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alex
2022-12-22 07:56:05 +00:00
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article_home.md

@@ -3,13 +3,14 @@ This is part 1 - Why and how to get a server, [Part 2: Install the server](insta
Disclaimer : All opinions, ideas and choices described thereafter are stricly my own.
# Motivation
Garaia, the company I previously founded, was running a cluster of 4 servers (2 muscled ones and 2 lighter ones) spread out on 2 French providers (OVH and Online.net). The 2 "big" servers were in charge of running the show while the 2 lighter ones served as hot backups in case OVH broke down... [And for those who missed it, yes it did !](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-ovh-fire-idUSKBN2B20NU).
Garaia, the company I previously founded, was running a cluster of 4 servers spread out on 2 French providers (OVH and Online.net). The 2 main servers were in charge of running the show while the 2 other ones served as hot backups in case OVH broke down... [And for those who missed it, oh boy it did !](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-ovh-fire-idUSKBN2B20NU).
When the commercial success of Garaia proved to be too modest and I decided to change my career plans, I tore down the cluster and fell back to only one of the small servers for the time being.
Since then, I joined my dream company and became [Commercial Lead at Canonical
](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandre-micouleau-03b7393/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3Bl1sH%2Bt1gR7yuPj1uvN8vDQ%3D%3D). As such, not only did I join a company that promotes multi and hybrid clouds, but a part of my job is also to prove the better economical and performance dominance of private clouds over public clouds.
Since then I joined my dream company and became [Commercial Lead at Canonical
](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandre-micouleau-03b7393/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3Bl1sH%2Bt1gR7yuPj1uvN8vDQ%3D%3D). As such, not only did I join a company that promotes multi clouds and hybrid clouds, but a part of my job is also to prove the better economical and performance dominance of private clouds over public clouds.
So it seemed a bit hypocritical on my part to keep most of my stacks on public clouds. Moreover, since I am now in charge of procuring servers for our infrastructure, I might as well acquire one of those for myself and have fun with it ! Well, most probably one of the great grand fathers of the kind we get at Canonical, but still ;-D ). **Finally, it might be fun to prove that you can compete with public cloud prices even with modest/commodity hardware, since Canonical and its clients already do with larger infrastructures.**
So it seemed a bit hypocritical on my part to keep most of my stacks on public clouds. Moreover, since I am now in charge of procuring servers for our infrastructure, I thought I might acquire one of those for myself and have fun with it ! Well, most probably one of the great grand fathers of the kind we get at Canonical, but still ;-D ).
**Finally, I wanted to see if you could compete with public cloud prices even with modest/commodity hardware, as Canonical and its clients already do with larger infrastructures.**
So, here's the plan:
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ So, here's the plan:
# 0. Current situation
Before going on our first phase of the plan (a.k.a.: "buying, shopping, spending"), it might be good to get a feel of what is there and how it is used. This will provide guidelines and orientations on the specs we are looking for.
Before going on our first phase of the plan (a.k.a.: "buying, shopping, spending"), let's get a feel of what is there and how it is used. This will provide guidelines and orientations on the specs we are looking for.
## Online.net
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ Disk /dev/sda: 931.51 GiB, 1000204886016 bytes, 1953525168 sectors
### Usage
This server is running around 30 LXD and Docker containers:
* Garaia's main machines (and sattelites now that the service has been discontinued)
* Garaia's main server and sattelites
* Garaia related services (Minio, some RDBs and caches, Gitea, ...)
* Support/infra services (SSh access, borg backups, VPN)
* Docker related services (registry, registry browser, portainer, ...)
