Author Topic: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.  (Read 50185 times)

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Offline Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11Topic starter

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #200 on: January 28, 2017, 02:36:56 am »
The hardware I'm running right now? Or the hardware in the PCs I am going to build?

The hardware right now isn't much at all. 8 GB, 4 cores, and some cheap AMD graphics car. It's Windows 10 Home.

I do need Wi-Fi as well, though. There are people with laptops who will need to connect wirelessly.
 

Offline Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11Topic starter

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #201 on: January 28, 2017, 09:40:02 am »
Editing computer current parts list...

CPU: Intel 6950X or a 6900K?
GPU: GTX 1080 or a Quadro M5000?
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2300MHz 64GB X2
Motherboard: ASUS X99-Deluxe
Storage: Intel 750 series or Samsung 950 pro? (Question: should I install both the OS and Adobe/Unreal Engine 4 on one SSD or separate them on different SSDs?)


Rendering computer current parts list...

CPU: Intel Xeon E5 2696 v4 or intel Xeon E5 2699 v4?
GPU: GTX 1080 or a Quadro M5000?
RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 2133MHz 128GB
Motherboard: ASUS Z10PE D16 WS
Storage: Intel 750 series or Samsung 950 pro? (Question: should I install both the OS and Adobe/Reaper 5/Omnisphere 2/ on one SSD or separate them on different SSDs?)




Thank you everyone for continuing to stick with me throught this learning and building project, I really do appreciate it! ;- )
 

Offline slicendice

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #202 on: January 28, 2017, 12:33:43 pm »
You can safely install the software on same drive as the OS, but put the working folders to a separate drive. Unreal Engine 4 with all it's assets can be very demanding, and as you want speed, then it could be a good option to use an SSD for the projects and just normal HDDs for archiving already done stuff.

An alternative would be to install the working drive as an RAID array of normal HDDs, as the speed should be enough then and long time reliability would be much better compared to SSDs (not that SSDs die that fast anymore compared to years back).

I have ran UE4 on my laptop, which isn't that fast, it runs well, but the experience is not that smooth in every corner. I had the app installed on my boot drive (SSD 950 EVO) and the assets and projects on a 5200RPM 2.5" drive. SSD would have been much better for the projects. I used FHD and less content only, if you need that 4K then of course you need faster components. But anything desktop today will beat my laptop, no matter how low end it is. :-)

Basically what I am trying to say here, is that have separate app and project drives. And the project drive may need and in some cases even need a bit more speed than a single HDD can give (80-160MB/s transfer rates).
« Last Edit: January 28, 2017, 12:36:41 pm by slicendice »
 

Offline Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11Topic starter

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #203 on: January 28, 2017, 07:23:41 pm »
Alright, I understand what you are saying, thank you!

Thank you for all of your help, slicendice. You've been consistently helping me this entire time since the beginning of the year, and its been very helpful and I have learned a lot about the build I am trying to make.

About the networking thing from earlier. Would that still be a good idea, or like I was saying, just transfer the files between each other with external hard drives? Can I have two computers communicating with each other without a third "storage unit in-between, if anything?

I'm still trying to find out what about this internet connection. If the router I was going to get is no good, then what exactly should I be looking into, anyone?

I need high speed internet connection that I can plug directly into with LAN/WAN, (whichever is faster?) and I do need Wi-Fi as well for laptops. Would two separate routers be a good idea? I'm not very knowledgeable with routers/modems.
 

Online David Hess

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #204 on: January 28, 2017, 08:13:59 pm »
About the networking thing from earlier. Would that still be a good idea, or like I was saying, just transfer the files between each other with external hard drives? Can I have two computers communicating with each other without a third "storage unit in-between, if anything?

I am not exactly sure what you are trying to accomplish at this point but I use a dedicated ethernet link between my two workstations and two file servers which is not part of my internet connected LAN.  So I have two completely separate networks.
 

Offline Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11Topic starter

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #205 on: January 29, 2017, 01:24:24 am »
Well, that is more or less what I'm asking about? I'm not too sure which would be best?

