crashkelly 62 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Hi all, Been a bit sporadic in my presence here due to a number of factors that I will not get into at the moment I am about 6 weeks away from moving into a new house and am looking at my first attempt at building a true server. I have specced out some parts and have them in a wish-list here: http://secure.newegg.ca/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=32095588 The setup will be more than just for media browser, will be the heart of the house, and I am still looking at whether or not to VM things. I will be running Win8.1 to keep the costs down, as opposed to Win 2012 server, and already have abut 35GB of storage, currently boxed up due to a major system failure and now due to moving. Thinking of flexRAID, already own it, for the storage pool stuff and backup protection. As I said above, the server will be the heart of the house and take on ever-growing responsibilities, and get more and more complicated , but for now will be media browser, backups, and user drives for everyone in the house. 42U server rack, cat6 patch panel, and 24 port gigabit switch have already been purchased. Opinions from those here who know more than me, which isn't hard , would be greatly appreciated as this is my first server build. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraslor 70 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Seems insanely expensive to me. I went this route http://www.avsforum.com/t/1412640/are-you-looking-for-a-less-expensive-norco-4220-4224-alternative threw in 2x 6 core cpu's and good to go. You could also remove the motherboard and throw in whatever combo you want for much much cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashkelly 62 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Seems insanely expensive to me. I went this route http://www.avsforum.com/t/1412640/are-you-looking-for-a-less-expensive-norco-4220-4224-alternative threw in 2x 6 core cpu's and good to go. You could also remove the motherboard and throw in whatever combo you want for much much cheaper. Thanks for the info and for the reading Definitely options out there and I am still looking at things for sure. I need to find a balance, due to limited knowledge, between how much I need to put together on my on and how much is done for me. I have next to no knowledge about building a server so it will all be a learning experience. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraslor 70 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Just to put it in perspective, unless you are transcoding video you won't be able to tell the difference between that server and another one running off an old atom cpu. Now to expand on that with my server running 2 old (amd opteron 2419) 6 core cpus, I can transcode 6 streams, use it to download and serve my files, sabnzbd, sickbeard, mediabrowser etc and it not even break a sweat. if you have the money then by all means go for it but if money is an object contact tams in the thread I linked and save a ton of money. Worst case if you find you need it, rip out the motherboard and put in a more powerful one like the one you posted and still save yourself 3k bucks. As for building a server it is really no different than a building a normal computer just a little bigger in size. if you have any questions about it let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koleckai Silvestri 1150 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Do you already have a rack to put that case in? Is your storage in a Rack? What kind of storage are you going to be hooking up to it? Because the SSD isn't where you want to store your data. What is it going to power besides Media Browser? My current server is my personal workstation and just a bunch of disks. I bought the components for the machine for $800, two years ago. i5-2500K Quad Core, 16 GB Ram, 7 terabytes of storage currently, 250 GB SSD System drive. nVidia 450GTS video card for light gaming. Stuck it all in a $50.00 Coolermaster case. Spent less than $800 altogether. Besides MediaBrowser Server, it runs Plex Server, IIS, MySQL and PHP. Unless someone is transcoding, CPU never goes over 10%. Temps don't rise above 25 Celsius unless playing a game or using Handbrake. I do realize that eventually, I'll have to separate the storage and the processing into separate boxes. Planning for that. For the price specced out on the wishlist though, I could replace everyone's computer in the house and buy 16-20 terabytes of storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 204 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Wouldn't a top of the range haswell i7 desktop be