small server :)

[pensils]

hi.

 

so i see many people having extremely powerful storage servers and all  those stuffs. So I am thinking of making a small server to be run in my home as a media and storage server. 

 

stuff that i already own

-a couple of ddr2 1gb dimms

-a pentium 4 @2.93 Ghz

-a stock fan

-a 250gb hdd (uh, will upgrade, this will be primary)

 

is this enough for a small server?

not much use, as said, only to store some info from anywhere in the house, and as a small media server. probably will run ubuntu and xbmc?

 

what all things do i have to consider before putting this into it's work?

 

-thanks. 

 

since it'll be on 24/7, should i consider putting a aftermarket cooler? 

Edited September 19, 2014 by pensils

[Judahnator]

Yeah, that looks good for a basic file/media server.

 

If you are going to make it a storage server, load Ubuntu Server on it and use Samba to create the shares.

If you want a media server, xbmc is rock solid.

[MuffinTopMike]

Some more RAM would be good, but other than that it should be fine, you also might need more storage if you are going to do backups. Linux is the best option for OS, because I doubt it would run any Windows software, but in my opinion Linux is better for servers.

[pensils]

Some more RAM would be good, but other than that it should be fine, you also might need more storage if you are going to do backups. Linux is the best option for OS, because I doubt it would run any Windows software, but in my opinion Linux is better for servers.

I also have another kit for ddr2. but both are totally different. does it cause a problem if i put both of them together? 

[MuffinTopMike]

I also have another kit for ddr2. but both are totally different. does it cause a problem if i put both of them together? 

If its a different brand then its fine, but you need to make sure that they both have the same frequency and timings.

[pensils]

If its a different brand then its fine, but you need to make sure that they both have the same frequency and timings.

i'm not sure about the timings. the first one i mentioned in the original post is of kingston as much as i remember. and the another one , i have to check if it works or not lol. their frequencies differ though. so it might just not work. 

[pensils]

and yes, since it'll be on 24/7*, should i consider putting a aftermarket cooler? 

 

24/7*: That's no problem right? I might just switch it off on sundays to clean the pc with some compressed air and stuff. 

[MuffinTopMike]

i'm not sure about the timings. the first one i mentioned in the original post is of kingston as much as i remember. and the another one , i have to check if it works or not lol. their frequencies differ though. so it might just not work. 

 

If you post the names or specs of the RAM then we can check for you, but if the frequency is different then I doubt it will work.

and yes, since it'll be on 24/7*, should i consider putting a aftermarket cooler? 

 

24/7*: That's no problem right? I might just switch it off on sundays to clean the pc with some compressed air and stuff. 

The stock cooler should be fine, just make sure you use new thermal paste. If the cooler is really old then you could always get an aftermarket cooler, but it might be hard to find one that fits a Pentium 4, so you might have to look on ebay. 

[ironbound]

 

Option 1: GIGABYTE GA-D525TUD

Drop the cpu and get this mobo(or like it) that still supports your DDR2 memory(I did this back in the day)

 

Option Duce: ASRock C2750D4I

High end board that supports handfuls of Sata drives and DDR3 mems

 

​From experience it was difficult to get enough  DDR2, for what I had wished to build the fileserver for,

in the end purchased new parts:

AMD A10 Cpu,

Gigabyte mobo /w 8 Sata ports; &

16GB DDR3

 

More then enough hardware to support Linux, Btrfs and 10 Harddrives(25TB)

 

Hope this gives you some options, otherwise let us know how much $$$ you have to work with.

[pensils]

If you post the names or specs of the RAM then we can check for you, but if the frequency is different then I doubt it will work.

The stock cooler should be fine, just make sure you use new thermal paste. If the cooler is really old then you could always get an aftermarket cooler, but it might be hard to find one that fits a Pentium 4, so you might have to look on ebay. 

thanks for your help

Well, it'll take some time for me to bring that box out with all those shits and then remove the dimms. but I will tell you both of them

 

regarding the cooler, i think it's fine. I never used it. Just used it like twice as a test service. it's still in he box lol. 

[pensils]

 

*cough*

 

well, i don't need that high end lol. I will die before the storage even comes to half. lol.

 

But I liked your second option. Just have to check if the stores have this right now. 

 

edit: about 4 tb is enough for me.

and i have about 500$ (will have ) to spare. 

[pensils]

and yes, what is redundancy. AFAIK, It should be high right? 

[MuffinTopMike]

and yes, what is redundancy. AFAIK, It should be high right? 

So I assume you mean redundancy like in RAID. So there are heaps of different types of raid and Linus has some videos on them, but for servers your probably going to be looking at RAID 1 or 5. So basically the point of raid is that all your data is spread across multiple drives, so if one of your drives dies all you have to do is plug in a new one and and the data that was on the dead drive is copied onto the new one. When people say redundancy it is how many drives can die without loosing any data. I use RAID 5 in my server and my redundancy is 1 drive because 1 drive can die and I will loose non of my data. Most older motherboards won't have RAID onboard so you will have to buy a RAID controller, you can get a decent one for under $50. Linus' TechQuickie video on RAID explains it really well.

[pensils]

So I assume you mean redundancy like in RAID. So there are heaps of different types of raid and Linus has some videos on them, but for servers your probably going to be looking at RAID 1 or 5. So basically the point of raid is that all your data is spread across multiple drives, so if one of your drives dies all you have to do is plug in a new one and and the data that was on the dead drive is copied onto the new one. When people say redundancy it is how many drives can die without loosing any data. I use RAID 5 in my server and my redundancy is 1 drive because 1 drive can die and I will loose non of my data. Most older motherboards won't have RAID onboard so you will have to buy a RAID controller, you can get a decent one for under $50. Linus' TechQuickie video on RAID explains it really well.

thanks

 

i will be building this server by next month. May be putting some pics, and may need you guys' help

[MuffinTopMike]

thanks

 

i will be building this server by next month. May be putting some pics, and may need you guys' help

Awesome, sure put up some pics it would be cool to see.

[ironbound]

@pensils

Good stuff man, in the mean time check out the following for OS and RAID.

 

http://www.freenas.org/ and RAID5/RAIDZ

[ironbound]

well, i don't need that high end lol. I will die before the storage even comes to half. lol.

 

But I liked your second option. Just have to check if the stores have this right now. 

 

edit: about 4 tb is enough for me.

and i have about 500$ (will have ) to spare. 

Just remembered about this, since you have a bit of cash to work with might be an option too.

 

HP Proliant Microserver N36L

 

Supports a few drives and is alot like a cheap NAS box/PC.