Quick question about servers and all that things

[AlexStarr]

So i am planning to buy a old office prebuild to make a 24/7 minecraft server i think i am gonna maybe make it into a windows based server but i want to know if i can  use this server pc for like a cloud storage system as the same time as the minecraft server thing and also for the pc would the spec be sufficient enough? 

 

Pc lenovo m900 desktop

-intel core i5 6500

-ssd 256gb (probably add more hardrive if i can use it as a cloud storage)

-16gb ddr4

I also saw another build the same but with a i3 7100

 

P.s i am sorry of how bad i am explaining it

[johnt]

You can use a PC to perform multiple server tasks at the same time. A simple file server to hold files is a basic function of a PC/server and will consume nearly zero resources until you are actively moving/viewing files.

 

I started in similar shoes with a Windows based computer and quickly outgrew it. Windows is very limited for 24/7 operation. I had endless issues with errors in the event viewer that would cause reboots after several days of operation. I updated everything top to bottom and that seemed to help with stability. And that of course leads to endless updates that require restarts. If you really need 24/7 uptime, avoid Windows.

 

I went with Proxmox recently and it lets you create virtual machines, mostly Windows and Linux, so I was able to transition. It's still a steep learning curve, but you should keep it in mind. Windows will piss you off eventually. But honestly Linux is not a dessert either. ChatGPT has been more than helpful when it comes to troubleshooting and figuring out the Bash commands.

[AlexStarr]

1 hour ago, johnt said:

You can use a PC to perform multiple server tasks at the same time. A simple file server to hold files is a basic function of a PC/server and will consume nearly zero resources until you are actively moving/viewing files.

 

I started in similar shoes with a Windows based computer and quickly outgrew it. Windows is very limited for 24/7 operation. I had endless issues with errors in the event viewer that would cause reboots after several days of operation. I updated everything top to bottom and that seemed to help with stability. And that of course leads to endless updates that require restarts. If you really need 24/7 uptime, avoid Windows.

 

I went with Proxmox recently and it lets you create virtual machines, mostly Windows and Linux, so I was able to transition. It's still a steep learning curve, but you should keep it in mind. Windows will piss you off eventually. But honestly Linux is not a dessert either. ChatGPT has been more than helpful when it comes to troubleshooting and figuring out the Bash commands.

Ok so what i am getting is the pc spec choice i listed out seem to be enough (i think) and using linux seems better for a 24/7 server and if so  i know there like a bunch of choices when it come to linux which would you reccomend me to use

 

Edit also i just want thr pc to run 24/7 because i want to run a minecraft server in it  the cloud storage thing is mostly secondary to me

Edited April 18 by AlexStarr

[johnt]

33 minutes ago, AlexStarr said:

Edit also i just want thr pc to run 24/7 because i want to run a minecraft server in it  the cloud storage thing is mostly secondary to me

Right but what good is the server if it is restarting every week? Most of the time the programs won't start until you log in. I haven't had great luck setting programs as a service (to run without a log in) and function normally in Windows.

 

I'm no expert. I use Mint Cinnamon because it is relatively easy. There is a steep learning curve with Linux in general. You have to re-train your brain to mounting drives, they do not work like Windows until they are mounted. Permissions are a real pain until you learn to consider them. It's just something you don't think about with Windows. I also use xrdp for remote desktop. Mint just works flawlessly. After you log in, the environment is the desktop you would see if you were using a mouse/keyboard/monitor.

 

Ubuntu has been easier in terms of permissions. But it is a little more frustrating in every other detail. The remote desktop situation is a disaster in my opinion. I recommend the xfce environment if you go that route through xrdp.

 

I went through xrdp for remote desktop mostly so I can remote log in with my Windows and Apple products (laptop, tablet, phone). It's super convenient to just manage the server from my iPad or phone when I need to. Many recommend VNC instead, but RDC is just cleaner for me.

 

The requirements for Minecraft server recommend an i5 CPU, so definitely do not get the i3. I have one of each for my server and back up server. The i3 is noticeably slower in every way. The other specs 256 GB drive and 16 GB memory seem adequate. 

[johnt]

But you should probably start with Windows first and get it working. It might be sufficient for your needs. You won't appreciate the hard work it takes to learn and use Linux until Windows starts annoying you  

[Ha-Satan]

2 hours ago, johnt said:

Right but what good is the server if it is restarting every week? Most of the time the programs won't start until you log in. I haven't had great luck setting programs as a service (to run without a log in) and function normally in Windows.

Yep, I can second this. Windows can be used for server tasks but issues with authentication and the need to log back in after rebooting making it a real pain to maintain long-term. My other servers (running TrueNas and Raspberry Pi OS aka Debian) are much easier to maintain.

 

Personally I think it's worth it to just bite the bullet and figure out a Linux-based system from the beginning. IMO many people are more scared of Linux than they should be.

