Building New POS Server

CCCSLA

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May 31, 2014
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Hello All,

I am in the process of putting together a parts list to build a new "server" for a retail POS system and am hoping that you guys can help me make the most of it. The system will consist of 3 POS terminals and the "server". Server will be running Windows 7 Pro 64x and Server 2008. I will also be using the server to manage digital signage and menu boards, with multiple video graphics cards with 2 wireless HDMI transmitters per card (maybe 3 cards = 6 screens). The system also will be managing a customer loyalty program. I want the quickest response in report generation.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/CoopersConcessions/saved/N2x2FT

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly apreciated
 
Solution
I would highly recommend you separating your workloads here. You are looking at using this system as an all-in-one solution, and while it can do it, it's definitely not recommended! Your regular usage for standard daily tasks on the computer system opens it up to unecessary risks that could take your business critical system down. Think of it this way. What if you install a Windows update for Microsoft Office which ends up corrupting your Windows and you can no longer get your system to boot? It's happened more than once to customers I have helped out in the past. And the days that it takes to get everything sorted out, your computer systems are completely down and offline.

Set up a server for just that: to be a server. Not for...
Why build a gaming computer to do a server task? These two computers are not the same thing. Yes, they consist of the same type of technologies (a CPU, a power supply, motherboard, memory, etc.) but the way that these components are designed and their intended usage between a desktop and a server are completely different.

I wouldn't recommend building a desktop for use as any business critical server. When it comes down to it you can get an actual business class server, with reliable and tested hardware ensured for running the way it is intended to run 24/7 for years, all for the same cost as a similar gaming computer system which isn't designed to run that way.

Now, I'm not an expert or have a huge experience with digital signage like you are talking about, though most of the sources I have looked at suggest running a single or two of the AMD FirePro cards with multiple DisplayPort outputs instead of trying to cram a bunch of gaming graphics cards into a desktop. Much less power draw for the necessary tasks. Something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195099
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195115
 
Awesome....love the idea of 6 mini-displays..!! Can I still add a couple of other cards with HDMI ports to transmit different content with audio to two other display screens (TVs)..??

What about the processor and RAM, I looked at some of the server motherboards, but benchmarks show a high cost for a Xeon processor compared to the 4770/4790 processor.

The RAM on the server motherboards are outrageous, some maxing out with 768GB/24 slots. I was hoping that I could get reasonable performance with a 32GB/Z97 board or would I be better soited with a 64GB/Z87 board. Does the database store on the RAM making report generating faster..??

Also thinking about setting up a RAID with 256GB SSDs instead of just one SSD
for the operating system and software, and the database on a 1TB HDD. But I have read some things about partitioning an SSD and setting up a 60GB cache.

I will also be using the computer for everyday office, i.e. Office, Adobe CC, etc.
 
I would highly recommend you separating your workloads here. You are looking at using this system as an all-in-one solution, and while it can do it, it's definitely not recommended! Your regular usage for standard daily tasks on the computer system opens it up to unecessary risks that could take your business critical system down. Think of it this way. What if you install a Windows update for Microsoft Office which ends up corrupting your Windows and you can no longer get your system to boot? It's happened more than once to customers I have helped out in the past. And the days that it takes to get everything sorted out, your computer systems are completely down and offline.

Set up a server for just that: to be a server. Not for normal daily usage, not for internet access or emails, just to run your databases, serve out files, etc. Set up a separate computer for your daily usage. That way if something happens to it at least it doesn't also take down your server.

I was going to suggest looking into something like the HP ProLiant ML310e G8 server as this is a really nice entry-level server for most small businesses. It can support up to 32 GB of RAM, quad-core hyperthreaded Xeon processors, and even more fault-tolerant features and upgrades like redundant power supplies. However, this server only supports a single PCI-Express x16 slot so only a single graphics card could be installed here. If you want more than that, then I suggest bumping up to the ProLiant ML350e G8 or the ProLiant ML350p G8. These servers support up to two processors, but you can start with a single processor installed for now which still gives you plenty of room to grow. These do also support additional PCI-Express x16 slots for additional graphics cards capabilities.

