Introduction
Renting or buying ready-made servers is a safe choice, especially for small businesses. However, building a server from scratch is a viable option that can streamline company operations, develop in-house knowledge, and save money in the long run. Learn how to build a server and choose the right hardware and software components while keeping your costs in check.
What are the server receiving options?
- Lease: Paying a monthly or annual fee for server usage is the preferred solution for companies that focus on short-term projects or want to avoid large upfront payments. Server solutions offer a similar model where businesses pay based on server usage and selected services.
- Purchase: Buying and owning a server outright can provide better value for money in the long run, but requires a significant initial investment.
- Construction: To build a server, you need to purchase individual components, assemble the server, and install the necessary software. Customizing, owning, and maintaining a server can be resource intensive, but it is well suited for long-term projects and knowledge building within the company.
Important factors when building a server
When choosing a server, it's important to consider a variety of factors. Check out the list below to review some of the key points.
- Budget constraints: Businesses concerned about high upfront costs should consider renting a server. Buying or building one can be more cost-effective in the long run.
- In-house technical expertise: Server building is a great option for companies that have technical expertise or want to invest in their employees and build expertise from the ground up.
- Level of control over network infrastructure: Building or purchasing servers gives companies more control over their infrastructure and is a solid option for long-term projects.
- Scalability requirements: Businesses that need to quickly provision and remove servers often look to server rentals as the best option.
- Geographic distribution: Companies that plan to serve customers globally and are concerned about latency may find building or purchasing servers cumbersome due to limited geographical distances.
- Specific hardware or software requirements: Buying or building a server is a reasonable option for businesses that require specific hardware configurations.
Building a dedicated server from scratch
Follow these steps to build a dedicated server from scratch:
- Understand and write down your server needs.
- Get quality hardware that can support the server's needs.
- Do your research and choose the necessary software.
- Assemble the components and install the selected software.
Requirements
Consider what tasks the server will be performing. Web hosting, data storage, gaming, or virtualization servers will require different hardware specifications and software solutions. Make a list of resources and applications, and note the estimated number of users the server will need to handle. To accommodate load fluctuations, it is a good idea to increase the calculated system resources by 15%. Use the following list as a general guideline:
- Workload requirements: Determine what type of workload you expect the server to handle and calculate how much computing power it will require.
- Storage requirements: Apart from the amount of storage space a server needs, the speed of data access is equally important. If applications require fast data access, use SSDs, and if the server only needs to store and manage data in bulk, use HDDs.
- Network requirements: If the server needs to handle significant data volumes and maintain low latency, such as a gaming server, investing in high-performance hardware is essential.
- Scalability: Some businesses experience significant increases in traffic during certain times of the day or seasonally. For example, e-commerce websites often have to handle large spikes during holidays like Christmas. To accommodate the increase in traffic, companies need to quickly scale their servers. When building a server, it is essential to consider future server needs and make room for potential hardware upgrades.
- Redundancy: If your server handles valuable or sensitive data, you need to protect it from power outages, physical damage, or potential attacks. You may need redundant power supplies, backup and recovery solutions, or special RAID configurations to protect your data.
Hardware
- CPU: The main component of a server for processing various requests from the operating system and applications. Consumer-grade processors, such as Intel Core or AMD Ryzen, can be used to power smaller servers with low workloads. These CPUs are a good balance between cost and performance and can handle tasks such as web hosting, basic file serving, or light virtualization. Server-grade processors, such as Intel Xeon or AMD EPYC, are more expensive, but are a more reliable option for businesses that handle critical workloads and need more flexibility.
- Memory: (Random Access Memory) Provides temporary storage of data and allows the server's CPU to access data much faster than a hard drive or SSD. Having more RAM allows the server to perform multiple tasks at once without slowing down. The minimum RAM requirement for most servers is 16 GB. Database servers or virtual machines serve large amounts of data to many clients and may require 64 to 128 GB of RAM or even more.