very close to this and a LOT cheaper??? Sent by my HTC8X using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashkelly 62 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Just to put it in perspective, unless you are transcoding video you won't be able to tell the difference between that server and another one running off an old atom cpu. Now to expand on that with my server running 2 old (amd opteron 2419) 6 core cpus, I can transcode 6 streams, use it to download and serve my files, sabnzbd, sickbeard, mediabrowser etc and it not even break a sweat. if you have the money then by all means go for it but if money is an object contact tams in the thread I linked and save a ton of money. Worst case if you find you need it, rip out the motherboard and put in a more powerful one like the one you posted and still save yourself 3k bucks. As for building a server it is really no different than a building a normal computer just a little bigger in size. if you have any questions about it let me know. I do expect to be transcoding video quite a bit. Kids, and their friends, have there phones and tablets and so does the wife, and for that matter so do I. What I was using for my previous MB3 server would top out at transcoding 2 streams and I definitely what to be able to do quite a bit more than that. I have not read through that whole thread but I am going to as soon as my first move is done this weekend and then contact tams with some question. First huddle I see is that I am in Canada and shipping that across the border would probably get killed with duty. Do you already have a rack to put that case in? Is your storage in a Rack? What kind of storage are you going to be hooking up to it? Because the SSD isn't where you want to store your data. What is it going to power besides Media Browser? My current server is my personal workstation and just a bunch of disks. I bought the components for the machine for $800, two years ago. i5-2500K Quad Core, 16 GB Ram, 7 terabytes of storage currently, 250 GB SSD System drive. nVidia 450GTS video card for light gaming. Stuck it all in a $50.00 Coolermaster case. Spent less than $800 altogether. Besides MediaBrowser Server, it runs Plex Server, IIS, MySQL and PHP. Unless someone is transcoding, CPU never goes over 10%. Temps don't rise above 25 Celsius unless playing a game or using Handbrake. I do realize that eventually, I'll have to separate the storage and the processing into separate boxes. Planning for that. For the price specced out on the wishlist though, I could replace everyone's computer in the house and buy 16-20 terabytes of storage. I do already have a 42U rack for all my stuff and the server I specced out takes 24 hard drives on-board. I only have 14 at the moment but I wanted room to grow as I find more things to do with the server and want to keep data separated by its purpose. The SSDs in the wishlist are for the OS so I can RAID that (mirroring). I know that I can get a 1U server and a separate drive unit but things seemed to get a bit complicated with it. I have built a couple of desktop systems but I am by no means an expert, not by a long shot Wouldn't a top of the range haswell i7 desktop be very close to this and a LOT cheaper??? Sent by my HTC8X using Tapatalk That is a good question. I really like the idea of dual processors as I can VM things and dedicated processing power for specific tasks, which Is why I was looking at the dual xeons. In the beginning it the server main use will be media browser, but there are lots of things I have always wanted to do and I want to make sure I have the horsepower to do it. Thanks for all the comments and info, gives me a lot to think about and more research to do. I had picked the case I did because it looked easy, drop in the processors, RAM, and hard drive(s) and you are good to. I for sure want the 24 bat drive storage, but I am by no means 100% sold on that case. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koleckai Silvestri 1150 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) Building computers is actually dead simple due to the need for low skilled labor to be able to do it. Each component has its own plug type and they are designed to plugged in one way only. The difficult part often comes in configuring the BIOS and OS to fit your needs. If you are dropping 14 drives into that case, you might look to add a couple updated fans. Probably an updated cooler for the processor as it the case doesn't look set up for water cooling. Edited January 23, 2014 by Wayne Luke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashkelly 62 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Building computers is actually dead