[johnt]

7 hours ago, Ha-Satan said:

Personally I think it's worth it to just bite the bullet and figure out a Linux-based system from the beginning. IMO many people are more scared of Linux than they should be.

Well it could discourage the op completely. It’s best to start with lessons before jumping in. I’m not sure what level the op is at, but Linux is a lot easier these days with YouTube and ChatGPT. ChatGPT is incredible when it comes to laying out the steps and giving you the bash commands. I’ve been using it to give me direction with proxmox as well and it’s been very helpful. 

[Guest]

12 hours ago, AlexStarr said:

So i am planning to buy a old office prebuild to make a 24/7 minecraft server i

Why don't you try just taking any old box you have lying around and go through the motions to set it up and see what sort of performance you get -- and what problems you run into -- before laying out cash for something new?

 

If YOU don't have a spare box, it's likely a friend has one -- even if you promise to RETURN it after playing with it.

 

I suspect you will discover performance, maintenance  and usage issues that will alter your priorities, going forward.  So, you put up with the shortcomings of a "throwaway" box in exchange for refining your ideas as to what's REALLY important.

 

E.g., I have an insatiable appetite for off-line storage.  So, anything that can't support 8 or more spindles never makes it into my shop; it's too much work setting up a box just for 1/2/4 drives when I can invest the same amount of effort for 8/12/16 drives in roughly the same space.

 

Similarly, "proprietary" boxes (e.g., NASs with closed source software) aren't worth my time as I have to learn and practice for disaster recovery.  It's worth so much more to me to be able to just move disks to a different machine, apply power and be BACK up and running.

 

You may discover you want a lot more than 256GB of store.  Or, are willing to settle for SLOWER access because your LAN is the bottleneck.  Or, want some extra redundancy on the box for higher availability.  Or, that the minecraft server is underutilized and necessitated a higher performance box (for something you may not use).

 

Computers are ubiquitous.  Find one (or five!) to play with before committing to a solution that you may discover doesn't fit quite as well as you'd hoped.

[AlexStarr]

2 hours ago, johnt said:

Well it could discourage the op completely. It’s best to start with lessons before jumping in. I’m not sure what level the op is at, but Linux is a lot easier these days with YouTube and ChatGPT. ChatGPT is incredible when it comes to laying out the steps and giving you the bash commands. I’ve been using it to give me direction with proxmox as well and it’s been very helpful. 

Well i am the "have no clue what i am doing level ig" but i am willing to try linux

[AlexStarr]

1 hour ago, serverfarm said:

Why don't you try just taking any old box you have lying around and go through the motions to set it up and see what sort of performance you get -- and what problems you run into -- before laying out cash for something new?

 

If YOU don't have a spare box, it's likely a friend has one -- even if you promise to RETURN it after playing with it.

First off i don't have any spare that why i am willing to drop cash on it second most of my friends or anyone i know only own 1 laptop for college so yeah  i understand what you are saying but i don't really have any other option and if you say "just use your main pc" i don't really want my main pc to be on all the time 

[Ha-Satan]

On 4/18/2025 at 11:39 PM, johnt said:

Well it could discourage the op completely.

TBH I think most people would get more discouraged by attempting to use Windows as a server OS and having to deal with all of the issues that Windows throws up during this process. As a lifelong Windows user, I actually still found Windows to be pretty damn unintuitive to set up as a server OS.

[Superheat490]

On 4/18/2025 at 4:47 PM, Ha-Satan said:

Yep, I can second this. Windows can be used for server tasks but issues with authentication and the need to log back in after rebooting making it a real pain to maintain long-term. My other servers (running TrueNas and Raspberry Pi OS aka Debian) are much easier to maintain.

 

Personally I think it's worth it to just bite the bullet and figure out a Linux-based system from the beginning. IMO many people are more scared of Linux than they should be.

I wholeheartedly agree!   I have built several Linux based servers/NAS ,Rasp Pi OS over the years and just find that they are easy to run and maintain.  I hosted a few websites onto some large servers many years back and learned Linux back in those days(90's) when I was learning all about hosting my websites. If you are not use to Linux it is not hard to learn due to tons of great content out there.  It just runs with minimum fuss and simply works amazingly stable.  I just sat down few hrs ago and  ordered up a Rasp Pi5 8 Gb with a Hat for NVMe SSD drive setup.  I will be building this into a NAS/Server setup next week, ordered up a a 1TB drive for the SSS and have another 12TB server grade drive will use for my main vault.   

 

Last week put together my first computer build in years, went with all the latest great hardware and I want to ensure I do regular backups and such of the new system.  This type of setup serves a home user well, it is just a matter of hitting some sites and learning Linux, which I do not regret learning it many years ago.  Rasp Pi 5 has plenty of power for me for now and I have 3d printers so easy to build nice storage cases and rack.