSTOR Jupiter Series 80GB SATA - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822210003

ASUS Black 16X DVD-ROM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135151

ZOTAC GeForce 7100GS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500027

I found this switch for $80 http://www.netgear.com/Products/Swit...es/JGS516.aspx

I think I am in business. Will keep you updated...should probably move over to the
case-mod-work-logs area...


----------



## Hersha

find a mobo with integrated graphics and then switch to a 1u or 2u case then you can cram even more in the rack. Like this guy and its $20 cheaper. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128078 also dropping down to ddr800 probably wouldnt impact performace to much and save you $10 per server. heres a 2u case that runs for $110 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811192044

Only issue with going down to a small case size is you may need to find a low profile HSF for it.
oh ya check this site for best render farm ever. http://helmer.sfe.se/


----------



## MXjunk127

Woah, Helmer is sweet, I should have just done that...

Unfortunately I have already ordered my stuff, but I was looking for that freeking mobo with integrated graphics, guess it just slipped by me. :swearing:

And that case is perfect, but how do you think the heat would be? Again to bad I ordered!!! :swearing:

I just ordered one to see how that rack would handle it so for the next one I may go that way...Minus cards and stuff that would have saved me a bit...bummer...

Thanks anyway.


----------



## Hersha

i dont think heat would be to bad. Heres a 1u HSF http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...7f44712e18ffb6 Remember your picture of the Pixar render farm. Its all in 1u cases so heat must be within tolerable limits or people wouldnt build 1u servers.


----------



## MXjunk127

Got everything but the processor in yesterday, I put the case in the rack to see if it would fit...And it does:










Kinda:


















Would moving the powercord port to the right side of the case be a viable solution?

I have room on the right:










Even with that out of the way, so the door would close, does that look like any decent amount of air will get through there?

Thanks.


----------



## Hersha

ya you can move the plug just a bit of PSU modding is required and from the look of the back door it should have enough airflow I just wouldn't go and try to OC it.


----------



## this n00b again

i was looking at your case here:
http://www.athenapower.com/

it looks as if the PSU is located in the front of your case. therefore you don't necessarily have to use that back plug as it just serves as an extension.

you can use a power cord and just have it coming out where ever you need in the case. may be perhaps you can remove the rear receptacle and pull the cord through there


----------



## MXjunk127

Yeah last night I actually undid that port in the back and played with mounting it up over by the expansion slots. It's kind of a grommet/mount deal so I can kind of put it anywhere...Considering doing the top, bottom, and sides of the cases in acrylic or something and mounting it inlaid to the case...Or just run a cord all ghetto into the case and make the connection in there...Will keep you updated.


----------



## mbreitba

I'm a big fan of these systems : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816110030

We've got several similar systems in our rack w/ 8GB RAM and the Xeon equivalent of the q6600. They all run very well, and it's also nice that they are half-depth. The one drawback that they have is that they are very loud. Being a 1U form factor, the fan speed gets cranked up pretty well, but it runs cool enough.


----------



## CyberDruid

The servers I've seen in person live in airconditioned closets or even entire ACed floor spaces under the main room. That's about the easiest way to reduce the form factor and keep the cooling adequate: AC.


----------



## MXjunk127

Mbreitba, those look great, but not very cost effective for my needs though.

CyberDruid, Yeah I definitely agree, We have relatively hot summers here in Texas, so because of my workstations I keep my room cool all the time...I have 4 systems running in there now, its hot, but I will be running an additional window unit soon, my load temps for the 3U system on the stock clock are at 59c...I was hoping to see load temps at 3.0 around 55...I doubt I will see that on air...I think I may need to lap my stuff and do some more airflow mods...Pics later...


----------



## DigitalPhreak

Where did you get the rack? That rack looks more like a telecom rack than a data rack... but then I guess it does fit blade servers.

For cooling you can always get those floor standing AC units. They cost under 300 bucks and it would have its own cooling system. I seen a couple of them in some of my clients server/switch closets/rooms and they work decently if you cant get adequate cooling by a conventional means.