simple due to the need for low skilled labor to be able to do it. Each component has its own plug type and they are designed to plugged in one way only. The difficult part often comes in configuring the BIOS and OS to fit your needs. If you are dropping 14 drives into that case, you might look to add a couple updated fans. Probably an updated cooler for the processor as it the case doesn't look set up for water cooling. Thanks for the tip on the fans and cooler, will be looking into that. Thankfully my new house is not ready until Feb 27 so I still have plenty of time to come to a rock solid decision on things. Desktop builds make sense to me as I generally know what everything is for, but as soon as I started reading about servers I got a bit freaked when reading about SAS controllers and what not as it is out of my realm of knowledge. I am for sure all for saving money so if I can do more myself with reliable parts I am into that as that just means more money for other goodies Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 (edited) This is my setup, more focused on the Home Automation than just MediaBrowser. Windows Media Center "Server" Hardware: * Windows 8 Professional x64 * i7 Core / 32GB Ram / ASUS Maximus V FORMULA * NORCO Super Short Depth 15.25-Inch 4U Rack Mount Chassis - Black RPC-430 + Extra fans * Chatsworth 13U Swing Gate Wall Mounted Rack, 18" deep. * Integrated Intel HDMI Graphics * OS Drive – 2 x 120GB Intel SSD (RAID 0) * Media Drive – 4 x 4TB SATA Drive (RAID 1) * Backup Drive (OS Snapshots and File History) – 4TB Hotplug SATA Drive with Quick Release Tray (Grab and Go) System Software: * 5% Processor use - Media Center * <1% Processor use - Metadata Manager – Media Center Manager (MCM) Lifetime 1% Processor use - * <1% Processor use - uTorrent * <1% mControl Media Center interface for Home Automation (Vera) * 5% Processor use - iSpy Camera Server Hub * Fitbit and Garmin Agents Vera 3 Main Home Automation Unit Z-Wave Devices (34 Z-Wave Devices, All Plugins) Ecolink Garage Tilt Sensor + Linear Dry Contact Module, 9 x HSM100-S3 Inside Motion Sensors (DC Wired), 7 x Everspring Outdoor Motion (battery), 3 Yale Locks, Everpring Door Sensor Converted to Doorbell Sensor (w/Elk Doorbell Detect), 3 x Leviton 4-Scene Panels, 2 x Aeon MiniMotes, 2 x Aeon MiniFobs, Aeon Panic Button, 2 x GE Remotes, Aeon 4 & 1 Sensor, Evolve LCD Scene Controller Non-Z-Wave Integrated Devices via Plugins: Nest Thermostat, iTach IR Blaster (at central location, uses Cat5 wire for IR blaster to TV in rooms), 9 x Hue Lightbulbs, 5 x Somfy Automated Blinds via Serial URTSI II, Russound 6-Zone Home Audio w/Keypads via Serial, 6 x Dahua 1.3MP POE IR Cams, 2 x Foscam 9826 IR PTZ w/3x Zoom, OpenSprinkler Controller. Vera Lite Z-Wave Slave Unit (68 Z-Wave Devices, No Plugins) - 28 x Leviton Outlets, Switches or Dimmers, 3 x Evolve Dimmers, Leviton Plugin Lamp Module, Everpring Screw In Lamp Module, 3 x Vera Smart Switches, 4 x Aeon Recessed Sensors, 11 x Aeon Door/Window Contact Sensors, 9 x Vera Shock/Glass Break Sensor, 3 x Leviton 2-Scene Panels, 5 x Fortrezz Water Leak Sensors, Fortrezz Strobe/Siren, 2 x Aeon Smart Strips. External Video/Audio Display System: 8 x HDMI Splitter to each room (6 rooms). This allows all TV's motion controlled On/Off with IR blaster when you walk into a room (along with lights audio). The currently playing program follows you from room to room via motion (typically 3-10 minute shutoff time after no motion detected). Sound is instant with Russound audio speakers in the ceiling, and TV's have 3-10 second delay before they turn on once they get the IR signal. I insisted on 2 x 19" HDMI Monitors in the bathrooms (only $100 + ceiling speakers + wiring) that turn on when you walk into the room...so you never miss part of the show. Home Theater Remote Control * 23" Acer Touchscreen Monitor in Kitchen to Windows Media Center * 3 x Keyspan RF Media Center Remotes (no line of site need) for Bedroom and Living Room * My Media Center App for Windows 8 Tablets and Phone * Media Browser Apps (when in MB us loaded on WMC) * Xbox Kinect - Voice Activation for Living Room. Home Automation Remote Control: * 99% is automatic, with motion sensors. I only have to do something if I want to change the default scene (TV, Audio, Light, and plugin devices (like picture frames or fountains)) activated by motion sensors. * mControl - Media Center * Grashopper - Win 8 App for Tablets + Win Phone App * Kinect Voice Control - I use XBox One for TV control, allowing to pause video or change channels with voice or Xbox controller. Setup is: Media Center -> HDMI Splitter - > Xbox One -> HDMI run to Living Room TV. Sadly, Kinect can only be used for