mikinho

[mikinho]

Depends on what type of teaming you do.  I don’t recommend link aggregation (teaming) cards unless they are the same chipset though.  You can go for reliability or performance.  With teaming you’ll have less overhead (CPU) per card and more throughput.

See http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/network/9195p/en/Intel_nic_teaming_10.pdf for a good whitepaper on teaming.  It is old but the core concepts are still valid.  It includes a table on performance.

I only have network cards team on my routers, file server and dev box.  On my HTPCs I don’t and don’t see the need for it.

[mikinho]

[quote=Mike Garcen]

I think Sopranos was much more violent, but that was so long ago it’s tough to remember–it’s not like spartacus 🙂

[/quote]

Is anything violent in comparison to Spartacus?

I have nothing of value to add here…never watched Sopranos and just too many seasons to invest the time in it

[mikinho]

Damn you.  I just started watching a few shows on USA…now I’m going to have to try this series instead.

[mikinho]

[quote=SpacemanSpiff2000]Would you setup different RAIDs for the above 3 functions? I’ll make this up: like a RAID5 for P1, a separate RAID3 for P2a, and a RAID0 for P2b? Because P1 simply cannot be risked, P2a needs to be faster but shouldn’t be lost, and P2b just needs to be fast? And I still mean all in the same box here.[/quote]

That all depends on how much you are looking to spend, how much data you have and how many disks you havewant.  You can easily spend several thousand if you look to implement multiple RAID configurations.

[quote=SpacemanSpiff2000]Would anyone actually do that or is that just crazy talk? If crazy=yes, then what? Would keeping you critical backups on the same fault-tolerant RAID as your networked BluRay content impede either function in some way? Or does it really not matter at all and they can be all in one?[/quote]

I have a 16-port RAID 6 for my media storage and 8-port RAID 1+0 for my SAN. And a RAID 1 backup for source code and documents.

[quote=SpacemanSpiff2000]Also, I’ve read about some ripping methods but most are for movie-only. I’m looking for whole disc (so I don’t have to go find the discs to see extras I want). How might that affect my specs here?[/quote]

The easiest method is AnyDVD HD.  You are looking on average ~40 GB per Blu-ray and 8 GB per DVD.

[mikinho]

While I do agree with the use of hardware RAID, most home users do not need RAID 1+0 (aka RAID 10 but less accurate).  The times where RAID 1+0 shine is if you need a high performance writes.  For a business, even small business, RAID 1+0 is a given for servers.  For home HTPC usage and media storage that typically is not a concern and if it (write performance) is then I would suggest a different setup entirely then.

Note: While RAID 1+0 is typically the fastest overall RAID level (RAID 0 is faster but not redundant so it is arguably not a RAID level and wasn’t one of the original RAID levels) with 4 disks RAID 5 arrays can perform better than RAID 1 + 0 so if you are only looking at a 4 disk array the performance benefits can be moot.

My SAN is setup for RAID 1+0 and my media storage is RAID 6.  For NAS media storage I recommend RAID 6 over RAID 5.  In addition to being able to lose an additional disk, RAID 6 has a higher level of protection against block failures and controller errors by the extra parity over RAID 5.  RAID 6 has a lower impactful on disks when rebuilding. 

If you do build a DYI NAS I strongly recommend a discrete RAID hardware controller with a Battery Backup Unit (BBUs) in addition to a UPS.  I tend to go with 3wareLSI.  Not having a BBU will kill performance and put you at a higher risk of data loss.

BTW, In terms of Magic ISO please see http://aluigi.altervista.org/misc/magiciso_gpl_violation.txt.  I highly recommend using ImgBurn + Virtual CloneDrive instead.

[mikinho]

Now available from Amazon (w/ Prime): Logitech Revue With Google TV

[mikinho]

A couple things:

1- What type of video content do you primary haveplan to have?

I’m asking the Core i3-2100 will do a better job of transcoding content assuming QuickSync supports it.

