HP PROLIANT DL380 G5

are the 4 in a raid array and do you want to expand the array or add a new array ?

I don't have disk RAID in my server at all all the 4 disks are with out RAID protection and I am trying to do that later after I upgrade this disks or get an external SAS storage

so you can just add drives and find them in the server or in ntfs you can add the disk to a folder

if you raid later you will lose data unless you backup

Following on the last comment: If you plan to use RAID (and you should, for sure), you should back up, create the RAID arrays, and then restore and move forward.  You should also use hardware RAID (which likely means a new controller).

It will get more difficult as time goes by with ever more data.

... Thinkpads_User

Dear experts,
Thanks for the raid issue it's not current but what I need now is to get additional sas HDD for my server.

As IanTh noted, you can add hard drives without RAID at this point.

My point is that if RAID is in the future, it is best done now if at all possible.

.... Thinkpads_User

yes I need to do the RAID after I install the sas drive and I will backup the files at that time but how can I upgrade my HDD up to 3TB which kind of HDD suites me.

Get 2 x 2TB SAS drives.   All SAS drives are enterprise class, which means they will work OK on that controller.  Use your favorite search engine and just find a deal.  "2TB SAS drive buy" should be good enough.

I would go for 4 x 900 GB 10K SAS drives if you have sufficient financial resources. This means that you have more spindles and more I/O. Since you're using it for folder redirection and likely will have a lot of small files. Raid 1+0 would be best for write transfer rate, but that depends on how many users you need to host. If it are just a few with a lot of MB's I would go for raid level 5. If you're hosting a lot of users with less MB's than raid level 1+0 might be the better choice. Never the less, I would always use a raid level which supports failure of (at least) one drive.

http://serverfault.com/questions/5120/what-are-the-performance-differences-between-raid-0-1-5-6-10

Drives available: http://harddrivesdirect.com/proliant_build_DL380_G5.php

On this site you'll also find near line SAS drives, which have only a rotation speed of 7200 K. Those I wouldn't use...

Thanks,
the users that I have are 50 users and their current files are 1.5TB, I have visited your link but the 900GB SAS DRIVE is very expensive so can you recommend to me another storage option that I can connect to the server so that my users gets more free space to store their redirected files.

Regards

Do you want performance, capacity, or price.  You get to pick any two.  Sorry.  If it is too much money, then choose something to do without.

Is it possible to backup the current files, reinstall the system and restore the files? If that is the case, you could add smaller disks or less expensive ones and make a new array having the benefit of all the spindles (= disks) and you might consider sata disks or smaller sas drives so you still will have sufficient performance. What is the amount of money you have in mind for the upgrade. When using sata disks you then might consider upgrading the cache memory for the raid controller, but that you could always do afterwards if you experience a (to big of a) performance degradation.

Another possible option might be considering an external NAS connected with iSCSI. We have good experience with the QNAP NAS servers. You can use SATA disks as well with those systems. Another advantage could be that you're independent to the server (hardware) and it is even possible to replicate to another NAS server. Although you might need an additional switch for the iSCSCI traffic and make it too pricey.

But with 50 users I think the first option, reinstall with 8 new disks, wouldn't be any problem concerning performance. We host 350+ users on a MSA 20 with SATA disks, attached to DL380 G5 which was intended for archive, and therefore not configured for optimal performance, used for the production without any issues. It hosts file shared, TS profiles and the archive it was initially intended for. We did however upgraded the RAID controller memory.
.

Meultje, Thanks for the advice.

What I need is to do changes that will not affect the  server production  because the server is a production server Reinstalling 8 new sas diks is too expensive and I don't know whether my server supports the Sata disks but the QNAP NAS server option seems to me gud idea but how can I make this NAS server as main connected  storage that my users can store their files and which specific QNAP NAS server  model can do this job.

What OS are you running on? With Win2k8 its quit easy. When using iSCSI you just add an iSCSI drive to the server which is quite the same as adding a local array disk to the server. After adding an iSCSI disk you do a rescan with disk management and you'll see it apperaing just the way a local disk would, so it's quit easy. With 2k3R2 it's quit good possible to, you just have to download the iSCSI component and install them. With 2K8 you just have to activate the iSCSI service and be on your way. You do need however Gigabit network connection!

The type of NAS I would reccomend is the SMB type. Depending on the drives you will use I would consider a 8x9 type so you can add more disks if needed later on or if you're within the budged all bays filled. I would recommend however to use 24/7 type drives. On the site you can find the supported drives per system and look on the internet for a vendor with the best price / conditions. But be sure the drives are listed in the supported harware compatability list.

http://www.qnap.com/pro_compatibility.asp

Once you find the model you're interested in, see which disks are supported and see where you can buy them with the most favorable conditions.

I am using Win server 2008 so how can I add the iSCSI to the server.
also can you recommend to me QNAP NAS that has iSCSI  and minimum storage is 2TB.

All QNAP's support iSCSI :-)

Concerning the iSCSI connector, just go to Administrative Tools and select iSCSI Initator. You'll be asked if the nesesarry service should be started. Just accept (Yes) and there you go... Once you have your iSCSI target (would be the QNAP for instance) operational, select the Discovery tab within the iSCSI Initiator properties window and add the ip-address of the target by selecting "Add Portal..." under Target portals.

I would go for the TS-809U-RP (http://www.qnap.com/pro_detail_feature.asp?p_id=111)

See also the comparison chart at http://www.qnap.com/images/products/comparison/Comparison_2UNAS.html

If this goes beyond the budget choose the 6 or 4 drive version, but if possibele (so you will be able to grow in a later stage) one with more slots, so you'll be able to expand your capacitie by simply adding additional drives.

There are two 8 bay QNAP's I would suggest:

TS-809U-RP (with 2 GB of RAM) -> Price € 1780,-
TS-859U-RP+ (with 1 GB of RAM) -> Price € 1545,-

Disks I would recommend:
At first you could go for 5 x Seagate ST500NM0011 - € 90,- / pc = € 450,-

If this goes beyond your budget you gould consider a 4 bay QNAP, f.i.:
TS-459U-RP+ (with 512 MB of RAM) -> € 1059,-

Drives: 4 x Seagate ST1000NM0011 - € 133,- / pc = € 532,-

This are the prices here in Euro's. Don't know what they will be at your location, but it gives you a rough estimation of the costs.

If I had to choose and the means I choose the TS-809U-RP and the 5 x ST500NM0011 which would come to a total off € 2230,-

The cheapest solution would be € 1591,- in this scenario

Thanks for the advice.
my need is to get at least 2TB  with QNAP that has  iSCSI  but my concern is the QNAP NAS will be connected to the network what will happen if the server cannot reach the NAS for some LAN network problems, in this case how it  will affect the users those were using this NAS storage as primary.  

may you recommend QNAP NAS that has 2TB disk and the price is below  is $1000 or below becouse I don't need more storage.

Everything within your budget except for outsourcing to a cloud provider has a single point of failure.  As such, no matter what hardware you install, it can fail and leave users w/o their data.

Thanks,

I understand that qnap are diskless and I need to buy disks but which qnap suites to my needs  and also which disks that you are recommending .

The TS-459U-RP+ would suite your current needs. I would go for the Seagate Constellation ES ST1000NM0011, 1TB disks. The are (here) at the momet the same price as the Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3750330NS, 750GB, but have a 6 Gb/s interface and more important 64 Mb disk cache. So I would recommend the Seagate Constellation ES ST1000NM0011, 1TB. The reviews here are also really good!