Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > Interests > Tilted Technology


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 06-24-2005, 06:59 PM   #1 (permalink)
Psycho
 
Location: Dreams
Building a cheap server computer, need component suggestions.

OK, my goal is to build a small, C H E A P, server for my home that would connect and serve as a file back-up and LAN for three computers throughout my household.

What would be the best way to go about this? I already have an old 15" monitor and a friend of mine has a copy of windows server 2003 that he said I could use.

We are currently connecting at 40 Kbps on our dial-up, so connection sharing isn't a priority but I would like to have it easly upgradable to a broadband router solution once BB is avaiable at my house.

What I am looking for is a list of very cheap components that would suffice. IE. case, MB, dvd-rom, and processor.

For storage I will probably be going with a couple of these:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=HD-HT250S1&c=pw
I heard Hitachi's are quite reliable compared to maxtor and what not.

[Someone on another forum suggested Seagate however]

So yeah, gimme some feedback and I will be very appreciative!

Thanks for your time and help!
__________________
I know not how I may seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with. [Plato]
kalisto_911 is offline  
Old 06-24-2005, 10:20 PM   #2 (permalink)
Go Cardinals
 
soccerchamp76's Avatar
 
Location: St. Louis/Cincinnati
From what I understand, you can have a really really shitty system, and run it as a Linux server and it will be perfectly fine.
__________________
Brian Griffin: Ah, if my memory serves me, this is the physics department.
Chris Griffin: That would explain all the gravity.
soccerchamp76 is offline  
Old 06-25-2005, 06:17 AM   #3 (permalink)
Psycho
 
Location: Dreams
I don't really have the time right now to invest in learning the ways of the linux, I understand that windows server will probably need me to reset it 50 times before it gets up and running but such is life sometimes
__________________
I know not how I may seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with. [Plato]
kalisto_911 is offline  
Old 06-25-2005, 07:10 AM   #4 (permalink)
Professional Loafer
 
bendsley's Avatar
 
Location: texas
Why do you even need Windows Server 2003? XP can get the job done. Also, remember that you need a license for it, and those are around $699 for the Standard version.

And you're willing to reload Windows 50+ times instead of learning something new?
__________________
"You hear the one about the fella who died, went to the pearly gates? St. Peter let him in. Sees a guy in a suit making a closing argument. Says, "Who's that?" St. Peter says, "Oh, that's God. Thinks he's Denny Crane."
bendsley is offline  
Old 07-01-2005, 07:17 PM   #5 (permalink)
Crazy
 
I'm running a P2 400mhz for my everything server. This includes SSH, FTP, Apache, Subversion, Ventrillo, Samba, Tomcat, whatever else. It works fine and there's no issue with the speed at all.
__________________
Even if you stop the clock, it gives the right time twice a day.
Once we get out of the eighties, the nineties are going to make the sixties look like the fifties.
kofspades is offline  
Old 07-02-2005, 04:49 PM   #6 (permalink)
Mine is an evil laugh
 
spindles's Avatar
 
Location: Sydney, Australia
I agree with Bendsley - unless you want to go down the path of exchange server or something else that requires windows server, you would be better just using another windows XP box running as a workgroup. With file sharing turned on, you can easily create a shared drive mapping.

If you are doing it to learn windows 2003 server, that is a different matter...

When and if you get broadband, you can just get a router (wireless or not) to share the connection.
__________________
who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?
spindles is offline  
Old 07-03-2005, 01:45 AM   #7 (permalink)
42, baby!
 
Dragonlich's Avatar
 
Location: The Netherlands
An alterative would be an olde computer (pentium 2 or even lower), running Linux. I know, I know, you already said you didn't have time to learn how to use it. But you don't need to! Try <a href="http://www.clarkconnect.com/">Clarkconnect</a>; it works fine, is very simple to install and uses a simple web-interface to communicate.
There is no need to learn Linux commands at all.

I've used it to run a very olde pentium (1!) 133 Mhz, with 32 megs of ram. It can do everything you need.
Dragonlich is offline  
Old 07-03-2005, 02:34 AM   #8 (permalink)
Psycho
 
connyosis's Avatar
 
Location: Sweden - Land of the sodomite damned
Yeah, ran clarkconnect myself a while ago, and it works very well. You don't need a very powerful computer either which is a plus.
__________________
If atheism is a religion, then not collecting stamps is a hobby.
connyosis is offline  
Old 07-03-2005, 07:39 AM   #9 (permalink)
Tilted Cat Head
 
Cynthetiq's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
I have a PIII 1.3 Ghz server running Win2kServer. complete overkill. i only put server on it to keep up my tech skills, but if I had to rebuild it I would rebuild it with just shared folders since it's much easier logistically from an admin point of view.

It started out as a PIII700Mhz...upgraded after the mobo died. no monitor, I just VNC to it to configure it.
__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.
Cynthetiq is offline  
Old 07-03-2005, 09:22 AM   #10 (permalink)
Psycho
 
I have an old 1.2 GHz celeron running Server 2003. Try to find an old P3 system on ebay for your server.
__________________
muckluck is offline  
Old 07-03-2005, 06:48 PM   #11 (permalink)
beauty in the breakdown
 
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Find the cheapest box you can. Seriously, nothing on a server like that will tax the system. I ran a similar thing on a P2 400 for a long time (until the hard drive blew up, actually), and that was complete overkill. Of course, you have a bit more overhead running Windows, but even something like an 800mhz machine would be just fine. So yeah, just find something cheap.
__________________
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato
sailor is offline  
Old 07-04-2005, 12:22 AM   #12 (permalink)
Psycho
 
Hmm, can that clark connect have a torrent clinet by any chance? That would be awesome if it could... it dosen't look like you can add apps to it though.

