Guys, I lost everything, there was a disk failure, unfortunately I don't have any backup available , so I'll have to reup everything... I was stupid to not save it locally...
I know it's too late now, but it's never bad to spread the word:
Backup, backup, backup...
You ideally want 3 copies: the live production copy, a local backup, and a remote backup. Remote means at least 15 miles/20 Km from the production server.
It is my understanding that you own and manage your server. You might want to look into used enterprise servers to build a reliable machine. They come with a lot of benefits for 24/7 operation:
- Realtime monitoring via web browser (temperatures, failures, hardware status, remote OS control, remote startup and reboot... you name it)
- Status LEDs on most components, to know what's failing at-a-glance
- Redundant PSUs
- Error correcting RAM modules
- RAID cards that can recover disk failure (if configured properly)
- If the RAID card fails, you can usually replace it with another one from the same vendor and the disk array will be picked up automatically
- Most servers will accept pretty much any hard disk or SSD, so performance is not costly (SATA and SAS. NVMe exists but is only used where a combination of storage density and extreme performance is critical, so it's expensive - you might prefer to buy a Lamborghini for that money)
- Most maintenance can be performed with the system online. Changing disks (one at a time) is usually done this way, as well as replacing a dead PSU.
- Designed for fast maintenance: if you need to bring the server offline, most operations will be tool-less and done in a matter of minutes
- Extensive documentation. When in doubt, you can find precise instructions for any operation
- Cheap to acquire and even cheaper to maintain if you know where to look
- Fully supported for advanced configurations such as hypervisors etc.
- Just fancy computers: general purpose servers are not temperamental lions that will bite you if they sense your fear. They are slightly different, but essentially the same as your everyday PC.
Drawbacks:
- Power consumption is similar to or slightly higher than a topline workstation
- Noise might be an issue if you select the wrong server. Very old models are all noisy, 1U rack models are usually noisy, storage models are noisy (I mean 2U servers with 12LFF or 24SFF disk bays)
- 1 server is usually as big as 2 desktop towers, and most models are desinged to be placed in a rack
- Vendor lock-in: if you choose a server, you can install 3rd party components but the monitoring software might complain and/or the fans might go into jet mode. This does not apply to hard disks and SSDs (at least for mainstream servers. On very specialized hardware such as SAN nodes, the server will physically accept any disk. But if the disk is not on the HCL the disk controller will reject the disk and refuse to use it)
- Slow and noisy startup. A server checks lots of stuff before allowing the OS to start. This obviously includes fan operation at 100% for a short interval
- If you opt for an EOL model, you might install newer OSes and hypervisors, but you might encounter issues because you're outside of the officially supported configurations. This is important for businesses, not so much for home environments
This is just scratching the surface of the comparison, but you get the idea. It's like comparing a Humvee and a normal car.
I can send you a configuration for fun, I just need to know how much RAM, disk space and CPU power you need.