- Storage: Used as storage media in servers, but they vary in cost, performance, build quality, and lifespan. Hard drives are cheaper per gigabyte than SSDs, but the speed and reliability of SSDs often justify the higher price. These features are especially important for systems that rely on frequently accessed data, such as servers. Many servers use SSDs for the operating system and heavily used applications, and hard drives for mass storage and redundancy solutions.
- Motherboard: The motherboard facilitates communication between all the components of the server. Every server component, such as the CPU, RAM, storage devices, and expansion cards, either sits on or is connected to the motherboard. Make sure the motherboard is compatible with the selected CPU unit, confirm the number of RAM slots and maximum RAM capacity, and check that it has enough SATA/PCIe/M.2 slots for your storage needs.
- Network Interface Card: A piece of hardware that enables a server to connect to a network. Motherboards typically come with built-in Gigabit NIC cards. Servers that require high throughput and low latency may need to upgrade to a larger 10 Gigabit card. The primary function of a NIC is to send and receive data packets over a network. It converts data from the computer bus into a format suitable for the network medium (such as Ethernet) and vice versa.
- Power Supply Unit: Converts electrical energy from a source (usually a wall outlet) into the correct voltage and current to power system components. Make sure the PSU provides enough power to power all of your components. When building or upgrading a server, choose a reliable, properly rated PSU. The power supply should have an energy efficiency of at least 80 percent under varying loads. A poor-quality or inadequate PSU can lead to system instability, reduced component lifespan, or even damage.
- Cooling Solutions: Servers generate a significant amount of heat due to their powerful and dense components. Coolers ensure that server components remain within safe temperature ranges, maintaining optimal performance and extending the life of the equipment. Stock coolers may be sufficient for basic servers, but it is worth considering more expensive aftermarket coolers or liquid cooling for high-performance configurations. Additionally, server rooms need to be well-cooled and ventilated to effectively dissipate heat.
- Case: The physical frame or enclosure that contains the server components. Flat, wide rackmounts are common in data centers. An alternative solution is to use a tower server chassis, which resembles a standard PC tower but is optimized for server components. These are useful for businesses or environments where rackmount infrastructure is not required. Make sure the chassis you choose can accommodate all of your components and has good airflow.
Software
A server operating system enables servers to run essential processes and functions and is a prerequisite for installing other software. Choose an operating system based on your specific needs, the type of server, and the environment in which the server will be deployed.
- Linux (Ubuntu Server): The most popular open source server operating system used primarily for web, application, and database servers.
- Windows Server: Windows Server is a suite of Microsoft server operating systems that integrates easily with other Microsoft products. It is commonly used to host business applications and Microsoft Active Directory.
- RHEL: An enterprise-focused Linux distribution that offers strong support and certification. It is primarily used for enterprise applications and database servers.
- FreeBSD: An advanced operating system for modern servers, desktops, and embedded computing platforms used for web servers, networking, and storage.
- pfSense: A free network firewall distribution based on FreeBSD, intended primarily for firewall servers and routers.
Assembly and installation
Servers share many components with PCs, making their assembly similar to building a regular PC. If you don't have much experience assembling parts, follow these tips:
- Do your research first: Consult guides or videos tailored to your specific server components. Follow each component's manufacturer's instructions carefully.
- Follow safety measures: Use anti-static surfaces and tools, such as an anti-static wrist strap, to prevent damage from static electricity.
- Handle with care: Handle components like RAM and CPU by their edges to avoid damage and contamination.
- Ensure proper alignment: Component cutouts should align and clips should be securely in place. If something doesn't fit, double-check the orientation instead of forcing it.
- Initial Boot Test: Before installing the operating system, boot to verify that all components are recognized in the BIOS/UEFI. Listen for typical startup sounds, fan operation, and motherboard beeps indicating a successful POST.
- Software Installation: Install your desired operating system and server software. Configure each of them based on the server role.
- Don't forget security: Implement security measures, firewalls, and monitoring tools.
Result
This guide showed you how to build a server, determine your server needs, and select the appropriate hardware and software components. Building a server is only the first step in managing your infrastructure. You need a well-thought-out strategy and a set of server security policies that take into account all potential risks.