voice control as my TV is more than the 15' cord allows...so it's closer to my garage than the TV which doesn't allow the Kinect to be used for game control. Wish List: * 2-Way Audio to Front Door * Energy Meter that can clamp around some very narrow gaps on the electrical panel. Aeon won't fit. PS - I spent more on the a electrician contractor wiring than all the Home Automation hardware/software combined...about $10k including wiring materials was pre-negotiated for the fixed price job. For example, power for the automated shades, inside ceiling room motion sensor power, outside camera Cat5, or HDMI/Cat5/AC runs for runs for TV wall panels...about 100 wire terminations in total. Sheet rock hole and repainting all the home was required for WAF added another $2.5k . Was very happy to get the budget approved before we moved in as I don't think the fiance would ever allow me to wire 100 holes once we moved in and got settled. Bad news we still don't have dining room chairs due to lack of funds 3 months after move in . Pics of wall mounted rack setup: Edited January 27, 2014 by AgileHumor 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashkelly 62 Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 This is my setup, more focused on the Home Automation than just MediaBrowser. Windows Media Center "Server" Hardware: * Windows 8 Professional x64 * i7 Core / 32GB Ram / ASUS Maximus V FORMULA * NORCO Super Short Depth 15.25-Inch 4U Rack Mount Chassis - Black RPC-430 + Extra fans * Chatsworth 13U Swing Gate Wall Mounted Rack, 18" deep. * Integrated Intel HDMI Graphics * OS Drive – 2 x 120GB Intel SSD (RAID 0) * Media Drive – 4 x 4TB SATA Drive (RAID 1) * Backup Drive (OS Snapshots and File History) – 4TB Hotplug SATA Drive with Quick Release Tray (Grab and Go) System Software: * 5% Processor use - Media Center * <1% Processor use - Metadata Manager – Media Center Manager (MCM) Lifetime 1% Processor use - * <1% Processor use - uTorrent * <1% mControl Media Center interface for Home Automation (Vera) * 5% Processor use - iSpy Camera Server Hub * Fitbit and Garmin Agents Vera 3 Main Home Automation Unit Z-Wave Devices (34 Z-Wave Devices, All Plugins) Ecolink Garage Tilt Sensor + Linear Dry Contact Module, 9 x HSM100-S3 Inside Motion Sensors (DC Wired), 7 x Everspring Outdoor Motion (battery), 3 Yale Locks, Everpring Door Sensor Converted to Doorbell Sensor (w/Elk Doorbell Detect), 3 x Leviton 4-Scene Panels, 2 x Aeon MiniMotes, 2 x Aeon MiniFobs, Aeon Panic Button, 2 x GE Remotes, Aeon 4 & 1 Sensor, Evolve LCD Scene Controller Non-Z-Wave Integrated Devices via Plugins: Nest Thermostat, iTach IR Blaster (at central location, uses Cat5 wire for IR blaster to TV in rooms), 9 x Hue Lightbulbs, 5 x Somfy Automated Blinds via Serial URTSI II, Russound 6-Zone Home Audio w/Keypads via Serial, 6 x Dahua 1.3MP POE IR Cams, 2 x Foscam 9826 IR PTZ w/3x Zoom, OpenSprinkler Controller. Vera Lite Z-Wave Slave Unit (68 Z-Wave Devices, No Plugins) - 28 x Leviton Outlets, Switches or Dimmers, 3 x Evolve Dimmers, Leviton Plugin Lamp Module, Everpring Screw In Lamp Module, 3 x Vera Smart Switches, 4 x Aeon Recessed Sensors, 11 x Aeon Door/Window Contact Sensors, 9 x Vera Shock/Glass Break Sensor, 3 x Leviton 2-Scene Panels, 5 x Fortrezz Water Leak Sensors, Fortrezz Strobe/Siren, 2 x Aeon Smart Strips. External Video/Audio Display System: 8 x HDMI Splitter to each room (6 rooms). This allows all TV's motion controlled On/Off with IR blaster when you walk into a room (along with lights audio). The currently playing program follows you from room to room via motion (typically 3-10 minute shutoff time after no motion detected). Sound is instant with Russound audio speakers in the ceiling, and TV's have 3-10 second delay before they turn on once they get the IR signal. I insisted on 2 x 19" HDMI Monitors in the bathrooms (only $100 + ceiling speakers + wiring) that turn on when you walk into the room...so you never miss part of the show. Home Theater Remote Control * 23" Acer Touchscreen Monitor in Kitchen to Windows Media Center * 3 x Keyspan RF Media Center Remotes (no line of site need) for Bedroom and Living Room * My Media Center App for Windows 8 Tablets and Phone * Media Browser Apps (when in MB us loaded on WMC) * Xbox Kinect - Voice Activation for Living Room. Home Automation Remote Control: * 99% is automatic, with motion sensors. I only have to do something if I want to change the default scene (TV, Audio, Light, and plugin devices (like picture frames or fountains)) activated by motion sensors. * mControl - Media Center * Grashopper - Win 8 App for Tablets + Win Phone App * Kinect Voice Control - I use XBox One for TV control, allowing to pause video or