----------



## MXjunk127

Thanks DigitalPhreak,

There is actually an interesting story in there, well not so interesting...After a ton of research (because its completely unmarked), I have found it was manufactured to be a general use/audio rack. I was browsing craigslist for a cheap dell blade for a home server and I saw this rack...Now, I had thought about going rackmount a few years ago but never did anything because cabinets are so expensive. The moment I saw it (advertised as 24U server rack with more height and depth than it has) I emailed them and claimed it, I had a meeting to get to the next day so I rushed up there in the morning, and threw it in my truck before I could notice it was only 14U...It was manufactured by Lowell, its an L258 Series Rolling Cabinet.

Lowes has a Samsung 5,000 BTU Window Unit for $75, I may go nab one. Only worry there is condensation...


----------



## MXjunk127

So, I went ahead and got a window AC unit, 6500 BTU, my room is COLD!

Machine is now 3ghz, 45C load temps in cabinet...














































I pulled the video card out after config, runs a lot cooler.

I made a long blog post with cost summary and lots more pictures, link in sig...


----------



## mbreitba

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MXjunk127* 
Mbreitba, those look great, but not very cost effective for my needs though.

Based on my numbers, you're looking at about 699 for the barebones, HDD, RAM, and CPU (plus shipping) that's not a whole lot more than what you're currently spending, and you get it in 1U, rather than 3, so you can put 3x the systems in your rack for more render power.


----------



## MXjunk127

This is true, $730 after shipping, I was having a brain fart when I posted that, I thought it came with a cheap Xeon...My only concerns there would be Power and heat. I definitely can't get away with overclocking a Q6600 on that, I am afraid to think how hot it would be stock...

Also, I wouldn't have a Cd drive, I could always install the disks with a full dvd drive and just remove it when I was done I guess. I don't know, you have experiance with them, do you think heat would be a big issue? could I get some small fans, fill the case, and try and find a 1U HS and OC to 3ghz?

also, does it fit in a 19" rack?, IE does it have extenders or something since it is so small?


----------



## Vinovvi

First of all MXjunk127 thank you +rep for creating this thread. I've been searching around the web for months now trying to find info on setting up a low cost render farm and only found the Helmer setup.

Now with that out of the way I've been looking at this setup for business purposes:

Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2L

Intel Q6600 OEM

2 Sets of these for a total of 8GB

Dynatron P199

All stuffed into this 1U blade chassis

All this comes in at around $500 shipped. My only concern would be heat as I do want to overclock the Q6600 to 3.0 Ghz. I wanted the 1U form factor to maximize performance in the smallest space as possible. Any input you have on my setup would be greatly appreciated and thanks ahead of time.


----------



## MXjunk127

Well thanks for the rep, I don't deserve it really...Theres more on my blog and I will be making a webpage for the build when its all clean and stuff I think, I prolly should do a how to: for the site as well?

First off, $500, awesome!

The case looks ok, but beware the fan is loud and the reviews state you may need extra cables for it because the case is mainly meant for their mobos. What about your hard drive though?

I am hesitant to go 1U just because of the heat and cooling, but I guess there is only one way to find out. I may get the other 1U listed in the thread next and see...One thing to note is that the heat does accumulate in the rack, if you have multiple machines running...Just for kicks I put a laptop and a file server in the case last night and the temps on all the machines rose a few C...I wonder what it will be like when I have a few more quads running at load...

Why are you going 8gb/what are you rendering, if you don't mind? I was going to go 8gb but decided not to until I run into a project that requires me to, IE crashes max...That 5-5-5-18 is a bit slow, but I guess it doesn't matter for a blade...I have the 4-4-4-12's in my workstation...Great ram.

The heatsink looks like it runs cool, but its supposedly loud...

Otherwise, seems like a good build if you are ready to jump into it. Good luck.


----------



## Vinovvi

Going to be rendering maya projects. Here's another question, what components would you put together for a quiet build?


----------



## MXjunk127

ahh cool, I need to pick maya back up, haven't used it since 6.5...

