Building a PC to be used as a Active Directory domain controller?


Recommended Posts

RAID does not keep your data safe; backups do. It is only a convenience that you your server doesn't go down when a drive fails. Besides, the worst that'll happen is the RAID will fail a member and you simply rebuild. The drive isn't failed, it just fell out of the array. I haven't even had that problem though in two years, with varying models.

  On 28/04/2012 at 21:46, tomasarson said:

i'm glad that you're having a good experience with them but from what i've read online and seen many times in person green drives are not the way to go for raid. unless you're just going for speed i would not depend on them to keep my data safe. and even for speed in raid 0 the lowest i would go is blue.

just my two cents.

<3

relying on greens for speed ?? :|

Only thing they are reliable for is being slow... and crashing more often than blue & black

  On 28/04/2012 at 21:30, Xenosion said:

Intel BOXD525MW $74.99

Antec ISK 300-150 Black $79.99

OCZ Solid 3 SLD3-25SAT3-60G $74.99

Crucial 2GB 204-Pin DDR3 $19.99

Totals at $249.96 USD

Is it going to be as powerful? No, but it is sufficient for a budget system.

By the way, I have that same case for my HTPC and it's fantastic ;)

Well going from a Atom base:

Gigabyte GA-D525TUD 75 euros

Tacens Philus Mini ITX Black 22 euros

WD Caviar Blue 250GB SATA3 img_stock_completo.php?articulo=47329&tipo=agotado62 euros (no reason at all for a SSD)

G.Skill NQ DDR3 1333 PC3-10600 2GB 2x1GB CL9 img_stock_completo.php?articulo=40821&tipo=agotadoimg_stock_completo.php?articulo=40821&tipo=avisame21 euros

(Missing a PSU): 180 euros

  On 29/04/2012 at 18:06, htcz said:

Well going from a Atom base:

Gigabyte GA-D525TUD 75 euros

Tacens Philus Mini ITX Black 22 euros

WD Caviar Blue 250GB SATA3 img_stock_completo.php?articulo=47329&tipo=agotado62 euros (no reason at all for a SSD)

G.Skill NQ DDR3 1333 PC3-10600 2GB 2x1GB CL9 img_stock_completo.php?articulo=40821&tipo=agotadoimg_stock_completo.php?articulo=40821&tipo=avisame21 euros

(Missing a PSU): 180 euros

Well okay.. That's $11 USD less and without a PSU.. Plus, my build has a nice SSD included. The point remains that an Atom platform is probably the cheapest way to go.

No reason for an SSD? Firstly, the drive you posted is more expensive than the SSD! Secondly, the case I suggested only takes 2.5" drives. Thirdly, it does make a difference to help make up for any sluggishness you may get from the Atom. Trust me on that. I've built several Atom systems and found that is the case. Either way, you can easily opt for a HDD.

That case you posted may be just fine but you have to find a PSU that'll fit that form factor. Plus, I haven't ever heard of that brand, if it even is one. Antec will have a warranty on the PSU.

Also, neither of us have posted an optical drive. I am assuming you will install your OS from a USB drive.

  On 29/04/2012 at 19:38, Xenosion said:

Well okay.. That's $11 USD less and without a PSU.. Plus, my build has a nice SSD included. The point remains that an Atom platform is probably the cheapest way to go.

You cant cross compare currencies. It makes no sense.

  On 29/04/2012 at 19:38, Xenosion said:

No reason for an SSD? Firstly, the drive you posted is more expensive than the SSD! Secondly, the case I suggested only takes 2.5" drives. Thirdly, it does make a difference to help make up for any sluggishness you may get from the Atom. Trust me on that. I've built several Atom systems and found that is the case. Either way, you can easily opt for a HDD.

See, theres why I originally went with a regular low budget processor: I can pick out any motherboard I want. Second, Atoms are indeed slow so a low budget processor with a HDD is good in a price/preformance ratio.

  On 29/04/2012 at 19:38, Xenosion said:

That case you posted may be just fine but you have to find a PSU that'll fit that form factor. Plus, I haven't ever heard of that brand, if it even is one. Antec will have a warranty on the PSU.

I havent either. I made a build simply picking the cheapest parts.

  On 29/04/2012 at 19:38, Xenosion said:

Also, neither of us have posted an optical drive. I am assuming you will install your OS from a USB drive.

Indeed :) This personally is a nonissue as like you said I can just install it from a USB drive.

I think I mentioned before but to put this to practical use, I may make a exchange server on this as well. This is a afterthought so first AD (which Exchange requires I believe) and then other things...

  On 29/04/2012 at 20:14, htcz said:

You cant cross compare currencies. It makes no sense.

Well 280 Euros certainly doesn't equal 280 USD, so something has to be compared. Are you implying that international conversion rates are a facade?

  On 29/04/2012 at 20:14, htcz said:

See, theres why I originally went with a regular low budget processor: I can pick out any motherboard I want. Second, Atoms are indeed slow so a low budget processor with a HDD is good in a price/preformance ratio.

I havent either. I made a build simply picking the cheapest parts.

[...]

I think I mentioned before but to put this to practical use, I may make a exchange server on this as well. This is a afterthought so first AD (which Exchange requires I believe) and then other things...

Now you are coming off as indecisive. You want a budget server, but not exactly lowest budget but then you want to possibly run exchange which isn't exactly easy on resources.

You need to figure out what you want then come back and read over this advice.

Just a thought: purchasing solely on cheapest parts doesn't mean it will be the lowest cost of ownership. Having a quality product with a warranty far outweighs a simple couple Euros.

