I am looking for some advice on a server to run in a small business. I am currently a partner in a veterinary clinic. I came on board a couple of years ago. We are a staff of two veterinarians and eight support staff. Right now, we have information about operating procedures scattered across various folders, different computers, and my goal right now is to consolidate everything into an easily accessible format. We also have hard copies of everything, but it is highly annoying to find information. I started by getting a Synology NAS and backing up files to that, but the issue is that they’re in different file formats, and I need to make the data more accessible.
I’m thinking about running BookStack, a self-hostable Wiki program, to centralize our information. Synology can run it through Docker, but the issue is that the Docker instance runs as rootful, and I want to keep the NAS as a dedicated backup solution instead of relying on it for more demanding tasks.
So, I’m looking to set up a separate server. I’m leaning toward running Proxmox on a separate server with a Debian or Ubuntu virtual machine that runs Podman for managing containers. Podman is rootless out of the box, which I think makes it a more secure option for me. I like the idea of having this on a virtual machine as it make it easier to make snapshot backups of the VM. Also, by using Podman, I get the benefits of running in a container as well.
Once I get Bookstack up and running, I’m sure I’ll want to run a few other services. Right now looking at Stirling PDF, but nothing too crazy.
Hardware-Related Issues
I was initially planning to use a Dell Optiplex, but I became concerned that it doesn’t have ECC RAM. While the data is backed up and I keep hard copies of my data, I would prefer not to lose data after going through the work of setting everything up on a server.
Before anyone yells at me, all medical information is handled by our PIMS in a cloud service. I am not using Bookstack for any patient information or any medical records. It will mostly serve as a source of all of our SOPs and training information for staff.
I’ve looked into several server options. I don’t need a rackmount server since I don’t have the space for it, and I don’t want the noise. I prefer a tower server.
I looked at a few Dell tower servers, but the memory upgrades and costs seemed a bit steep, so I’m considering building my own. While I have experience building PCs, I’ve never put together a full server.
Options I’m Considering
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ASRock Rack X570D4U-2L2T (AM4) – Supports ECC RAM, but I’ve heard that it might not log memory errors given the AM4 socket. Not sure if anyone knows if this is true or not, but I hate to find out the hard way. I could pair this with Ryzen 7 5700x.
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ASRock Rack B650D4U-2L2T (AM5) – This is a newer option I’ve been considering, but I’m not sure if it’s the best fit for my needs. I could pair this with Ryzen 7 7700x.
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Supermicro M11SDV-8C±LN4F – This option has an integrated CPU, which could simplify things, but I’ve heard mixed reviews about integrated solutions.
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Used Servers on eBay – While I’ve browsed for used servers, I’m hesitant to buy used gear. I’m not always sure about the condition, and I’d prefer something new if possible.
Ultimately, I’m leaning towards building from new because it seems like I could get better value and avoid paying for unnecessary upgrades. But I want to make sure this isn’t a mistake.
What I’m Looking For
- Tower form factor
- ECC RAM support
- Reasonable cost (pre-built servers seem overpriced for the upgrades I need/want)
- Reliability (I don’t want unnecessary headaches, even though it’s not mission-critical)
- Keeping cost under $1200 if possible
What do you all think? Am I over complicating this? Should I just go with a solid consumer-grade system? Would one of the AsRock MB be good paired with a Ryzen processor? I’ve hear some good this about Supermicro as well.
Any advice is appreciated!