Lenovo ThinkServer TS140

GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16859106530

Initial thoughts: compact.

Reality of that: Only 2 internal HD bays. I have a 3rd HD just in there sitting at the bottom of the case. And the HDs in the bays sit sideways, and there is literally no room to put the side of the case back on unless you have the right-angle SATA cables. The ones I have are straight and stick out a quarter inch too far. And, the thing only shipped with one SATA cable. I had to cannibalize 2 out of the dead server.

Initial thoughts: Damn, this thing behaves like a server. I can't just pop in an OS disk and install. First it tries to load the OS over IP and if not then there are drivers to preload onto a thumb drive and it needs to boot from there. And the Server initialization disk wants to know what OS you are installing, so it puts the correct drivers on the thumb drive... Home Server 2011 was not an option. It only wanted me to use the enterprise-level servers.

I ended up changing around the boot priority of things, and just installed Home Server 2011.... but at one point install stopped because it could not find the ethernet driver. So at that point I had to research what driver I needed (I eventually just guessed) and put it on the thumb drive, so I could install the driver manually. From there I was able to get Home Sever 2011 to the desktop, running updates.

Currently unresolved problem: the Server Initialization Disk was supposed to allow me to set up any RAID configurations I wanted. I had planned on using a 500GB drive as the windows drive and putting 2 1TB drives into RAID 1 (one) for storage. But the option "Configure RAID" isn't where it is supposed to be on the DVD, and when I go into BIOS I don't have an option to do it there, either. So I am still working on that.

Initial thought: It's quiet. I have it sitting right next to me at my workstation and it is so quiet I can hear the HDs clicking as they read/write. No fan noise.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Oh yeah, ha.... something the included Server Initialization Disk did not tell me: The thumb drive you use needs to be formatted in FAT 32. I had to google to figure out why my thumb drive wasn't working.

The first hour with this server was very disheartening.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53729
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

do I get to say I told you so? :p
It's not me, it's someone else.
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53729
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

In the BIOS did you enable RAID?
Devices | ATA Setup | Configure SATA as RAID

Then do a Ctrl-I during boot up to enter the Intel Rapid Store Mgmt?
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

TheCatt wrote:In the BIOS did you enable RAID?
Devices | ATA Setup | Configure SATA as RAID

Then do a Ctrl-I during boot up to enter the Intel Rapid Store Mgmt?
Yeah, that's the ticket.

Going to copy the file I have sitting on the one drive, then RAID it up.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

TheCatt wrote:do I get to say I told you so? :p
No. The first hour was rough because I'd never been elbows deep in a proper-server install, before, so it was a steep and somewhat frustrating learning curve. I learned a lot since that hour and now I think it's neat.

I'd like more HD bays, though. The mobo has 5 SATA ports, and the power supply has 4 SATA power plugs, one already in use by the DVD drive. The case can't handle the equipment inside.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

GORDON wrote:
TheCatt wrote:In the BIOS did you enable RAID?
Devices | ATA Setup | Configure SATA as RAID

Then do a Ctrl-I during boot up to enter the Intel Rapid Store Mgmt?
Yeah, that's the ticket.

Going to copy the file I have sitting on the one drive, then RAID it up.
As soon as I set the SATA drives to RAID it keeps Windows from loading. It gives me the option to "Repair" but I don't have a windows image created, yet. Not even sure if it would work. History tells me nothing wacky I try ever works.

Yes, I am positive I did not include the Windows partition when I created the RAID 1 array. If I had done so I would not have been able to boot into windows when I set the SATA drives back to AHCP (or whatever that default setting was). I can still accomplish mirroring if I just set those folders to backup every night from one drive to the next. Just won't be instant mirroring.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53729
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

Stay tuned for the next drive failure, where the backups failed to run for 1 year and he didn't notice.

When you say windows failed to boot, you mean the Windows DVD?
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

No, I have it booting from the hard drive. I maybe should have thunk of using the DVD.
Stay tuned for the next drive failure, where the backups failed to run for 1 year and he didn't notice.