Can I have two workstations connect to each other directly? At first I was trying to have two computers connect to a third (storage unit) so they could both communicate to the same files with each other. Could I set it up that the rendering PC could directly communicate with the files on the editing PC?

If that isn't a good idea. Again, can I have some assistance in setting up a good and quick third unit to run all of the assets through. Programs would be installed on the editing and rendering PCs but all videos and assets would be on that "third/storage" computer.

I'm thinking about starting a new topic dedicated to the networking solution in order to get more attention from other users who might be able to add something in networking. My title as of right now on this topic doesn't invite very many people to the concept I'm looking at for networking.
 

Online David Hess

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #206 on: January 29, 2017, 08:36:56 am »
Can I have two workstations connect to each other directly? At first I was trying to have two computers connect to a third (storage unit) so they could both communicate to the same files with each other. Could I set it up that the rendering PC could directly communicate with the files on the editing PC?

That is absolutely possible and essentially what I did and still have although if you are using Windows, it is sometimes difficult to configure with the newer versions.
 

Offline Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11Topic starter

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #207 on: January 29, 2017, 08:47:02 am »
That sounds like good news. As long as I can keep the connection running quickly and seamlessly.

I do so happen to be running Windows 10 Pro, and if possible I would like to keep it that way on my next two PCs in this build. Windows 10 might not work for everyone, but I do actually take use of some of its features that other OSs don't provide.

I did make another topic specifically for discussing a network solution if youthink it is best moved over there, but I intend to keep this topic going as I'm going to further proofread through my components and assure I have the most suitable setup for everything. Thank you for your comments, David! I would appreciate it if you could further explain how this could essentially be done?
 

Online David Hess

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #208 on: January 29, 2017, 03:58:44 pm »
I am still not sure why you would want this so let me cover what I have and why.

1. I have a big 100 Mbit/s LAN which connects to my internet gateway.
2. I have a separate 1 Gbit/s LAN which connections only between my workstations and servers.
3. The internet LAN is only 100 Mbit/s because I have an old 24 port switch and my internet connection is not that fast and keeping the large switch was was cheaper than upgrading everything to 1Gbit/s.
4. Having a separate 1 Gbit/s connection between my workstations and servers is arguably more secure because the servers do not have to be directly exposed to the LAN.
5. I do have a separate 1 Gbit/s switch now but it is small.

Today I might do the same configuration with a big 1 Gbit/s switch for my internet connected LAN and a separate small 10 Gbit/s switch for my workstations and servers.  If I only had 3 total workstations and servers, I might even do without the 10 Gbit/s switch and directly connect them together like I did when I only had 1 workstation and 1 server.
 

Offline Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11Topic starter

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #209 on: January 29, 2017, 08:54:03 pm »
According to some of the Linus videos I have just seen, I might have to really start looking at high-end GPUs again. While under normal circumstances, Adobe Premiere doesn't utilize the GPU, it would seem if it is transcoded to Cineform, that would change.

Corrections if I am wrong about something here?

If not, I imagine a Quadro still wouldn't help. Would a TITAN X do significantly better than my GTX 1080 choice from before, at least in this situation? Or am I still better off with the GTX 1080?
 

Offline slicendice

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #210 on: January 30, 2017, 08:32:07 am »
Exactly as David says.

But since you need WiFi access too it's best if you have a configurable switch between the computers and then add Wireless access points (you might need many if your work area is big and want to keep max speeds anywhere in the house) to that switch. This way any device can connect to any computer on your internal network, depending on your switch configurations. Since you need to do a lot of data transfers, a small 10Gbit switch would be the best bet.

Really good configurable switches cost a lot, but it's worth the investment in the long run. With a proper configurable switch you can separate some computers completely from internet if you want.

A computer to computer network without a configurable network switch in between can be difficult to get right the first time and you might need a lot of network cards. It will also be a bit tricky to maintain if you some day need to add more network cards. A switch, once configured properly is just as easy as plug and play.