@@ -112,13 +113,14 @@ Since the NAS is now old, its acquisition cost is out of the scope, but its safe
The monthly cost of this NAS thus amounts to 6.67€/month
## Conclusions
<b>For running all my services, the two machines consume around :
* under 2 GHz cores full time (the cpu cores of my two machines are similar enough to be aggregated)
For running all my services, the two machines consume around :<b>
* under 2 x 2GHz cores full time (the cpu cores of my two machines are similar enough to be aggregated)
* less than 8 GiB of RAM
* around 850 GiB of disk space
</b>
In terms of monthly costs we're set at around 39 € / month
</b>
# Ebay browsing
I went for the <b>"best bang for your buck ®"</b> strategy there, even more so, <b>"What's the dirt-cheapest server I can find that will have the specs necessary to replace my stack ®"</b>.
@@ -132,7 +134,7 @@ But even those servers are far too powerful for my needs and being determined to
![ebay_offer](https://gitea.micouleau.net/alex/homelab-project/raw/commit/37dd4dcf0aea6879754f1c345fc5bc1acac56048/ebay-offer.png)
Yep, a hundred bucks, 130 € with shipping for something incomaparably more powerful than the Atom I rent. And at half the price I was set on. It's also a HPE, so good hardware and a brand commonly used at Canonical, this looks like a great candidate !
Yep, a hundred bucks, 130 € with shipping : half the price I was set on. It's far over specd compared to the existing hardware I own and this is HPE, the reference brand, commonly used at Canonical. This looks like a great candidate !
Now, let's get some disks. So, it's worth mentioning that server manufacturers are apparently not the best in class when it comes to open standards, interoperability, support and maintaining legacy hardware. HPE, as you'll read [Part 2: Install the server](later) is even pretty bad on that front. Unsupported hardware, unmaintained software.
@@ -153,10 +155,10 @@ The config I am running for is clearly an overkill in terms of CPU :
This config will provide:
* 24 vcores (when I really need about 2 of them)
* Twice the computing power each core being twice as powerful as the CPUs I am currently running
* 24 vcores (when I normally use about 2 of them)
* Twice the computing power, each core being twice as powerful as the CPUs I am currently running
* 48 GiB of ram when 4 were really needed and 16 was the target
* 1.8TB of disk space so twice my current usage
* 1.8TB of disk space (twice my current usage)
* in short tons of overhead to have fun and experiment with
@@ -165,7 +167,7 @@ This config will provide:
### Buying costs / CapEx
In total for server, hard disks, and shipping : under than 250€.
I think I could run this setup as is for at least four years, given I replace 1 HDD/year on average.
I think I could run this setup as is for at least four years, given I replace 1 HDD/year on average (remember those are second hand).
* 250 / 4 = 62.5 € amortization / year
* 130 / 4 = 32.5 € replacement parts / year
@@ -173,15 +175,15 @@ I think I could run this setup as is for at least four years, given I replace 1
**Yearly CapEx would amount to 95€/ year or 8€ / month**
### Running costs / OpEx
As the server will most probably be as idle as the existing setup, I envisioned it would consume around 180 to 200W. In fact, grafana shows it rarely goes over 125W.
As the server will most probably be as idle as the existing setup, I first thought it would consume around 180 to 200W. In fact, grafana shows it rarely goes over 125W.
At the current prices of energy in my area the yearly cost of energy would amount to around 185 € / year or 15 € /month
At the current prices of energy in my area the yearly cost of energy amounts to around 185 € / year or 15 € /month
### Costs verdict
I would drop down from 36 € per month to 23 € a discount of around 36 % for 4 times the power and for times the RAM. Not bad.
I will drop down from 36 € per month to 23 € a discount of around 36 % for 4 times the power and for times the RAM. Not bad.
This comparison is not really fair. Let's redo it taking the assumption I would get the same ATOM processor and same power consumption. My energy cost would fall to 2,5€/month, my full cost would be of around 11 € /month providing a discount of almost 70% vs Public clouds.
But this comparison is not really fair since the new stack is more powerful than the previous one. Let's redo it taking the assumption I would get the same ATOM processor and same power consumption. My energy cost would fall to 2,5€/month, my full cost would be of around 11 € /month providing a discount of almost 70% vs Public clouds.