troubleshooting Question
NVMe drives in low-end server
asked on
My clients are all one-server companies with less than 30 users. I'm looking at suggesting a new server for one of them and wanted to gather opinions on my choice of drives.
The server will have one 8-core CPU and will run Windows Server 2016 as a host. A Dell PowerEdge T430 is an example of what I may recommend. There will be two VMs, one as the DC and the other for all the rest (file and print sharing, applications, etc.).
My question has to do with the storage arrangement. In the past I'd have used a hardware RAID controller with some RAM on it and four SAS drives configured as two RAID 1 arrays. The first would be for the Host and the DC VM where the second would be entirely for the Application VM.
My present thoughts are quite different. I'm leaning toward two 512G NVMe SSDs (Samsung 960 Pro) for the OS and DC VM and a pair of 960G NVMe SSDs for the Application VM. Each pair would be mirrored using Windows mirroring, not a RAID controller. The SSDs would be physically connected to the system by four PCIe cards.
I recognize that I lose the battery backup capabilities of a good hardware RAID controller. I'm not so concerned about that as the server itself will have a good battery backup. The minimal data loss in case of a power and battery backup failure would be tolerable.
The key here is finding a good balance between cost and performance. This arrangement seems to hit that mark.
I'm also wondering about whether the additional cost for the first pair of NVMe drives is worth it. As an alternative, I could use two SAS drives for the Host (using Windows to mirror) and then decide whether to put the DC on them or on the NVMe pair. I recognize that this would significantly increase boot time, but that shouldn't be a big issue.
I'd appreciate any comments regarding whether or not you feel this is a good approach.
The server will have one 8-core CPU and will run Windows Server 2016 as a host. A Dell PowerEdge T430 is an example of what I may recommend. There will be two VMs, one as the DC and the other for all the rest (file and print sharing, applications, etc.).
My question has to do with the storage arrangement. In the past I'd have used a hardware RAID controller with some RAM on it and four SAS drives configured as two RAID 1 arrays. The first would be for the Host and the DC VM where the second would be entirely for the Application VM.
My present thoughts are quite different. I'm leaning toward two 512G NVMe SSDs (Samsung 960 Pro) for the OS and DC VM and a pair of 960G NVMe SSDs for the Application VM. Each pair would be mirrored using Windows mirroring, not a RAID controller. The SSDs would be physically connected to the system by four PCIe cards.
I recognize that I lose the battery backup capabilities of a good hardware RAID controller. I'm not so concerned about that as the server itself will have a good battery backup. The minimal data loss in case of a power and battery backup failure would be tolerable.
The key here is finding a good balance between cost and performance. This arrangement seems to hit that mark.
I'm also wondering about whether the additional cost for the first pair of NVMe drives is worth it. As an alternative, I could use two SAS drives for the Host (using Windows to mirror) and then decide whether to put the DC on them or on the NVMe pair. I recognize that this would significantly increase boot time, but that shouldn't be a big issue.
I'd appreciate any comments regarding whether or not you feel this is a good approach.
Learn from the best
Network and collaborate with thousands of CTOs, CISOs, and IT Pros rooting for you and your success.
Andrew Hancock - VMware vExpert
See if this solution works for you by signing up for a 7 day free trial.
Unlock 1 Answer and 8 Comments.
Try for 7 days”The time we save is the biggest benefit of E-E to our team. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange.
Our community of experts have been thoroughly vetted for their expertise and industry experience.
The Distinguished Expert awards are presented to the top veteran and rookie experts to earn the most points in the top 50 topics.