Hi everyone,
I've been lurking here for a while, picking up tips on how to transition my OPNsense setup from a virtualized environment in Proxmox to a dedicated bare-metal machine. I finally pulled the trigger on a refurbished 1U short-depth server that I found for a steal. My main goal is to get the "heart" of my network off my main compute node so that the family doesn't lose the internet every time I decide to reboot my host or experiment with a new container.
The specific point I keep running into when reading through hardware recommendations here is the heavy focus on ultra-low power consumption. Most people seem to be running N100s or older Atom boards that pull maybe 10-15 watts. However, the server I picked up came equipped with a Server Power Supply (345-Watt) (https://serverorbit.com/power-supplies/server-power/345-watt). It's an enterprise-grade unit, and honestly, it looks built like a tank, which gives me some peace of mind regarding 24/7 reliability.
A small personal insight: I've had consumer-grade wall warts and cheap desktop PSUs fail on me in the middle of the night more times than I care to admit. There's something comforting about the "industrial" feel of server hardware; it's designed to be hammered for years without a break. But I'm a bit worried about the efficiency curve. If my OPNsense build—running an older Xeon E3 and a couple of Intel NICs—only idles at 35-45 watts, am I just throwing money away on electricity by using a 345W PSU? I know some of these server units are actually quite efficient at low loads (especially if they are 80 Plus Platinum), but I've never used this specific wattage range for a dedicated router before.
I'm also slightly concerned about the noise. Most of these server units have those tiny, high-pitched fans that sound like a hair dryer when they ramp up. In a server room, that doesn't matter, but my rack is in a ventilated closet near the living room.
Has anyone else here repurposed older 1U enterprise gear for their OPNsense build, and did you stick with the original power supply or did you find a way to swap it for something more "home-friendly"? I'm trying to figure out if the stability of server-grade power is worth the potential hit to efficiency and the acoustic trade-off.
Does the "reliability" of a dedicated server PSU actually outweigh the benefits of a modern, silent, low-wattage DC adapter in the long run for a home setup?
An old rule of thumb says that electronics fail within the first 4 weeks or after 2-3 years, see https://blog.izm.fraunhofer.de/service-life-of-electronic-products/.
I have at least 5 of those Nxxx boxes running since 2023 and none of them failed so far. Also, most of them are passively cooled, which in turn saves the risk of a fan going out. When you look at the power draw, less power equals less heat and that in turn means stress and eletromitigation in the active components. If need be, I always have one laying around to switch out in case any of these fail.
I think that 1U servers are built for small space requirements, which causes a need for hefty fans in order to cool them down when compared to bigger PC cases when space is less of a concern. Also, servers are often used in business applications, where depreciation dictates that they will be swapped out after 4 years at most for newer, more powerful or less power-hungry generations - thus, in reality, long-term reliability is not so much of a concern. This also may give you a hint why those things are often sold used for a "steal".
On the other hand, small router appliances like AVM's Fritzboxes often run for decades without any problems.
So, in the light of power cost, I would always choose one of those Nxxx boxes for that job.
QuoteIs a 345W Server PSU total overkill for a dedicated OPNsense
This is a wrong question. Because OPNsense itself doesn't have anything to do with the Power draw. Your HW does.
So basically your PSU should be equivalent and able to deliver the Power the HW needs in case of MAX load.
And of course such servers and possibly PSU will create additional heat and noise, mainly the 1U servers. Many users replace the servers fans with Noctua fans which comparing to stock are quiet. But overall you should be prepared for the server noise and extra heat generated.
Similar as @meyergru mentioned. I run as well NXXX nodes, Past the few years I had 3 N5105, N100, and now N355. All of them were used for OPNsense at a point of a time and than repurposed for Proxmox.
These devices have no problem to route traffic at their Line rate.
The point is what do you target with that server. What performance you want to achieve. Because these small form factor miniPCs are efficient enough to provide the performance usually a user can seek and are reliable enough at least per my experience.
Regards,
S.
Quote from: dahapo8728 on Today at 12:25:55 PM[...]Has anyone else here repurposed older 1U enterprise gear for their OPNsense build, and did you stick with the original power supply or did you find a way to swap it for something more "home-friendly"?[...]
Several, but not for OPNsense. It can help... or not. It's a bit of a hobby with me, so I get pretty silly with it (link (https://www.tailbone.net/projects/CCR1036/index.html), link (https://www.tailbone.net/projects/SSG550/index.html)). The simplest is to replace the fans alone, and as I'm sure you are thinking, you just have to find quieter ones that perform adequately. Not always easy - there's native performance, but also PWM curves to consider. With a PC that should hopefully be adjustable in the BIOS. As meyergru said, the 1U form factor is not ideal.
My fan-cooled equipment tends to be bloody noisy, as I like to filter the air. It's a price I'm (usually) willing to pay.
Quote[...]am I just throwing money away on electricity by using a 345W PSU?[...]
Perhaps. My own firewall has a max power consumption of ~200W and ~40W idle (120V AC) with a 650W PS. It's the smallest I could conveniently obtain. Is power cost such a concern that obtaining new hardware would be worthwhile? (Or would you have other reasons for such in addition to power?)
Quote from: pfry on Today at 02:16:42 PMQuote from: dahapo8728 on Today at 12:25:55 PM[...]Has anyone else here repurposed older 1U enterprise gear for their OPNsense build, and did you stick with the original power supply or did you find a way to swap it for something more "home-friendly"?[...]
Several, but not for OPNsense. It can help... or not. It's a bit of a hobby with me, so I get pretty silly with it (link (https://www.tailbone.net/projects/CCR1036/index.html), link (https://www.tailbone.net/projects/SSG550/index.html)). The simplest is to replace the fans alone, and as I'm sure you are thinking, you just have to find quieter ones that perform adequately. Not always easy - there's native performance, but also PWM curves to consider. With a PC that should hopefully be adjustable in the BIOS. As meyergru said, the 1U form factor is not ideal.
My fan-cooled equipment tends to be bloody noisy, as I like to filter the air. It's a price I'm (usually) willing to pay.
Quote[...]am I just throwing money away on electricity by using a 345W PSU?[...]
Perhaps. My own firewall has a max power consumption of ~200W and ~40W idle (120V AC) with a 650W PS. It's the smallest I could conveniently obtain. Is power cost such a concern that obtaining new hardware would be worthwhile? (Or would you have other reasons for such in addition to power?)
I think that's the first hot rodded router I've seen with a K&N filter on it. :)
Quote from: RobertoZ on Today at 03:06:34 PMI think that's the first hot rodded router I've seen with a K&N filter on it. :)
Heh. That was likely AC Delco. I use AEM or Airaid washable dry filters now... technically K&N, as K&N has eaten most of its competition (and killed their product lines). But traditional K&N filters are oiled cotton, not something I'd want on my shiny clean computer.
5HP gain, easy.