You know, to be honest, looking at it, at 1U the only way to be quiet and cool is to either spend a lot of money on water, or on a nicer case...One thing I could try and do is try and rig 40mm fans up in the front of the case, and maybe even this on each side if the board has 3 fan controllers:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835704001

We may have to deal with noise, I have my rack in my room, so as quiet as can be is possible, with 20 fans and an AC room blowing the room sounds like an airtunnel.


----------



## mbreitba

Quote:



Originally Posted by *MXjunk127*


This is true, $730 after shipping, I was having a brain fart when I posted that, I thought it came with a cheap Xeon...My only concerns there would be Power and heat. I definitely can't get away with overclocking a Q6600 on that, I am afraid to think how hot it would be stock...

Also, I wouldn't have a Cd drive, I could always install the disks with a full dvd drive and just remove it when I was done I guess. I don't know, you have experiance with them, do you think heat would be a big issue? could I get some small fans, fill the case, and try and find a 1U HS and OC to 3ghz?

also, does it fit in a 19" rack?, IE does it have extenders or something since it is so small?



The Xeon that we've got in there doesn't get hot at all. I don't know how it would do overclocked, but at 2.4ghz a x6600 or xeon would be lots of render power.

As far as fitting in a rack, it does and it's sturdy enough to be mounted on just the front tabs. I suppose you could pick up some rack extenders if you wanted. Do the 3U and 4U servers that you have mount front and back, or do they just mount on the front?

I also noticed that people were talking about the noise - the 1U that I recommended is LOUD. If it's going to be in the room with you, I would highly recommend against it. If it's going to be in the basement in a closet, that would probably work fine, but having anywhere in the vicinity of where you are working at will make your ears bleed. Most any 1U is going to be like that to keep the processor and memory cool.

-edit- I'll power the one up that I have at home tomorrow and video it to give you an idea of the noise - it's by far not the quietest system I've ever had.


----------



## MXjunk127

Yeah I am fully expecting 1U systems to sound like F14s out of the box, I may be able to mod them a bit...The server rack is about 10 feet from my head where I sleep at night, so...







Noise isnt anything new, my room already sounds like a jetway with the AC and my desktop.

I just mounted my 3U case with 4 screws on the front tab...

The X3220 seems like the comparable Xeon counterpart to the Q6600, at $35 more than the Q6600, the thermal Specification is 85c, that seems like a fair price to pay for 15c to play with...And they are definitely overclockable.

The hardest part about this whole thing is getting the networking config'd correctly, especially with the programs, now I know why network guys pull it in!


----------



## irishdunn

Where did you get that rack? I want one so damn bad... but unwilling to shell out major bucks for it!


----------



## MXjunk127

I will sell it, shoot me an offer









I was lucky enough to snipe it off of Craigslist a few min after it was posted.


----------



## mbreitba

I've got a very similar one from racksolutions.com in my basement. They're hellu nice, but around 350 + shipping.


----------



## irishdunn

Will your 500w PSU support the 20 drives that case can support? I was thinking you would need something in the 800w+ range.


----------



## MXjunk127

Huh?

I am only using one drive, and went with a 400w drive which came with the case...Blade has been 100% load for the past week or so, holding up just fine..

I guess I should update my first post...


----------



## MXjunk127

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Vinovvi*


First of all MXjunk127 thank you +rep for creating this thread. I've been searching around the web for months now trying to find info on setting up a low cost render farm and only found the Helmer setup.

Now with that out of the way I've been looking at this setup for business purposes:

Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2L

Intel Q6600 OEM

2 Sets of these for a total of 8GB

Dynatron P199

All stuffed into this 1U blade chassis

All this comes in at around $500 shipped. My only concern would be heat as I do want to overclock the Q6600 to 3.0 Ghz. I wanted the 1U form factor to maximize performance in the smallest space as possible. Any input you have on my setup would be greatly appreciated and thanks ahead of time.


Hey, if your still around, have you ordered yet?

Its about time to order the 2nd machine so I was wondering how it was working out for you?