-- edit --

Disregard that, I didn't relize that the whole system was controlled via web browser. Back to server 2003 I go.
__________________

Last edited by muckluck; 07-04-2005 at 03:47 AM..
muckluck is offline  
Old 07-04-2005, 05:47 AM   #13 (permalink)
Crazy
 
Hello,

Until recently, I had a Pentium III 550 Mhz running Windows 98 as my backup/media sharing/printserver/scanner machine. Just dropped in 384 MB Ram, 3 hard drives, and shared everything where appropriate. i can still use it to surf the net while it's acting as a fileserver.

For a home setup, you need very little in terms of hardware power. And, as people said, if it is a Linux box, you can use even less.

Good-luck
TheProf is offline  
Old 07-04-2005, 09:48 AM   #14 (permalink)
42, baby!
 
Dragonlich's Avatar
 
Location: The Netherlands
Quote:
Originally Posted by muckluck
Hmm, can that clark connect have a torrent clinet by any chance? That would be awesome if it could... it dosen't look like you can add apps to it though.

-- edit --

Disregard that, I didn't relize that the whole system was controlled via web browser. Back to server 2003 I go.
...but then again, you didn't realize that the whole system is essentially Redhat Linux, which can probably do a lot more than Windows 2003.

But seriously, if you have a powerful server, Windows server is fine. If you happen to have a rusty olde box around, Linux is better.

You remember that box I talked about? P133, 32 megs? It ran a mail server (including spam filter), proxy server, ftp server, webserver and firewall. It may not have been the fastest thing on earth, but it *kept going*.
Dragonlich is offline  
Old 07-05-2005, 01:36 PM   #15 (permalink)
Psycho
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragonlich
...but then again, you didn't realize that the whole system is essentially Redhat Linux, which can probably do a lot more than Windows 2003.

But seriously, if you have a powerful server, Windows server is fine. If you happen to have a rusty olde box around, Linux is better.

You remember that box I talked about? P133, 32 megs? It ran a mail server (including spam filter), proxy server, ftp server, webserver and firewall. It may not have been the fastest thing on earth, but it *kept going*.
Think I can intall KDE on it and still use the web interface?
__________________
muckluck is offline  
Old 07-06-2005, 09:59 AM   #16 (permalink)
42, baby!
 
Dragonlich's Avatar
 
Location: The Netherlands
Quote:
Originally Posted by muckluck
Think I can intall KDE on it and still use the web interface?
Well, that's one of the problems with a pre-made linux: you need to do a bit of work to install KDE. But yes, if you do, you will still be able to use the web interface.

But why install KDE in the first place? If you want KDE, you can just as easily use a "normal" linux distribution.
Dragonlich is offline  
Old 07-06-2005, 11:49 AM   #17 (permalink)
Registered User
 
run FreeBSD or Unix...

shit.. that's the only suggestion I have
Glory's Sun is offline  
Old 07-06-2005, 12:43 PM   #18 (permalink)
<3 TFP
 
xepherys's Avatar
 
Location: 17TLH2445607250
I agree that a good linux distro will get you further along than Windows, and often without any learning. But if you have a licensed copy of windows that you can use... well, whatever floats your boat. Win2k3 does have higher requirements than Win2k server, so if you require windows, you may want to look into 2K instead.

Any parts you need to buy new, get from newegg.com... they'll ALWAYS have tight deals on a lot of products. You can get a cheap LG or Lite-On DVD-ROM there (if you need one) or CD-ROM. Try getting parts on Ebay, or a local small computer shop that may deal in used products. Go to a PC trade show (they have them once a month somewhere near Milwaukee I think) and pick up some dirt cheap items.

The drive you listed, however, is SATA, which means you'll likely be picking up a new mobo. Brand of mobo can be a make or break for your system. Personally I recommend none of the "cheap" boards. I tend to go with Soyo or Asus myself, thoguh Abit and Tyan are both also top tier.

Newegg has the PATA version of the drive you mentioned : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822145058 : for $2 less. Hitachi is good, Seagate and Maxtor are also good. Each model of drive needs to be looked at seperately for reliability rather than brand overall. Hitachi/IBM had a HUGE problem that ended in a class-action lawsuit over three models of DeskStar drives. Since then, they've regained most of their reliability status in the market.

If you want more info (specifics), send me a PM.
xepherys is offline  
Old 07-06-2005, 09:27 PM   #19 (permalink)
Tilted
 
Location: flatlands
go with a FIC motherboard, cheap and have always had good luck with them
seven7 is offline  
Old 07-10-2005, 11:18 PM   #20 (permalink)
Upright
 
Location: US
Linux and Hardware

I would recommend TONS of RAM and HD space. If you are trying to find a cheap OS you could try Ubuntu Linux www.ubuntulinux.org it is painless to set up, but if you are relying on your modem of internet I would not recommend linux at all.

mark
PenguinsRock is offline  
Old 07-12-2005, 01:18 AM   #21 (permalink)
Psycho
 
connyosis's Avatar
 
Location: Sweden - Land of the sodomite damned
Quote:
Originally Posted by PenguinsRock
...if you are relying on your modem of internet I would not recommend linux at all.

mark
Why? Never had a problem using a modem in Linux. (Well ok, except those nasty winmodems, but that crap doesn't count)
__________________
If atheism is a religion, then not collecting stamps is a hobby.
connyosis is offline  
 

Tags
building, cheap, component, computer, server, suggestions

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 07:49 AM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360