Our current backup server is getting a little long in the tooth and needs to be replaced. Instead of purchasing a prebuilt server from the likes of HP or Dell, we decided to roll our own. This backup server will be responsible for nightly virtual server backups and replication jobs. This is a basic build that will run windows Server and Veeam backup software. We don’t do any continuous backup or replication jobs so I skipped redundant power supplies and hot swap bays to help keep costs low. Here are some pics of the build and a parts list.

All of the parts for the build.

Empty case.

Power supply installed and a mess of cables.

Completed install with a little cable management.

Parts list

Chassis: NORCO RPC-250 Black 2U Rackmount Server Chassis

I chose this case because it was inexpensive and came with 4 fans. Building with this case was a little difficult. It accepts a standard ATX PSU, but it mounts up front, which is odd. I got everything installed but I most likely won’t choose this case again.

Motherboard: SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SDV-4C-TLN2F-O Intel Xeon D-1521 Mini ITX

This little mini ITX motherboard is pretty sweet. It doesn’t have many USB ports (2) but it does have a low-power quad core (eight hyperthreads) xeon processor and two 10GB NICs.

Power Supply: Athena Power 600W Server PSU – 80 PLUS Bronze

Athena is not in my top pick for power supplies but this one fit the bill since it has a front and rear fan. Plus, it’s inexpensive enough to keep a spare on the shelf.

Hard Drives: x2 Seagate IronWolf 10TB Hard Drive

Ten freaking terabytes and not too expensive.

Memory: SAMSUNG 16GB 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM ECC Registered DDR4 2133