The problem I keep running into is that I don’t have as much knowledge with hardware as I do when it comes to being an artist. I have tried to ask on multiple forums and I am either told "it’s too complex" or it turns into a pissing match between tech geeks trying to outdo each other instead of providing any decent info.
First off, my main OS is Mac, and my machine quadruple boots into OS X 10.5, 10.6, Windows 7, and Linux. My main 3D package is Maya, and even though to date 99% of my projects were done with Mental Ray, I have just started using RenderMan Studio. I also do a lot of video and audio/music work, hence the Mac, so I use massive amounts of data for an individual who owns a small company.
After doing my own research on and off, it definitely seems that building servers from scratch is the most cost effective, money:power. But when it comes to hardware there are so many options that I never have had to deal with since I use Mac hardware and have been for the last 15 years or so.
Since this is a long question, preliminary info would be nice on setting up a file server from scratch or from my existing machines, and also for beginning a render farm. I am leaning towards linux for the farm because of stability and the fact that it’s supported by all the 3D apps I use. However, a dual-boot farm might make more sense since I can’t render after effects files on linux.
The hardware I already have at my disposal besides my workstation is:
1) PowerPC G5 Mac (last of the powerpc generation) with dual proc (4-core I believe), 32GB of RAM and a Quadro card. maybe 2 TB of internal drives in it.
2) PowerPC G5 maybe 2-3 years older with 16GB of RAM and maybe 1 TB of drives
3) a really old G4 (one of the dark blue ones) that I haven’t even fired up in years. so that’s probably too old to do anything.
I was thinking of getting a dirt cheap computer as a license server, like a Mac mini, and then possibly converting one of the older Macs to a file server that runs OS X or Linux, and use maybe an 8-bay external RAID chassis loaded with 2TB SATA drives.
I would also need a very good router with NAT capabilities and a built in Firewall.
For a render farm, the bladed server approach seems to be ideal as it’s more compact, uses less power and costs less than turnkey servers. Without a stack of cash to load it up though, I might have to start with a single blade and then keep adding to it when projects come in.
Anyway, there’s the general idea and some things I think might be useful. Any info will be appreciated from those of you who know more about this stuff.
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