In general, you don’t want o build a NAS for power.  An ideal NAS does three things very well in my opinion.  It is 1) Stable 2) Efficient 3) Flexible

2- Are you tied down toe Linux or would you be open to FreeBSD solutions as well?

3- Did you want suggestions for off-the-shelf products like the Synology, Netgair and Drobo?

4- If you do go DIY, do you have any existing hardware you would be re-using?

If I was doing a DIY NAS I would go w/ an Intel Atom D525 board that had dual Intel NICs for teaming.  To be specific the Supermicro X7SPA-HF-D525.  Low poer, 4GB RAM, good SATA controller, 6x SATA ports, IPMI (huge IMHO) and extremely important to me dual Intel NICs.  I use this board for my routers and a backup NAS.

[mikinho]

[quote=Glitchy]

1. Why would I pay software maintenance the first when year the software is being setup with very few concurrent users …. is this normal practice? Or can I negotiate?

[/quote]

Everything is negotiable.  Is there a support path outside of maintenance agreements?  If so, do a cost analysis of a few issues compared to the maintenance.  If this is your first year using the product you will have issues.

[quote=Glitchy]

2. What is a fair rate for consulting services for programming, setup and customization for our implementation on site? I know this negotiable, but I would like to know a fair rate, for them and us. The average going rate?

 [/quote]

Helps to know the product.  The cost is typically dependent on the knowledge base out there versus how competent they are.  If it is a niche product with limited consulting pool then you’ll get a higher rates.  I would consider $85-$150 / hr depending on the product and skillset.

 

[quote=Glitchy]

3. Maintenance is 18%, that seems fair, i guess?

[/quote]

It is fair but depending on the product after 2 years many companies will drop maintenance in favor of purchasing new.

It really depends on the product though.  It’s difficult to drop support for ERP / CRM / MRP due to the need to keep current with changes in laws, taxes, etc.

[quote=Glitchy]

4. Does the company want our maintenance or the original software purchase? I know both, but how negotiable is the initial purchase?

[/quote]

Typically they want maintenance, there is a much higher profit margin.  Check their release schedule, upgrade costs, incident costs, etc

[quote=Glitchy]

5. I need to hire a SQL/Crystal Repots programming in the Southwest (of America) what’s the going rate for our region?

[/quote]

What experience level and skill set?  Will they be a SQL DBA as well?

[quote=Glitchy]

I have lots of questions on SQL/2008 Server hardware, clients per server and CALs, but I guess that might be a different thread!

[/quote]

I’ll be happy to answer any MS SQL questions.

[mikinho]

[quote=swoon]

OK, cancel your order and get the 8GB G.Skill from Newegg for $40 with a 4GB Flash drive!

That pesky Newegg. My 8GB already shipped!

[/quote]

Damn you Aaron.  Ordered another set…I * think * I have a use for it

[mikinho]

There is no way to hide the button.  You can easily remove access from the Media Center Extender user accounts.

They are mcx-* accounts.  When I used Extenders I would create a user group for extenders and change the ACLs for my media to be read-only for that group.  I would explicitly add a Deny ACL for Delete to prevent inherited ACLs from allowing it.

[mikinho]

Just ordered 2x 🙂

[mikinho]

I meant that to read “Well at least you can still use the LAV filters…” versus the decoder 🙂

[mikinho]

Be careful with the mattress.  Some mattress are very flexible and fold over.  I’ve read a few instances where the mattress vibration would take out the TV.

[mikinho]

U-Haul and other storage places sell boxes for flat panel HDTVs but they are ridiculously expensive.  When I moved last I put them in the backseat with plenty of bubblewrap and used the seatbelt to hold them in place.

[mikinho]

You can still use LAV Filters with non-VIDIA GPUs, I now use LAV Filters on all my systems since Andrew (babgvant) introduced me to them.  For low-power it is hard to beat Intel H61H67 + Sandy Bridge low-power (e.g. Core i3-2100T or similar) CPU using the on-board video.

[Author]

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