change channels with voice or Xbox controller. Setup is: Media Center -> HDMI Splitter - > Xbox One -> HDMI run to Living Room TV. Sadly, Kinect can only be used for voice control as my TV is more than the 15' cord allows...so it's closer to my garage than the TV which doesn't allow the Kinect to be used for game control. Wish List: * 2-Way Audio to Front Door * Energy Meter that can clamp around some very narrow gaps on the electrical panel. Aeon won't fit. PS - I spent more on the a electrician contractor wiring than all the Home Automation hardware/software combined...about $10k including wiring materials was pre-negotiated for the fixed price job. For example, power for the automated shades, inside ceiling room motion sensor power, outside camera Cat5, or HDMI/Cat5/AC runs for runs for TV wall panels...about 100 wire terminations in total. Sheet rock hole and repainting all the home was required for WAF added another $2.5k . Was very happy to get the budget approved before we moved in as I don't think the fiance would ever allow me to wire 100 holes once we moved in and got settled. Bad news we still don't have dining room chairs due to lack of funds 3 months after move in . Pics of wall mounted rack setup: WP_20131004_001.jpg WP_20131004_002.jpg WP_20131010_001.jpg Sorry for the late reply but I was finally moving out of my old house Now just have a month in a friends unfinished basement before we move into the new house .... oh well no pain no gain Thanks for posting such a complete listing of your setup and the pictures it is amazing and I am envious and inspired for sure. I am already looking at some home automation stuff and am freaking the kids out when I talk about putting cameras in the house. Probably won't actually do it, other than the front door, but it is fun to mess with their minds and tell them that I will be able to see everything they are doing via my smartphone I noticed in to your post that MB is using about 5% of the CPU, are your transcoding much? Had a crazy thought of VMing 2 MB3 servers, one that will be dedicated to serve out files to devices that will do direct play only and one that will be used for transcoding. I thought that doing that would separate the tasks to dedicated cores and one would not effect the other. However, I am basing my thoughts on the experiences I have had running MB on a standard desktop box with an i5 and 16GB of RAM. Going to read through your post a few more times and I know I will have questions I hear you on the dining room chairs. The wife and I are going through that right now. I have my "needs" list, 60" TV for the great room, server, hard drives, ....... and she has hers, curtains, new couch set, art work, ......... so far I have sold her on the TV as the kitchen and great room are open to each other and she needs a big TV so she can see it properly from the kitchen when she wants to watch her shows from MB Thanks again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraslor 70 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Don't do 2 VM servers, you'll have problems with play states being different etc. It takes pretty much 0 cpu power for a direct stream only when transcoding do you need any cpu horsepower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koleckai Silvestri 1150 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Don't do 2 VM servers, you'll have problems with play states being different etc. It takes pretty much 0 cpu power for a direct stream only when transcoding do you need any cpu horsepower. As an example - My "server", the machine I am using right now, is streaming to my iPhone. CPU usage is 8% and the temperature is 30 degrees Celsius. This is direct stream and there are 124 processes on the server currently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraslor 70 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Going to an iPhone should be transcoding not direct right? When I direct stream I see nada cpu usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logos302 86 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Going to an iPhone should be transcoding not direct right? When I direct stream I see nada cpu usage. I believe it depends on what format the file your are watching is in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koleckai Silvestri 1150 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) All depends on the content. Most all of my content is in MKV and MP4 containers with mobile compatible audio and video. This is by design though. Getting the content to stream onto mobile devices is my highest priority. Currently playing a DVD which is 480p video in an MKV. The streams are mpeg-2 video with AC3 