----------



## MXjunk127

Sorry accidental doublepost...mod please delete!


----------



## Vinovvi

Sorry still haven't ordered due to school finances, but have changed my case recently to the Ultra MicroFly case, and removing the internal bracket that runs above the cpu to allow for a bigger aftermarket heatsink. What are you thoughts?


----------



## MXjunk127

Yeah I feel you, I just paid for classes, about to get books...

Looks pretty good, a real good deal, just don't melt your case! lol

I think I may go 2U for a taller heatsink/lower noise as well...lookin at this, with the xeon....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856999304


----------



## Vinovvi

MXjunk127 you still around? If you are how's that server setup going?


----------



## MXjunk127

Yep...It is fast, I am loving it so far, I have been so busy I have not been able to use it much yet...

I have been so busy with work and school I have not been able to add anything to the rack, but I have a 24 gigabit switch and the 2u system to build and put in it. Will try and do a build log this weekend. Some of it is still in the mail but hopefully Newegg will get it here by friday.

I went with this case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856999304

This heatsink:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835114072

and this processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819117127

I am done adding machines for now due to lack of work...thinking I may post a build log in the regular section or do a FAQ on how to build a rackfarm...


----------



## MXjunk127

So two weeks ago I got all my stuff in for my 2nd renderfarm box, I put it together and got it running but neglected to post on here for some reason...

The build:
iStarUSA Black 2U Rackmount Case (350w)
Intel X3220 Xeon 2.4ghz
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L Mobo (EP= Energy saver/green)
80gb Western Digital
8gb Ocz Gold ram

So, the build went pretty fast...I went with a Xeon because I thought the price trade off from a Q series chip was well worth the 15c variance in thermal specifications, that is, the Xeon can take hotter temperatures (turned out coming in VERY handy). The chip is just like the Q6600 in other respects.....

So, here is a pic of the main parts:









So after I got everything from the post office, I came back home and put it all together:


















Since I was not running a videocard on final assembly I ran one while I OC'd, networked, and installed stuff...


















I finally got it configured and running right. The power supply is by far the loudest thing in my room, over my 4 other computers and window AC unit, its like an F14 on the tarmac, the worthless heatsink doesnt help either...I may need to do some modding down the road...My load temps are around 65c well within the range of the chip, and the temp of the server rack is about 95F...After I got the machine up and running I put it in the rack with the new router (nice, but slow) and did some cable management...Here is the result...










And for anyone wondering, so far the rack pulls 330w at peak, and by my extremely loose estimate costs about 65 cents a day to run at 100% load.


----------



## FearMeansControl

awesome! nice to see some other 3d folk around these parts..

Looks like you've got yourself going, but i can throw my own possible adventure into the ring, my "render farm" started as a literal farm with a bunch of old computers sprouted up around my room, mostly in corners where they could double as seats









about 2 years into it, my pop was re-organizing his office, and decided to ditch his rack, which we'd built when i was a wee-tiny kid. So now i'm pulling along with a mamoth about 7 feet tall looming behind me.

::will insert pictures here when i got off my arse and take some::

currently blowing away in there is:
Celeron 430, 2GB (master.. more on this below)
Q6600, 4GB
4 x Xeon, 4GB
E7200, 4GB
E4300, 4GB
X2 4800+, 2GB
XP3200+, 1GB
P4, P4, and a few more Athlon XP's

First, regarding that celeron machine marked as "master" thats exactly what it says it is.. 1.8 GHz Celeron doing nothing but sending directions and taking in frames. There's 400GB in RAID 1 for maps and projects/scene files, as well as another mirrored 750GB for renders. Beauty here is that when i toss something into the pipeline, my workstation is completely out of the loop.. I'm free to restart, crash, bluescreen all i want, as well as adding it to the render task if i feel like taking a break from whatever i'm doing.. The other big thing is that god forbid a machine conks out or isnt quite stable, this machine is running ~10-15% load. Its plenty of horsepower to handle the file I/O, which is by the way, more burden you don't need on a workstation you are trying to use.

