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home server build

Z

zero_vertical

Gawd
Joined
Jun 6, 2006
Messages
1,001
I have a bunch of spare parts from various builds, that i'd like to put together for a server for my home. I'd like to be able to serve music, family photos etc with my family and friends, as well as serve online gaming, like cod2. I've built plenty of regular boxes for my home and extended family, but i've never built a dedicated server box. My networking experience stops after my home wireless system.

What I've got:
Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 s939 NF4
A64 3000+
Gig of Kingmax Value Ram
~200G of IDE HDD space
Vantec Ion 400w PSU

I also have a spare lower end graphics card, and an older SB16 Soundcard. Aside from an optical drive and a case, I think i have all the pieces. I'll just grab a $40dvd drive, and i'm looking at a cool little Lian Li case (the A05B) I'm guessing I'll use something like filezilla for the software side, and I'll run XP for OS.

After that, what's next? Do i just build this like a regular PC? What's special? Any tips or linked resources would be very helpful

thanks, all.
zv
 
No prob man. You may also want to search through the Networking and Security Subforum here. I think there's few threads there about home server builds.
 
I am not even close to being a networking expert, but from prior experience you'll want to check your available bandwidth, especially if you're going to use your server for gaming. That amount of active data exchange can eat up headroom in a hurry. Back during my America's Army days I tried to run a limited server on decent hardware, but it was laggy as hell. I asked my buddy to host it (he does that kind of stuff as a side business so he has plenty of dedicated bandwidth), and it ran smooth as silk on an old PII laptop if that tells you anything about hardware requirements for a non-commercial server.

Side note: check out some flavor of Linux (Fedora, etc.) for the OS. My understanding is it tends to be more stable in a server environment.
 
I'm afraid of linux. :)

I'm going to try serving small games (COD2) first, and if the connection isn't strong enough, I'll upgrade my service to a higher upstream program.
 
zero_vertical said:
I'm afraid of linux. :)
Click to expand...

LOL:cool:

Give Fedora a shot and get a Dummies book or O'Reilly's Linux in a Nutshell. Fedora is pretty much GUI based these days, and any command line stuff you need will be pretty simple. I think you'll find that the basic stuff isn't too hard to learn.
 
I have my HTPC computer Specs:

P4 1.7ghz 256kb cache
512mb pc400 RAM.
40 gig 2.5" 5400RPM hard Drive
10/100 Network card.


Running :

Windows 2003 R2
VPN Server (Windows Built In)
File server
Remote Desktop Server
DNS
Active Directory
Web Server
FTP/ SFTP server.

Just fine :D
 
annaconda said:
I have my HTPC computer Specs:

P4 1.7ghz 256kb cache
512mb pc400 RAM.
40 gig 2.5" 5400RPM hard Drive
10/100 Network card.


Running :

Windows 2003 R2
VPN Server (Windows Built In)
File server
Remote Desktop Server
DNS
Active Directory
Web Server
FTP/ SFTP server.

Just fine :D
Click to expand...

that's pretty skinny hardware wise. :) But it's reassuring that i won't be hardware constrained (although for an HTPC, that looks WAY skinny) this could potentially serve as a browsing / lite duty rig for the wife's desk in the office, freeing up the laptop for more kitchen / bedroom use. fortunately, I'm in one of those phases where the boneyard isn't that obselete. :D

it's kind of scary when you think about it: 4 active PCs in my house? If i get a carputer, I'm switching to a technology based profession. :D

zv
 
zero_vertical said:
it's kind of scary when you think about it: 4 active PCs in my house? If i get a carputer, I'm switching to a technology based profession. :D

zv
Click to expand...

Hehe, well you're not alone. A little off the topic of the original thread, but I have three PCs, two laptops (one personal and one work), a PSP, an Xbox360, and a Sony LocationFree Player all hooked into my network. And it's just me and my wife in the house. Seriously, why?:confused:
 
EvilTwinSkippy said:
Seriously, why?:confused:
Click to expand...

Because it's FUN! :)

I use all of the PCs too. That's the crazy part. During every commercial (if i'm not fast forwarding through them) I'm on the web on my HTPC. Sometimes my wife has the laptop on the sofa too! :eek:

The last batch of upgrades though should carry me for a while though. I just don't like to have any dollars tied up in decent working parts. The 3000+ still has plenty of life in it for secondary uses, particularly with the gig of ram. So rather than have them collect dust, I might as well put them to use.

My (over)use of s939 will also help add longevity to my secondary computers, like the HTPC and a server box, because I'll just waterfall the better parts down the line in a couple years to the other machines. By the time my 4800+ is no good for gaming and my main PC, it'll be a great upgrade for the HTPC.

Thanks again for all the help folks.

Mike
 
Anyone in here know where I can get some server RAM and HDDs? Looking for parts with the hp/dell/ibm P/Ns on em.

Thanks!
 
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