  On 30/04/2012 at 04:33, Xenosion said:

Well 280 Euros certainly doesn't equal 280 USD, so something has to be compared. Are you implying that international conversion rates are a facade?

You cant compare prices because they have nothing to do with each other.

  On 30/04/2012 at 04:33, Xenosion said:

Now you are coming off as indecisive. You want a budget server, but not exactly lowest budget but then you want to possibly run exchange which isn't exactly easy on resources.

You need to figure out what you want then come back and read over this advice.

Just a thought: purchasing solely on cheapest parts doesn't mean it will be the lowest cost of ownership. Having a quality product with a warranty far outweighs a simple couple Euros.

The Exchange server was simply a "side comment" You are giving this too much thought :)

Yes, of course, I understand that the cheapest parts are not the best because in the long run they will cost more to repair. But what you fail to realize (not only you, but many others :) ) is that this PC means nothing to me; If it breaks, it breaks. If it doesnt work, Ill use it for something else.

Quality is pretty much irrelevent in this scenario.

i use on old pc running sbs 2011

spec is, amd x2 6000 3ghz

8gb ram

and 4 tb of discs.

it also only uses 1 NC

i only have my mac on the domain,

i run a server so i can use exchange and stream my files to all my devices.

pc cost about 300? OS gratis :)

  On 02/05/2012 at 07:20, Dan~ said:

Buy a HP 8000 job done

I only found a printer under that model....

  On 02/05/2012 at 08:07, ybrett23 said:

i use on old pc running sbs 2011

spec is, amd x2 6000 3ghz

8gb ram

and 4 tb of discs.

it also only uses 1 NC

i only have my mac on the domain,

i run a server so i can use exchange and stream my files to all my devices.

pc cost about 300? OS gratis :)

Im guessing the low cost is because of the CPU because if not.........

  On 02/05/2012 at 10:55, Dan~ said:

Oops hp dc8000 it'll be powerful enough for a dc and a file server, like you said its only for home and testing/learning

I think the model may have been discontinued because I find VERY little information about it....

Could a equivilent replacement be SN8000B? (didnt search for its price)

If this is just for training / experimenting, then there's really no need to buy something special. Any old PC will do. I've currently got a home DC on my old gaming system - a P4 3.2GHz w/ 4GB ram. It had been running Server 08 R2 for a year or so, but recently I installed the Server 2012 beta on it. It's functioning quite well as a DC and file server. It also runs the latest Folding@Home client 24/7, which definitely does affect performance, so when I need to work on the server I pause the folding client.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • I'm old I guess, first thing I think of is just regular input/output.
    • Now, kids, Dan O'Dowd is what we call a professional hater.
    • Billionaire slams 'Tesla Cultists' for praising Robotaxi, says it's 5+ years behind Waymo by David Uzondu Image via Depositphotos.com The Tesla Robotaxi program has kicked off in Austin, Texas, and reactions are pouring in from all corners of the internet. A select group of investors and influencers have been invited to try the service, which operates within a limited area of South Austin for a price of $4.20. While the vehicles are operating without anyone in the driver's seat, the program has specific rules for this pilot phase, including a human "safety monitor" who rides along in the passenger seat just in case things go sideways. Of course, the launch did not go unnoticed by Tesla's most vocal and well-funded critic, Dan O'Dowd. O'Dowd is the billionaire founder of a group called The Dawn Project, which has dedicated itself to highlighting what it calls critical safety failures in Tesla's Full Self-Driving software. He refers to himself as an expert in creating "unhackable" software for military and aerospace clients, and ran for U.S. Senate back in 2022 on a single-issue platform: to "make computers safe for humanity" by banning Tesla's FSD. In 2023, He was banned from advertising on X after He made promoted posts that show Tesla FSD among other things, failing to stop at Stop signs. Last year, his group, The Dawn Project, paid for a Super Bowl ad, where a Tesla equipped with FSD did not act on a child-sized mannequin in the road. That commercial ends with a message, urging parents to "boycott Tesla to keep your kids safe." Today, O'Dowd took to X to slam the launch of the Robotaxi service, saying the "Tesla Cultists are celebrating victory" over a system he believes is years behind the competition (especially Waymo). He pointed out that with only fourteen cars operating for half the day, the system was already making significant errors, a rate he claims is consistent with community-tracked FSD data. The videos shared by the creators (Rob Maurer and Ed Niedermeyer), O'Dowd mentioned in his post, appear questionable, depending on your perspective. In Maurer's video, a trip that was otherwise smooth had a few unnerving seconds of the vehicle slightly swerving into the wrong lane, correcting itself, swerving again, correcting itself, and then finally settling. The other video from Ed Niedermeyer shows something entirely different. Niedermeyer captured a Tesla Robotaxi approaching an "extensive crime scene" with multiple police vehicles parked on the side of the road. On his personal Bluesky account (Ed stopped posting on X late last year, in protest of Musk), He claims the Tesla braked hard twice for no clear reason. In his commentary, Niedermeyer argued the car "shouldn't react to any of these police vehicles," and that it was concerning how it reacted to some but not others, before stopping in the "middle of the road instead of defaulting to a minimal risk condition."
    • Arch is now also using Wayland as the default session for Plasma 6.4, with X11 session becoming optional (so upgrading to Plasma 6.4 on X11 Arch might need manual intervention). It's been well over a decade in making, but I guess the time for Wayland to be the default is finally upon us.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      ravenmanNE earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Conversation Starter
      Brett76 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Month Later
      Miguel Batista earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Dedicated
      moojay67 earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • One Month Later
      Jim Dugan earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      659
    2. 2
      Michael Scrip
      229
    3. 3
      ATLien_0
      220
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      149
    5. 5
      Xenon
      142
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!