But as I said before, start with the main editing computer build first and once that device is up and running and you know it's performance using your tools, expand to possible external storage solutions and the rendering computer so that others can keep editing locally while something is rendering elsewhere. You only want to keep your current project(s) locally, the rendering jobs should be sent to the rendering computer and the rest should be sent to an external unit for archiving. A SAN unit is a good choice as you can expand its storage capacity on demand.

Think about your workflow. I would think it as a factory pipeline where an idea goes in the other end and a final product comes out in the other. A finalized product should not stick around on the editing computers and the all RAW data should be on a separate device, from where people make a local copy to their device. We don't want people to edit the original do we?

EDIT: I see now that you started the new thread for the networking solution.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2017, 08:35:43 am by slicendice »
 

Offline Howardlong

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #211 on: February 01, 2017, 07:30:24 pm »
Can't disagree with any of silendice's comments directly above.

Increasingly I've been concerned with the approach of building a lot of stuff but then finding out after the event that so e of it isn't fit for purpose. At this end of the market I think it's fair to say there is a fair bit of experimentation before getting to the ultimate solutions, and much of this is dependent on your own workflow.

I would rather aim to match a configuration to my own workflow first, rather than find I need to change my workflow significantly to fit a given configuration. 

If you don't already have a workflow, and this is a completely greenfield build, then maybe it needs some paid consultancy from someone with proven experience in your creative fields, especially bearing in mind the budget you have?
 

Offline Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11Topic starter

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #212 on: February 02, 2017, 02:31:45 am »
I'm not sure exactly what you mean?

I think I have my workflow basically ironed out at this point. It's a workflow I already have adapted to, more or less. I'm trying to upgrade the business to a more commercial/professional level, but it is something that has been in place for a few years now.

I don't believe I have changed anything necessarily, these are all additional options, or alternatives that others have suggested to me, that I have been taking into consideration. If someone can figure out something better than anything I have in mind, that is really what I have been looking for on that end.

I've explained a few times, the workflow basically consists, of continuously editing videos/video games/music with no slowdown. That has been the priority since the beginning, I have only changed the concept of doing this on single computers.

Going off of my original first post, I was proofreading what I had thought was a suitable build, and I was intending to build quite a few of them 4-5, in order to make the workflow of me and my team hopping between them, which was really too complicated. I did not explain that clearly before, but I never felt it necessary, because we moved rather quickly to the idea of two separate builds.

With the two separate builds in mind, the workflow basically means what it originally did, which is why I want the network configuration to make it as if it really were one computer I was working on, instead of two, with the added benefit of no rendering slowing that workflow down, by forcing me to stop working.

I can be more specifically detailed if you want me to, regarding the workflow.



By the way, I made a topic concerning the server rack specifically, not necessarily intended for these builds but for a rack of other builds, and I'm having a hard time figuring out which components I would need to get this done with, if anyone is interested in sharing their expertise over there?

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/finding-an-inexpensive-42u-server-rackwith-shelves-in-the-pennsylvania-area/msg1125925/#msg1125925
« Last Edit: February 02, 2017, 06:13:57 am by Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11 »
 

Offline Lizzie_Jo_Computers_11Topic starter

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Re: Proofreading my computer design and building a server rack station.
« Reply #213 on: February 03, 2017, 07:57:05 pm »
After watching some more videos, and running into a few more articles, I've found that the graphics card actually can be used to speed up the workflow.

In Linus' "workflow explained" video, he went over the fact that encoding their raw footage to Cineform with Adobe Media Encoder actually does heavily utilize the GPU. Even though we more or less proved (thanks to slicendice) that Adobe Premiere Pro does not utilize the GPU on a regular workload, with the Cineform codec, this seems to not be the case, as it is rather dependent on it, which can drastically speed up Premiere's timeline playback.

I'm going to keep looking into it, but would this affect my current choice of the GTX 1080? Would another card be more suitable, like the TITAN X, or a Quadro, or is the GTX 1080 still the best option?
 


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