Autodesk's awesome backburner does all the work for the 3ds Max renders, and for Maya I've tried a few different solutions (SpiderSX, Maya's Satellite feature, and Dr. Queue)

The Maya options out there are abysmal. Dr. Queue is the only thing that really works well, but is a ***** to compile from source, and the only Windows binary is an old, unstable version..

We've toyed with investing with Qube! in the past, and had actually talked to their sales rep and engineer. As soon as I asked about the trial, she (the saleswoman) put me right through to their engineering department, and he walked me through exactly the server setup that Qube wants.. They've set up an excellent system, indeed.. but the price is a tough thing to justify. However, we're getting awfully close to purchasing, as the issue of Maya doing a good net render on its own is not at all promising these days.

P.S: Anyone think this could be the release when Autodesk lets us have backburner for Maya and stops kicking us in the nads with these sad upgrades?


----------



## MXjunk127

Awesome, glad to see another 3ds max user on here!

I wish I had a farm that big, I have 3500 frames on my meager one right now...Will be done in a few hundred hours...lol

So your running backburner manager on your Celeron master? I have heard you should always run manager on a super fast machine to increase performance of the farm.

At the moment, I am running manager on a VM via my workstation, and my workstation as a server as well, however I am wanting to pick up a 1U system for cheap to run manager and a few local servers web/ect ect. I have my eye on a 3.2ghz celeron for $200...Storage wise, I have about 1TB set aside for renders on my desktop, and another 1TB as my working directory to keep all my max files, maps, and all the other fun stuff. I hope to set up a 8TB raid'd file server at the bottom of the rack...sometime in the future, however I need to get some more work in, well a lot more.

I am realizing I will be needing a larger rack, definitely...

Your post is worthless without pics! lol. Thx for the reply.


----------



## irishdunn

It is highly possible that I will be interested in your small rack when you upgrade, so keep me posted!

I cant shoot for it right now because i just picked up a 2405FPW and a GTX260.


----------



## LiquidKaos

I wonder if all the DELL Dual Xeon 1U servers on e-bay could be handy for a project such as this:

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trk...All-Categories


----------



## MXjunk127

If I can get them sub $250 or so yeah its not a bad addition to the sable, however, this rack has a depth of 21" or so, so the Dell servers are too long, I could run it without the back door but not sure if thats something I want to do, would hate for someone to rip out some of those wires...

Today when I woke up I smelt smoke, I turned the rack off and had to go to work, will have time to investigate tomorrow night...I was working it hard core 24/7..


----------



## MXjunk127

After a close examination of both machines I have found nothing wrong, however, the smell of electrical smoke is something I do not like to smell, especially from something in my room. I looked over most visible circuits and saw nothing wrong, no capacitors looked blown and they booth booted fine, and are running back at full strength again...guess I will report back if anything nasty happens...


----------



## MXjunk127

Turns out the smoke was a powersupply on the Xeon, I may be able to get an old one from work that will fit for free, should be up as early as tomorrow...

Another little update, I got this machine for $100 bucks 3.2ghz Celeron, 2gb of ram and 80gig HD. I loaded backburner on it and a webserver, next will either be a storage server or another 2U Xeon build.

Sry for the blurry pic, will get another one when I clean my office up.


----------



## irishdunn

where are you nabbing cheap servers? ebay?

Im always in the market for 100-200$ decent rackmount servers, I would buy one for a router, one for ldap, one for a webserver, one for samba.

eventually i could assemble a 'man stack'


----------



## MXjunk127

Well, I emailed this guy about this server on craiglist a while back...He had it listed for $200 in the wrong category...I decided I didn't want to spend $200 on a server, especially a 1U singlecore at the time, so I didn't bother....Well, yesterday was my birthday, and out of the blue he emails me saying he needs cash, so I could drive and meet him I could have it for $100 if I met him, so I drove about an hour to go pick it up at like 1AM. lol.

Downside is, its loud. Louder than I like in my room, so is the 2U, so, idk. I must at admit, I was nervous about the singlecore, I even asked in chat, everyone was like noooo, but, it works great tho...


