One Server: Researching the hardware

The position centers on designing and sourcing every component for a brand‑new storage server built from the ground up. The organization will rely on you to define the hardware stack that supports a 16 TB file repository, virtual‑machine images and continuous media streaming, while ensuring the system can stay online during drive replacements. Your everyday tasks will involve calculating the number of disks required to meet capacity and redundancy goals, selecting a RAID‑6 or RAID‑60 layout with hot‑spare units, and choosing a rack‑mount chassis that offers hot‑swappable bays for up to eighteen drives. You will also evaluate server‑grade motherboards that provide dual‑CPU capability, multiple network ports, ample PCI‑Express slots for RAID adapters, ECC‑enabled memory and built‑in IPMI for remote KVM control. The CPU must support VT‑d to allow direct PCIe device mapping into virtual machines. Finally, you will compile a complete bill of materials and verify that each part fits within a 4U rack enclosure. The role requires proven expertise in storage architectures, including a clear understanding of RAID‑5, RAID‑6 and RAID‑60 performance and reliability characteristics. You must be comfortable working with consumer‑grade hard drives in an enterprise‑style configuration, and possess hands‑on knowledge of ECC DDR3 memory, Intel Xeon processors (specifically the E5506), and server motherboards such as the Supermicro X8DTi‑F. Familiarity with IPMI remote management and VT‑d virtualization extensions is essential. Additional advantages include prior experience with media‑center software like MythTV, managing virtual‑machine storage separately from NAS volumes, and having worked with the specific drive models listed (Hitachi HDS72202, Samsung HD203WI, WD20EADS) as well as the Norco RPC‑4220 4U rack case. The environment is a rack‑mounted setup, offering the chance to build a highly expandable, resilient server platform.