sound. If it is transcoding, it isn't doing much behind the scenes. Pulling a fresh Bluray rip, the transcode uses 70-90% of the CPU with 15 threads in ffmpeg. This is with transcoding set to Auto in the Server. Could adjust if I needed to. Edited January 28, 2014 by Wayne Luke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Here was my wiring list if this is helpful. We used a licensed electrician whom was also a General Contractor and familiar with low voltage wiring. Home Run = Where all wire terminates at the rack server/patch panel. Wireless Motion Sensor (for power) or Camera (18): Cat6 wire was home run Garage Front Door 2 x Stairs (top and bottom) Kitchen Living Room Dining Room Upstairs Bath 2 x Upstairs Patio Master Bedroom Downstairs Bedroom 2 x Master Bath Garage 2 x Downstairs PatioNote - Motion sensors need to have 5v DC to patch panel via DIN Power Supply Other Wiring for Sensors (7) Front Door - Doorbell Front Door Security Screen - Doorbell4 x AC Powered CO2/Smoke Detectors Electric Shade (10): 16 gauge 21VDC from power supply at home run 2 x Upstairs Bedroom Windows 4 x Living Room Windows Kitchen Sliding Door Downstairs Bedroom Window Downstairs Bathroom Master Bedroom Sliding Door HTD Ceiling Speakers (13) 2 x Bedroom (angled) 2 x Living Room (angled) + 1 x In Wall SubWoofer 2 x Mast Bathroom 2 x Upstairs Patio 2 x Downstairs Patio 2 x Kitchen Misc Wire (5) CATV coax access feed demarcation to home run Telephone cat5 access feed demarcation to home run 2 x HDMI & 12v DC Power to Bathrooms 16 gauge 24 VAC & Cat5 to Irrigation Access in Crawlspace Media Outlet (5): Dual 120 VAC + COAX/HDMI/USB/3xCat5 home run Living Room TV Wall Master 6' Wall Kitchen Upstairs Bedroom Downstairs Bedroom 2 x Master Bathroom (HDMI Only, NO AC/Cat5/Coax) Expand Light Switch Panel (6): Including Cat5 home run for Russound Volume Control Keypads Master Bedroom Wall Control Light Control Sound Control - Russound Scene Control Living Room Light Control Sound Control - Russound Scene Control 2 x Patio Doors (Up and Downstairs) Light Control Sound Control Scene Control 2 x Kitchen & Bathroom Light Control Sound Control Edited March 22, 2014 by AgileHumor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I noticed in to your post that MB is using about 5% of the CPU, are your transcoding much? Going to read through your post a few more times and I know I will have questions I guess I mean ~5% reserved for the Media Playback. Honestly, the local playback that I do in MB or WMC doesn't exceed 1%. iSpy is a solid 5% though. I'd be happy to share my experiences. The home automation forum for the Z-Wave home automation protocol controller Vera are also very knowledgeable as it does take some tinkering to get it right: http://forum.micasaverde.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xzener 729 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Agile, Would like to hear your feedback on the Vera lite and Z Wave products... Are these very good home automation products? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Vera is good (I'd not recomend the 'lite' which is memory starved) for the DIY. Mesh networking is great idea, but took some network optimization as I had a large number of devices (I ended up splitting all the devices on two Vera's) hwich caused some instabilities. Also pairing some devices from certain manufactures can be challenging...but the forum is the great place to learn the caveats of each device. Vera has the most apps/plugins available for non-Z_Wave devices (via IP) without programming, for example: * Russound Audio * Philips Hue * Garage Door * Open Sprinkler * Nest Thermostat * iTach IR blaster * Somfy Blinds * Weather Underground This way I can tie the whole home together. While there are some newer Z-Wave units out there, they have very limited device support, small community, and not too many apps/plugins. Here is screenshot of my home dashboard: Edited January 29, 2014 by AgileHumor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trusselo 220 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 (edited) So, I am building a server machine, got an insane deal where i can upgrade my current "everything" computer from a phenom ii to a new unused FX 8320 for a 100 bucks. (from a 6 core @3.2 to 8 core @3.5 stock). ill have it in a couple days, when the new unit comes back from in-store warranty. My everything computer is FULL of drives, (one sitting on bottom of case), plus has a 33cm hd7950 card in there, it games across a 3 monitor eyefinity setup, auto-downloads tv and movies, serves those movies around the house to several clients, as well as being a hometheater pc as well, having 6.1 surround