----------



## mbreitba

That 1U looks almost like the 1U that I had suggested - does it have just a single fan in it that is completely enclosed? If so, it's the same type of setup that I was talking about - yeah, they're loud, but if you've got the right processor in them, they're screaming fast.


----------



## MXjunk127

Single fan, it has a 3.2ghz Celeron D, pretty fast for a single core, however, it overheated last week. I have not had time to check it out yet.


----------



## dr4gon_5p33d

i am also starting out a render farm build but am strapped for cash awww n e ways i have went in a different direction i decided instead of buying heaps of single cpu mobos buy a single mobo to accomodate four or 8 cpus and build into a smaller case as soon as i get some sponsors or parts for the build i will start also the 1u idea seems the best because u could have double to triple the cpus


----------



## MXjunk127

Cool! What program? It matters.

I did this build real cheap...I mean, compared to software cost, this is a drop in the bucket...

Although a good idea, 1Us get way to hot and are way to loud for an average house (non-server environment), so I have decided the rest are 2U...I am not sure how well your idea would work, depends on the program and such...I suppose.

Sponsors? I need some of those







!

Update: I kept getting way to hot temp wise so all machines are back down to stock clocks and a fan was brought into the room to ventilate in addition to the AC unit..










Someone sent me this one of one of pixars farm:


----------



## MXjunk127

Update, the 1U server overheated a few min ago, even though its 10 degrees cooler in here than usuall, and it posts, but it doesnt have video out, and it doesnt boot into windows (cant connect via remote desktop)...I am guessing I fried the mobo, or something, not sure since it posts, anyone have any ideas?

Since this was my manager the farm is down as far as being managed, because the 1U was it...hmm.


----------



## MXjunk127

So...Time for a new build!

this time a storage/backup server...

I really need a NAS, a large one, but IDK where to start...Here's the thing, I know little about these things...I am assuming I should run a RAID config, in 5+1, anyone confirm this is the way to go? I would like an additive system like drobo, but its USB2.0 and I fear too slow and expensive to be worth looking at.

Basically, I need a good backup solution. I am running 5.5TBs in my desktop now, (2TB are just duplicate backups tho) the drives are all full of sequential image files and raw HD movie footage strait off the camera....I need to be able to store and backup this footage safely some how. Archiving to DVD or bluray doesn't seem efficient, I simply handle too much data. I guess I would Archive footage to the Nas/data server and keep new files on my desktop...I cant afford the dual 10TB systems I need, lol.

Also, would it hurt me to run this machine as a render machine on my farm as well, would it put my data at risk? If I could, I may put a quad in there, if not I think a dual core would be fine...

Heres my build so far I think, with a dual core:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811165098

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116070

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284 x5

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106263

I am not sure on a mobo yet, should I get a server mobo, or just a cheap gigabit and a raid card?

I would like either one of these cases, for expandabilitys sake:
This one is to expensive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816133001

And this one wont fit in my rack...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811219021

This one is also an alternative:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811165115

build is very loose until I get some feedback...

Thanks OCN!


----------



## MXjunk127

1 week bump...

What Raid is good for me?
Should I use a raid card?
Can I use it as an rendering machine (100% CPU) and a file server as well without putting my data at risk?
What do you think of that case per drive ratio?
What OS? Window Server 2008 or a Nix distro?
Thanks...I may get the 2TB drives for it to get as much data as I can....

1 OS drive in the case(is a flash card safe?)

2X2TB Raid 0 working drive (I am planning on bring in an employee or two to work off of this as well)

3X2TB Raid 5 A mirror of the raid 0 plus other files...

--------------------------------

Question...Would it be a good idea to jump into a fullsize rack, get that 20 disk server and just be able to load it up, because right now my max copacity is 10TB, and I dont want to have to build a whole other machine for another 10TB, capeesh?


----------



## sizeak

I would use a dedicated RAID card, because from what I've heard, onboard RAID sucks, I've never tried it personally though so don't take it as truth.

