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Ask HN: Short-depth rack server for home lab recommendation

3 points by alex_suzuki ↗ HN
Hi HN, I’m looking for a short-depth rack server to run small, general-purpose workloads and experimentation. Probably not CPU-intensive. A bunch of Docker containers, some microservices, nginx, a small PostgreSQL instance, etc. It should be short-depth (< 15“) for a wall cabinet and of course run Linux well. Affordable would be great, but not looking for cheap. Any recommendations?

6 comments

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alex_suzuki
Would an M1 Mac Mini be a viable option for the aforementioned use cases? Would certainly be attractive size-wise. Nevertheless, I have a full-width 19“ cabinet.
brtkdotse
Take a look at the mid-tier Synology units, they have Docker support and relatively nice specs
alex_suzuki
Huh, interesting! Running Docker on a NAS definitely wouldn’t have crossed my mind. Thanks.
p0d
I use a hp business desktop with ssds. Think I am up to an i5-6th gen cpu. The advantage this type of box gives you is quietness. It costs about £3 per month to run 24/7.
leros
As others have said I would avoid rack mount stuff if you can. It's big and noisy.
Samon
SuperMicro 5019D-FTN4 (or 5019A-FTN4 if a little low power Atom CPU would cover your needs)