ICT_GUY Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 I am thinking of building a home server / web server around an atom mobo combo and a linux distro. Total hardware cost is likely to be sub £100. The web server part is to use to test websites that I am building and allow customers to see the progress with out it taking up a slot on my main host. Also for the fun of it. Intel 945GC MITX/MATX Atom330 DDR2 (BOXD945GCLF2D) - dabs.com £66 I was thinking of using a USB stick instead of a HD for the OS, is this practical or will performance / reliability be a major issue. With 16GB flash drives available now it could be a very energy efficient proposition. I do have a load of 2.5 inch disks kicking around though. Anyone else done this or had experience of the various pitfalls involved?
ICT_GUY Posted March 14, 2010 Author Posted March 14, 2010 Anyone know if mini ITX fits any sort of standard case. Mini ITX cases cost a bomb.
SYNACK Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 Anyone know if mini ITX fits any sort of standard case. Mini ITX cases cost a bomb. They should do, they should use the innermost four backplane mounts of the Micro ATX form factor and mount up fine. It will also give the board lots of breathing room which is important if you want to make it as passively cooled as possible. mini-itx.com - faq Mini-ITX vs. Micro-ATX question? - MP3Car.com 1
Dos_Box Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 We looked at the possability of using an Atom\ION chipset for the server-room-in-a-box, but there is a RAM limitation on most boards which made it undesirable. 1
Ric_ Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 We looked at the possability of using an Atom\ION chipset for the server-room-in-a-box, but there is a RAM limitation on most boards which made it undesirable. That shouldn't effect the OP though... we wanted 4GB+ but a gig is probably more than enough for running Linux to test web pages and act as a fileserver for a couple of clients. 1
powdarrmonkey Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 I have done exactly this (though it's also a PPP router and mailserver) on an Intel D945GCLF and a gig of memory. It's Debian Lenny on a 4Gb flash disk (a fast one) - make sure you switch off access time recording on your filesystem to reduce the hammering it gets, and take a backup regularly in case of random failure. I can't comment on whether it will fit other cases, I have a Noah ITX case. 1
SYNACK Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 (edited) I use the older version of this in my Media Center/NAS [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Zotac-Atom-Intel-Motherboard-IONITX-F-E/dp/B002TKVK1M/ref=pd_cp_e_2]Amazon.com: Zotac Atom N330 Dual Core WiFi ITX Intel Motherboard IONITX-F-E: Electronics[/ame] Takes up to 4GB of RAM, supports SATA RAID and has a dual core Atom 330 along with a decent GPU. Burns about double the power of the single core intel boards but has more than twice the kick. Comes with 802.11n wireless and a PCI-E slot too depending on the model. Would probably fit the bill for a server in a box if you can cope with only 4GB of RAM and would make a nice fast personal server. Edited March 14, 2010 by SYNACK 1
EduTech Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 Want to put one in my car. i'll show you mine when i have it done.. i am just seeing if i can power it all using an inverter hehe!
FN-GM Posted March 15, 2010 Posted March 15, 2010 i'll show you mine when i have it done.. i am just seeing if i can power it all using an inverter hehe! oh dear....
EduTech Posted March 15, 2010 Posted March 15, 2010 oh dear.... Be interesting although i am thinking of just getting one of these and using my atom powered netbook (Samsung NC10) UNIVERSAL 7-13 INCH NETBOOK CAR MOUNT KIT HOLDER LAPTOP on eBay (end time 09-Apr-10 11:06:04 BST) James.
ICT_GUY Posted March 16, 2010 Author Posted March 16, 2010 I have a dell laptop with 512mb of ram and a very slow celeron. Running Ubuntu and xmapp. I can use VNC and ftp to access it. It seems to have more than enough grunt, the only issue I have so far is that FTP seems to take an age to authenticate. I am thinking a cheap netbook would also work, though I doubt that the maplins £100 job would last the week when plugged in 24/7.