I am setting up automatic backups, but I will also do manual ones from time to time onto the external drive. Should end up with about 5 layers of backup redundancy.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53729
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

Ah, gotcha. Yes, you have to setup the RAID before installing any operating systems to disks. It changes the way the hardware interacts.
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

TheCatt wrote:Ah, gotcha. Yes, you have to setup the RAID before installing any operating systems to disks. It changes the way the hardware interacts.
Yeah, figgered. Don't feel like reinstalling the OS at this point.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Once set up, this thing has worked flawlessly. I VNC into the server from time to time, sometimes finding it at the "ctl-alt-delete" screen to log in, like it rebooted itself after an update, but even in that status all shared drives and files are available.

Backups seem to be running. I turned off auto-PC backups... a single backup with a full install is all I need for those when all the pics and vids and stuff I want to save are already in the nightly server backups, which according to the backup logs is running perfectly.

4GB RAM has not been a hindrance so far. Vids get served via PS3 Media Server faster and more stable than ever (on the old PC often had audio issues partway through, requiring a restart).

Also, with something like a 380W power supply, I know this thing isn't sucking down the juice.

No complaints, would buy again.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

If anyone was interested in trying it out, it is currently $219 on Amazon....

http://smile.amazon.com/gp....1p_0_ti

Says it is in stock, but who knows. At that price it is practically disposable, so try it if you want.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

6 month followup: absolutely no problems or issues. Has never crashed during media streaming (something that happened all the damned time on the last converted-from-PC server). Has never crashed at all, in fact. Stable as shit.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53729
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140

Post by TheCatt »

Speaking of quiet... my server has been getting annoying lately, and I finally opened it up (it's a mess of cables and shit inside, so I hate opening it). Turns out just 1 of the fans was crazy loud. I replaced it with another quiet one I had lying around. Can barely hear it now. But can still hear it. The PSU fan is "loudest" now. Might have to replace it.
It's not me, it's someone else.
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53729
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140

Post by TheCatt »

TheCatt wrote: Speaking of quiet... my server has been getting annoying lately, and I finally opened it up (it's a mess of cables and shit inside, so I hate opening it). Turns out just 1 of the fans was crazy loud. I replaced it with another quiet one I had lying around. Can barely hear it now. But can still hear it. The PSU fan is "loudest" now. Might have to replace it.
I have a Corsair CX Series 750 which claims to have "low noise"

But looking at the Corsair RMi series or Silencer Series Mk III
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140

Post by GORDON »

SInce you bumped the thread, I'll just update and say still 100% uptime.

Even isntalled one at my mother's tax office a few months ago, and we've had 100% uptime.

Good, stable machines.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54400
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140

Post by GORDON »

I was thinking of upgrading my server, because everything is just so super slow. Open browser window, maybe 15 seconds for it to be up on screen. I was thinking maybe I should get a SS storage device for the main boot drive, blow out the dust, and upgrade the hard drives holding the media I serve, and give it a fresh Win Home Server install.

But then I saw this....
GORDON wrote: 4GB RAM has not been a hindrance so far. Vids get served via PS3 Media Server faster and more stable than ever (on the old PC often had audio issues partway through, requiring a restart).
I think I'll just upgrade the RAM, see what happens. I was reading the first post in this thread, and damn, it was a pain in the ass to initially load this thing up. I think I'll just upgrade the RAM and see if it helps.

Besides that, like 6 years now with 100% uptime. Really can't complain.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Leisher
Site Admin
Posts: 65258
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 9:17 pm
Contact:

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140

Post by Leisher »

RAM will absolutely help.

You should also try cleaning it up as best you can:
-Remove basically everything from autolaunching at boot.
-Remove temp files
-delete unneeded programs

And so on.

If it still shows its age, you can try replacing the C drive with an SSD and then doing a full scratch and reload. There's no doubt that will speed things up, but if configuration was a pain, you'd be doing it again.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53729
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140

Post by TheCatt »

RAM + SSD are the two best things you can do easily. I have a spare SSD lying around I bet.
It's not me, it's someone else.
Post Reply