Also would only a dual core really be powerfull enough for any significant rendering?

As for a NAS, there are some free OS's out there designed specifically for the job. Have a look at FreeNAS. You could just use an old case, some mediocre hardware, and a TON of drives in the RAID of your choice.

This is mainly a free bump lol


----------



## MXjunk127

Thanks for the bump, doesn't seem many people are interested!

Just a small update, I was laid off last month so my plans to put the storage server in a rack went out the window for now, I just got a few extra TB drives to hold me over for the time being...I had some issues with my old workstation and upgraded, so I put another quad core in the rack, I did not spring for a new case, but I will definitely get one when I find a new steady job. When I turned it on the lights when out, I tripped the breaker, so I had to loose one machine....The 1U was running really hot, loud, and taking a lot of power, so I decided to shut it down, I cloned it into a VM and I am thinking about selling it...Anyway, heres a photo.


----------



## stereofan

Thump: http://news.cnet.com/Maxell-focuses-...3-5973868.html








Old news is still good news...


----------



## [Teh Root]

Get a Dual CPU Slot mobo. And 1 Six Core Opteron. Around 1300. You could then get another 900 dollar 6 core opteron and have 12 cores running at 2.6 GHz. For around 2200 dollars for 12 cores plus mobo.


----------



## agrophel

Quote:



Originally Posted by *MXjunk127*


I saw your thread last night, cool stuff, kinda what I am going for...

A renderblade is a single machine in a render farm, which is dedicated to the rendering of CGI/3d FX. I am rendering frames at, 1920x1080, and to render one frame I can be waiting quite a while. So, what I am doing is building several relatively fast machines to divy up the task a bit...So instead of 1 quad core work station going at it, I have 4-5 machines going at it, cutting my rendering time considerably. (IE, instead of 1 machine doing 300, 5 machines do 60 frames.) This will also allow me to work while my machines are rendering...Thats why I am thinking of going 3U even if it is more of a pain...

Here is the rack I got:










Here is a flowchart:










I think I explain what I am looking for a bit closer on my blog, see my sig if you are interested...

I am almost debating going 4U,getting a 42 rack, and cutting it down to like 30/w casters...I guess what I am asking is, is that a decent build for the price, and am I crazy for doing this? LOL

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.



What name of Rack!


----------



## MXjunk127

Its a Lowell L258...


----------



## MXjunk127

Look what I picked up yesterday...

The price was right...Wonder how big if a res and pump I would need on the bottom to push water to the top into a rad, then down into a hand full of machines...mmmm.....ideas.

It's still only a com rack so its only 22" or so deep...


----------



## sizeak

Fish pond pump lol


----------



## MXjunk127

lol I am actually completely serious, my new place cannot handle heat that well and WC would be the most efficient way to do this since I can't use an AC unit. I would need a rad with multiple outputs so the loops don't get too hot...wondering if I am better off sucking the water to the top...

Loop:

Res at bottom, pump shooting water up top to rad, rad then splitting to like 3 machines each, then both back into a rad before the res again...

Oh and the diameter of the tubing would have to change around...Or, I will just post this for sale on my schools BB. LOL


----------



## phonyphonecall

Quote:



Originally Posted by *MXjunk127*


Look what I picked up yesterday...

The price was right...Wonder how big if a res and pump I would need on the bottom to push water to the top into a rad, then down into a hand full of machines...mmmm.....ideas.

It's still only a com rack so its only 22" or so deep...











love the rack... lol, looking into a used one thats EXTREMELY similar to that. how much did u pick it up for?


----------



## MXjunk127

Lots of manual labor...Was helping a friend clean out his office because he was moving, and his business partner was about to chunk it in the trash...it has no keys or side panels, and I don't even recognize the connections on the patch panel...thought I would take it and have a look at it, worst case scenario I can throw it in the dumpster or leave it on the corner...


----------



## phonyphonecall

NO DONT DO THAT!! lol i will happily take it off your hands... pm me if it comes to that. but that sounds like a sweet deal. side panels are overrated.... just there to trap heat.


----------

