New Server! Please Help!

well raid is the new thing...but who is to say you can't do both

I'd look at SCSI Drives using either RAID-1 or RAID-5. I would employ tape backups. I'm not sure what to recommend regarding the other hardware without knowing a whole lot more about the intended use and connectivities and software to be used.

For a file server/back-up server or whatever you may be using if for, you want to concentrate on storage (redundant) and ram; cpu speed isnt as important here as a very stable motherboard.

My question to you is, are you going to build this machine yourself or purchase a pre-built? If you are going to build it, I recommend Tyan. They are the most reliable boards Ive used. Ive built several workstations/servers off of the Tiger MPX platform, but for your needs, I might recommend something like the Tyan Tomcat i875P board which inlcudes onboard SATA RAID and IDE RAID. Grab a HT P4, 1GB of memory, and your in buisness. You can select the type of hard drives to get, but I recommend placing them in RAID 1.

The board comes with onboard graphics, so you wont have to spend money on that...

To have an effective back up plan, you have to

1. Verify it
2. Ensure that you do it regularly
3. Take it off site and put it somewhere safe.

If you have raid and someone steals the computer..... your info is gone. If there is a fire, or a flood.... it is all gone.

Is it tape or another means.... good question for a "tech company". If you are asking these types of questions and are dealing with vital business data, you need to stop. You need to look for a reputable networking, hardware and services vendor. Ask them for references and check up on those references.

The cost of the hardware/software will pale in comparison to the value of the data that you are trying to protect.

I was recently at a seminar somwhat on topic and here is the quote I took from it....

"90% of business that have catastrophic loss of data go out of business"

Think about that for a few minutes...

Good Luck

Matt

For data integrity, you absolutely want to do tape backups in addition to storing data on a server. I would personally recommend a Dell PowerEdge server with 6 SCSI HDDs configured with 3 in a RAID-5 array and 2 in a RAID-1 Mirror (the mirror would have your OS, and the RAID-5 would contain your data). The 6th HDD would be kept as a hot spare in case of disk failure from one of the first 5.

Next, since this is a small company and only performing 200GB for a full backup, you should probably consider a Quantum or HP external DLT IV drive. This will probably run around $1000. Then, you need to determine how long you need your data. Personally, I recommend a minimum of 3 months worth of archived data, but I'm a backup admin for a military installation, and that may be overkill for you. At any rate, the cost of tapes is directly proportional to the length of time you want to be able to hold data. DLT IV tapes are around $50 each, and you'd probably need about 4 per week if you use a once per week full backup and daily differential backup schedule.

As for backup software, Dell typically includes a free version of Veritas with new servers, but whatever device you buy will likely include some sort of software. I would trust my life to Veritas (except under Windows 2K3) or HP SureStor software.

Last, as mentioned before, you have to store your media offsite. Since this is a small company, you can probably just store the media at your home (unless your home and office are the same place). You might also consider storing tapes in a fireproof safe offsite. It would then take a massive act of God to whipe out all of your data, or at least a string of unfortunate coincidences.

I highly recommend that you stay away from 8mm tape (VXA) and 4mm tapes. DLT is more expensive, but is well worth the investment if data is really a concern. As Matt said, the cost of hardware/software will pale in comparison to the value of the data you are trying to protect. Unfortunately, most people don't realize that until they've lost data.

I suggest taking a look at your requirements and submitting a "request for proposal" from various vendors. They will all want your business.