[K12OSN] server hardware advice needed

[Jim Kronebusch]

[SNIP]
> You'll get some folks suggesting to go with at least SCSI, preferably 
> SCSI RAID 5, and they'll be right, assuming that your budget 
> allows for 
> it (mine didn't). 

One thing that always seems to be left out with a RAID recommendation is
the option of using an IDE RAID controller.  I have seen a six channel
IDE RAID controller that handles RAID 0,1,5 for $276 at Buy.com.  Then
you can buy 200GB IDE drives for about $200 each, add the complimenting
hot swap trays for about $40 each and for about $1800 you have 1.2TB of
hot swapable IDE drives in RAID 5 (probably cost you $20,000 with SCSI).


Of course you could add whatever drives you wanted, say 80GB for $75,
and skip the hot swap trays.  But either way you have the benefit of
SCSI style RAID with an IDE price.  This could be just enough to help
the lower budgets afford performance.

Just my 2 cents worth.