Martin Posted March 16, 2010 Posted March 16, 2010 I was going to suggest an Acer Aspire Revo R3600 which was only £130 from eBuyer yesterday, but ouch they are now £150. Just bought an R3610 and they are very well made! Will be having a play with it at the weekend mb
plexer Posted March 16, 2010 Posted March 16, 2010 Acer machine plus one of these [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TH8ODS/ref=asc_df_B001TH8ODS592513?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=7974&creativeASIN=B001TH8ODS]MIMO UM-740 Touch Screen & USB Powered 7" TFT Swivel: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo[/ame] for a car pc? Ben
Ric_ Posted March 16, 2010 Posted March 16, 2010 @ICT_GUY: Something else that just occured to me for your purposes is a server in a plug... e.g TonidoPlug - Tiny, Low Power, Low Cost, Linux Home Server | Access your files, music and media from anywhere or PlugServer - can't beat that for small form factor can you? @EduTech: Do you really need the distraction of a computer in your car? 1
ICT_GUY Posted March 17, 2010 Author Posted March 17, 2010 (edited) @ICT_GUY: Something else that just occured to me for your purposes is a server in a plug... e.g TonidoPlug - Tiny, Low Power, Low Cost, Linux Home Server | Access your files, music and media from anywhere or PlugServer - can't beat that for small form factor can you? @EduTech: Do you really need the distraction of a computer in your car? Now that is something that looks like it could be awesome. If it would run as a proper web server then I could see a ton of potential in it. I may just buy one to play with. Runs the latest ubuntu? Fantastic! BTW I fixed the FTP login problem. It was to do with reverse lookups and logging of users, I edited the config file for proftp and now its instant log in and file transfer. Edited March 17, 2010 by ICT_GUY
Cools Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 this ones better.. New IT - Product Details GuruPlug-Server Plus 2x Gb Ethernet, 2 x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA @ 3Gb/s SATAII, 1x MicroSD Slot Mean & Green Drawing under 5 Watts of power, this little palm-sized powerhouse can handle all your biggest tasks while still saving about 96% on energy costs when compared to the average 175 Watt desktop computer. Limitless. You can customize your Plug to work in almost any industry - Home Automation, Security/Surveillance, Medical Monitoring, Industrial Automation, Smart Grid Electrical, Mesh and Grid Computing. Get Connected You can never have enough storage, not to mention fast access to all that data... That's why we have provided Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.O and eSATA connection options to the Server line of products. Go ahead give us what you got, we can take it. Package Contents: Interchangeable US, UK, or Euro Power Adapter USB Cable Ethernet (cat 5) Cable CD Containing Software and Documentations Technical data sheet GuruPlug-Server & GuruPlug-ServerPLUS….Can now be purchased and shipment starting from April 2010. All preorders for GuruPlug paid for by 21/3/2010 will receive 1 free JTAG module per order. all for £116 1
ICT_GUY Posted March 17, 2010 Author Posted March 17, 2010 These little server look to be a lot of fun. My little notebook is running wordpress like its on fire. Its so much quicker to work on than a live system.
ICT_GUY Posted March 17, 2010 Author Posted March 17, 2010 WebServUSB - World Smallest Web Server in a USB plug! Wow! Hang on a minute, cant you just put xampp on a £5 usb stick and save yourself a lot of money?
ICT_GUY Posted March 18, 2010 Author Posted March 18, 2010 (edited) Intel 945GC MITX/MATX Atom330 DDR2 (BOXD945GCLF2D) - dabs.com I found this, its micro atx so cheap cases here I come. Also this http://rudd-o.com/en/linux-and-free-software/a-better-way-to-create-a-customized-ubuntu-live-usb-drive. With a case board and half a gig of ram and a fast 8 gig memory stick, total cost would be around the £100 mark. That's pretty impressive for a dedicated webserver that should be whisper quiet and very low power. Or this if you like you life easy http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/ Edited March 18, 2010 by ICT_GUY
ICT_GUY Posted March 19, 2010 Author Posted March 19, 2010 I have used the above utility, I now have Ubunto on a USB stick that is both lightening fast and persistent and it wont hammer the stick.
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