RAID is a good idea on a server but always remember its primary function is to provide continual up time, not to function as a backup. If it were me, I wouldn't worry about setting up the OS on SSDs. In most situations I would recommend virtualizing your workload for the greatest management and portability features. However, I don't know that your digital signage will be capable of virtualizing as easily because of the need of so many displays connected to the underlying physical graphics card. For this reason, actually, I would recommend getting even another physical system separate just for the digital signage (even a basic desktop computer should handle it with little problem so long as it supports at least 1 PCI-Express x16 graphics card) and then run just your POS system off the server. This would actually reduce the necessary resources and greatly lower the cost of your server system.

So in reality my recommendation to best fit your needs here would be three separate computer systems:

1) Server system for POS software (plus it can manage file shares, system backups, or other network needs you might have.) This can be a simple ProLiant ML310e G8 or similar basic pedistal server with dual-core or quad-core processor and 8 GB of RAM or so. I don't know the specifics of your POS software and what they recommend or require for hardware/software to make you a firm suggestion on processor type, memory, hard drive type and capacity, etc. Cost of hardware for this would probably be somewhere in the $1,000 - $2,000 range, with cost of operating system licensing ranging from $100 - $1,000.

2) Basic desktop for digital signage. Doesn't have to be a monster machine as you aren't going to be running a giant Eyefinity game at max resolution settings across all six displays, but you don't want something dirt cheap either. I'd say you're looking at $1,000 - $2,000 here depending upon your performance needs.

3) Another workstation or desktop for your daily usage needs (office, adobe, etc.) There aren't many details described here on what specifically you need to do, so there's a great deal of variation on what you might need for resources. Again, this is just going to be running your daily usage software though, not the extra overhead of the digital signage nor the POS software system. All said you're probably looking at again $1,000 - $2,000 depending upon needs.

So, all said in done, you're looking at $3,000 - $6,000 for the three computer systems, plus possible licensing expenses. If you tried to figure in doing all of that with just a single machine, you're going to be spending at least $6,000 for something that can handle all of the simultaneous workloads, and still probably wouldn't be able to do it as well nor as stable as splitting it out into the proper three systems.
 
Solution
Thank you Choucove,

Your response and details are so greatly appreciated..!! I was afraid of that. So now considering my surveillance system, that would be 4 towers that I will have to have running in my office. I was trying to avoid that, but I agree that it would definitely be my best choice to avoid potential problems and enhance performance for each activity. I'm not really looking forward to investing $10K on my IT setup, but I guess I will have to do what I have to do.

Could a rack system be configured to accommodate such requirements..??

Thanks again for all your time you have given explaining to me the best option for me to take.

CCCS LA
 
Depending upon the size and setup of your surveillance system, this could be accommodated on your new server system without the need for a separate system. Yes, sometimes they often suggest doing a separate physical unit for IP camera systems, but this is largely depending upon the size of your surveillance needs. For instance, if you are going to be running just four or five cameras, even in HD, then you could simply create a virtual machine on your new server (if the server is built right to run it) and have that all consolidated to one set of physical hardware. Your POS software would run on another virtual machine on that same hardware.

IP camera software can require a decent amount of resources depending upon the software you are utilizing and the number of cameras again. Often times the bottleneck will come to network speed, then hard drive speed, then memory. This means planning is critical, so it's good to ask around and get help and input beforehand! So how many cameras are you going to be implementing? What kind of network infrastructure do you have in place for this or will you be installing? What is the software that you are looking at for the cameras? With this we can get a better picture of what you are needing to make better recommendations on the server.

Rackmount is an option if you have the space to set up a rackmount cabinet. In the event you will be setting up multiple servers, or needing to consolidate all of your servers, battery backups, and networking equipment into one nice tidy area, rackmounting can be very nice. However, it is more expensive as you have to purchase the cabinet itself and you also have slightly higher costs in a rackmount form factor server compared to the similar tower server.