and a 42" TV. its full and is doing more than it should for a gaming htpc. the surround is used for gaming and movies so it will always be a gaming htpc, but would like to nix the serving, downloading and processing of downloads. plus now i would really like to have data protection, preferably a storage pooling solution with drive parity protection. So i have a 6 core phenom ii 1090t black edition about to be doing nothing. picked up a small asus board - M5A78L-M/USB3 https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A78LMUSB3 4gb HyperX blu memory have a 55 gb OCZ vertex 2 SSD 2x 3TB drives, one FULL, second started 1x 2TB drive, >3/4 full thats what i have, and want from my server is simple: expandable drive pooling, parity based protection, windows based OS to run current downloading software (mcm and utorrent) and be a headless server that i can access from one of the many screens on my gaming htpc through remote desktop. did i mention what im using for a server rack? A restored 1932 Philco AM Highboy Radio Chasis. Mahogany. Going to make some wooden mobo trays to slide in the back vertically, wooden hdd racks, coper pipe wire "loom". it will house the server and my gaming rig... maybe. what i am unsure about/ still deciding / want suggestions on, is: Win Home Server 2011 or win 8.1 ? Flexraid t-raid or ???? (expandable drive pooling, parity based protection, windows) flex-raid seems pricey... i might be cheap. (i dont usually pay for 1s and 0s over $20 unless i get some type of tangible cardboard box with an outdated install disk and a key printed on a scrap of paper) This is also my first dedicated server build. First possible interaction with a server OS if WHS. Anything to consider or be careful of? Any great ideas before any points of no return? Edited February 19, 2014 by trusselo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trusselo 220 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 i realize with traid i will need to pick up a drive for parity, when i require more storage, i will add a pci-e sata card or sas sata raid card in JBOD mode... unless anyone knows of issues i will run into with that plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I would do Windows 8.1 with Storage Spaces. Don't fool yourself and go with parity as it's too slow...you need mirror which storage spaces makes easy and handles without a RAID card. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831739.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trusselo 220 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I would do Windows 8.1 with Storage Spaces. Don't fool yourself and go with parity as it's too slow...you need mirror which storage spaces makes easy and handles without a RAID card. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831739.aspx Well i already have my server built and i have chosen Windows Server 2012 Standard. I have read about storage spaces, it is defiantly a consideration now. Storage spaces CAN be slow with parity, if you do not have a SSD for Storage Tiers and Write-back caching. more info at technet http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn387076.aspx I do not want mirroring. period. will not do it. it is a waste of space and money. With large storage pools, no matter how it is done, or how fast writing is, it will not make that much of an impact on my system, or hard drives when very little file writing occurs. I may at most add 8 - 16 GB in a day, usually less, few shows 2-3 GB per day of new files would be adding to server. more gets read, than written, and most everything written to the server would come directly from the internet, so unless the bottleneck of parity, would take me under my 10 mB/s download speed, it would never be noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgileHumor 123 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Interesting on the server OS for running primarily a consumer applications....I've heard of some long term support problems if all your apps don't tested on that platform. Might work for MB, but when the next awesome app comes out, it might not work on the server OS. YMMV Also, IMO, mirroring is a not a waster of money if you are using multiple media streams and need the performance. I had tested parity and it reduced performance over 75% over mirroring when moving large files. I understand you may not want it, but it's not a waste of space or money in most instances and should be considered if performance is important. It keeps the disk from thrashing or the OS freezing when waiting for disk operations to complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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