Fanless x86 Server Recommendations
We're looking to acquire a couple small servers that can act as routers for us at remote locations. To minimize hardware issues, I'd love to get something that has no fans, can still run a fairly decent processor and preferably no hard drive (easy with an IDE CF adapter). It would need a couple PCI slots for quad port ethernet cards and a fairly robust tolerance to temperature variations. I like what I see at Advantech -- anyone have any testimonies as to what they've had success/problems with? Ray
On Thu, Jun 29, 2006 at 11:25:01AM -0700, Ray Van Dolson wrote:
We're looking to acquire a couple small servers that can act as routers for us at remote locations.
You may want to check out soekris. (www.soekris.com)
To minimize hardware issues, I'd love to get something that has no fans, can still run a fairly decent processor and preferably no hard drive (easy with an IDE CF adapter).
It would need a couple PCI slots for quad port ethernet cards and a fairly robust tolerance to temperature variations.
It may not have enough "ports" for you, but perhaps if you want enough they will build something custom for you. - jared -- Jared Mauch | pgp key available via finger from jared@puck.nether.net clue++; | http://puck.nether.net/~jared/ My statements are only mine.
We're looking to acquire a couple small servers that can act as routers for us at remote locations.
You may want to check out soekris. (www.soekris.com)
This type of server is far more common nowadays than it was when Soekris launched their business. A Google search will lead you to dozens of fanless servers built around a VIA EPIA mini-itx board or one of AMD's GEODE chips. --Michael Dillon
On Thu, 29 Jun 2006, Ray Van Dolson wrote:
To minimize hardware issues, I'd love to get something that has no fans, can still run a fairly decent processor and preferably no hard drive (easy with an IDE CF adapter).
I've worked with a large number of iWill and Portwell products aimed at the firewall market. They can be a bit harder to find in small quantities that are not direct from Tiawan, but it's [usually] decent stuff. http://portwell.com/ca.htm http://www.iwill.net/product_1.asp?pl1_id=64 ...david --- david raistrick http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html drais@atlasta.net http://www.expita.com/nomime.html
On Thu, 29 Jun 2006, Ray Van Dolson wrote:
To minimize hardware issues, I'd love to get something that has no fans, can
Wait, you said no fans. And decent processor. No fans tends to == slower Via chips (ala the mini-itx boards, but available in network appliances), or Geode Pentium-ish chips. Your best bet in fanless is either Soekris, as someone else mentioned, or PCEngines. http://www.soekris.com/ http://www.pcengines.ch/ None of these are really PCs though...and they each have their own issues getting bsd and linuxs to run on them. But the issues are known and documentation is usually available from Soren and Pascal. Otherwise, Via based boards are the way to go...but the fanless chips are not always as fanless as you might like. I've seen a number of them come back well fried. ...david --- david raistrick http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html drais@atlasta.net http://www.expita.com/nomime.html
...but the fanless chips are not always as fanless as you might like. I've seen a number of them come back well fried.
Fanless doesn't just mean "no fans to break down". It also means "well-ventilated installation required". Maybe you can find a datacenter with so many hot bladeservers that they can't fill their racks. Then you could ask them to give you 8U cheap at the bottom of a rack and mount your servers vertically for maximal airflow. ;-) --Michael Dillon P.S. on the other hand, if there is enough demand for fanless server installations, maybe some datacenters will begin to offer vertically vented space at the bottom of their racks...
Check out <www.damnsmalllinux.org> They actually sell kits ( power supply, enclosures, etc) and have links to mini-itx board. Some of the Epia run fanless, s I recall- Cheers, bob-
On 6/29/06, Ray Van Dolson <rayvd@digitalpath.net> wrote:
We're looking to acquire a couple small servers that can act as routers for us at remote locations.
What kind of feature set are you looking to run? Is it safe to assume you're application requires something beyond a specially flashed Linksys toy router? aaron.glenn
On 29-Jun-2006, at 14:25, Ray Van Dolson wrote:
We're looking to acquire a couple small servers that can act as routers for us at remote locations.
How small? :-) http://www.compulab.co.il/x270/html/x270-cm-datasheet.htm Joe
Joe Abley <jabley@ca.afilias.info> writes:
On 29-Jun-2006, at 14:25, Ray Van Dolson wrote:
We're looking to acquire a couple small servers that can act as routers for us at remote locations.
How small? :-)
He wants x86; those are Xscale which is pronounced "ARM". Besides, people like those x270 boards and think they're cool. Ray specified "fanless" machines. I'm not sure why he wants hardware that nobody likes, but maybe he's worried about theft in his deployment environment. ---Rob
At 02:25 PM 29/06/2006, Ray Van Dolson wrote:
We're looking to acquire a couple small servers that can act as routers for us at remote locations.
To minimize hardware issues, I'd love to get something that has no fans, can still run a fairly decent processor and preferably no hard drive (easy with an IDE CF adapter).
It would need a couple PCI slots for quad port ethernet cards and a fairly robust tolerance to temperature variations.
Many mini-itx boxes dont have 2 PCI slots. You might be better going with a mini-itx solution and then use a small switch and trunk the NIC to act as a VLAN router. We have been using various embedded devices from Commell (http://www.commell.com.tw/Product/SBC/LV-667.HTM). They seem to work well and can deal with 45C operating temps and have decent hardware watchdog support (FreeBSD version at http://www.tancsa.com/watchdog/). ---Mike
* Mike Tancsa:
Many mini-itx boxes dont have 2 PCI slots. You might be better going with a mini-itx solution and then use a small switch and trunk the NIC to act as a VLAN router.
Are there any fanless routers with proper 802.1Q support (with ingress VLAN tag filtering, for instance)?
At 01:29 PM 30/06/2006, Florian Weimer wrote:
* Mike Tancsa:
Many mini-itx boxes dont have 2 PCI slots. You might be better going with a mini-itx solution and then use a small switch and trunk the NIC to act as a VLAN router.
Are there any fanless routers with proper 802.1Q support (with ingress VLAN tag filtering, for instance)?
Not sure exactly what you mean by vlan tag filtering and if you mean OSes based on i386 mini-itx boxes or all fanless routers in general. But If you mean filtering based on interface or IP that is associated with a particular VLAN, as well as things like ip verify unicast reverse-path then yes you can do that in BSD land quite easily. ---Mike
* Mike Tancsa:
Many mini-itx boxes dont have 2 PCI slots. You might be better going with a mini-itx solution and then use a small switch and trunk the NIC to act as a VLAN router.
Are there any fanless routers with proper 802.1Q support (with ingress VLAN tag filtering, for instance)?
Not sure exactly what you mean by vlan tag filtering and if you mean OSes based on i386 mini-itx boxes or all fanless routers in general.
Uhm, I should really clarify that I should have written "switches" instead of "routers". I hope the tag filtering make more sense in this context. 8-) I'd be interested in something that offers more than four Ethernet plugs per PCI slot, and the only way I know to get that are switches. But those with 802.1Q tagging and proper VLAN separation are all rather noisy.
participants (11)
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Aaron Glenn -
bob＠silverbeach.net -
david raistrick -
Florian Weimer -
Jared Mauch -
Joe Abley -
Michael.Dillon＠btradianz.com -
Mike Tancsa -
Ray Van Dolson -
Robert E.Seastrom -
Steve Thomas