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What's the Best Server for Home Use?
vrmlguy writes "I've seen recent posts about low-power, off-grid computing and about small systems, but neither quite captures the object of my desire. I'm looking for the ideal LAMP-based server for home use. Cost of ownership (though not TCO!) is one of my primary concerns, followed closely by reliability. Here's my idea of the perfect server. The software requirements are easy. I want to run Slash, WIKI and/or blogging software that I and my family can access worldwide. The system should be able to keep up with requests coming in via DSL or cable-modem, but doesn't need to withstand slashdotting. There are Linux-based systems available for under $200, which appeal to me as a low-cost base. I would want to add at least one additional disk for OS-level RAID. Also, since this is a server, it will need to be available 24x7, which could run up my electric bill. Therefore, I'm willing to spend a bit more for something that supports a 'napping' mode that can, say, spin down the disks and slow down the CPU, but still respond to web-page requests. Are there systems available that do what I need at a price I can afford?"
I'm running a mini-itx at work. They consume less than 40 watts (not counting the HDDs) and can manage without active (fan) cooling. Also, they are small and have network integrated.
Since nowhere in your post did you mention that it must be a fast machine, and your desired goals are very light-weight, just buy a cheap, slow Pentium machine from Ebay or a place like this.
Save energy how you can, if it's important to you. Toss the CPU fan, and keep the heatsink. GlobalWin makes some huge Socket7 heatsinks which are suitable for this, all of which come with easily-removed fans screwed to them.
I've got a P133 which has been running various incarnations of Windows (now 2k) for years, with only a quiet PSU fan and a modest 6.5gig Seagate drive which spends most of its life spun down. It's nearly silent, doesn't make much heat, and I don't even think about its power consumption.
Configuring hdparm/apmd/kernel/BIOS to put the system to sleep would be good. As long as you don't let it drop into suspend mode, it'll come right back to life as needed.
Avoid hardware that you don't need. Don't use a sound card, find a slow/old/efficient video card. Keep things simple.
If you're worried about the reliability of a used machine, don't be. Remember, only the moving parts are subject to wearing out in normal use. Of these moving parts, you'll be completely eliminating the CPU fan. You can buy a nice new Sunon or Panaflow fan to replace whatever comes with the PSU, either of which should last a long, long time (the last dead fan I replaced was a Sunon that I've had spinning for 8 years).
All that's left is the hard drive, and you'll probably want to buy a couple of new ones no matter what you do, anyway, so that you've got two of them that match for your RAID.
That all said, I'm not exactly sure how this is Ask Slashdot material -- even if it's not something Google easily spits out answers for. Since specifications are so decisively absent, and cost is a factor, there's no way in hell you're going to listen to any of our suggestions, as none of them will be nifty enough or cheap enough for whatever purposes you actually end up using the thing for.
I strongly suspecct that you're either lost trying to figure out what kind of horsepower you need for the software you haven't picked yet, or that you already have a good idea of what you want and are looking for some sort of devine Slashdot Affirmation of your unspoken decisions. But you didn't ask us for software advice, or moral support - you asked us about hardware.
Running a glorified bulletin board for a small household is not a difficult task for a computer -- I had hundreds of users dialing into my 10MHz XT a decade ago, and things were plenty fast. WWIV under DOS, FWIW. In other words, the slowest computer capable of running Linux is more than fast enough for your purposes.
Find yourself a nice 386SL notebook, and be happy. The one I have here draws less than 12 Watts at full tilt, and the hard drive spins up in less than 2 seconds. Powersaving features are built-in, and the box supports killing the power to unneeded accessories. I just put Slackware 8.1 on it tonight, and things are looking good with a $2 PCMCIA network card. I bet an old Tandy/Northgate/AST/Blue Dolphin/Honeywell/AT&T/whatever 386 would work just as well, with a slight power-efficiency disadvantage.
And if you think you need anything faster than a 7-year-old Pentium desktop with RAID or a 10-year-old notebook for your family to write notes to eachother not more than several times a day, call Dell and buy yourself a new Optiplex or Dimension or whatever it is that they're hawking these days.
Or, stop complicating life by making things so simple, and invest in a corkboard and some scrap paper, plus a few moments to consider a proper location in which to put them.
Kid-proof tablet..
You want a laptop!
- Get something a couple years old
- Load the OS and software
- Pull the optical drive and replace it with your mirror HD
- set up software RAID
A laptop sounds almost ideal for your use -- low power (the powerbricks usually draw 70 to 100 watts), and they include a sleep mode for the CPU / disks / screen / etc. As an added bonus, they're quite compact and include their own keyboard, mouse, screen, and speakers! A nice little 3Com 10-base ethernet card (if the unit doesn't come with ethernet built-in), and you're all set.I'm a big fan of IBM ThinkPads. A nice, small (5 pounds or so) ThinkPad 600X (P-III/500, 256 MB, 20 GB, 1024x768 (XGA?), DVD reader) should sell on Ebay for about $600. Also, it's quiet! (That's important if this thing is going to live in an apartment.)
If that price is a bit high, step a little further back. The P-IIs get REALLY cheap ($200 range, though you give up memory and HD size too), and if you find something with an 800x600 screen it will be a lot less. (Unless it's a 'palmtop'.)
If you're in New England, check out Kaplan Computers in Manchester, CT. If you're in the Pacific Northwest, check out Boeing Surplus or RePC -- both have stores (in | near) Kent. If you aren't near any of these, sorry, I can't suggest anything other than (shudder) eBay.
"...America's great minds of today, teaching America's great minds of tomorrow. Poor bastards." -- A Beautiful Min
So when the basement floods, or a fire breaks out, you can feel secure knowing that not one, but two copies of your data were destroyed at the same time.
RAID != backup.
Raid == fault tolerance. When one drive goes bad, your data is still ok.
Backup is for allowing you to get a system up and running again in the face of total catastrophy. Like a meteor hitting the house.
So use raid setups, but don't think you are off the hook for doing backups. Not unless you really could do without the data.
My current DNS, mail, and web server is 11.5" x 2.5" x 10.75" and draws about 20 watts. It's based on the VIA C3 EPIA motherboard. The only downside for your use is that there's only room for one hard drive inside this tiny case. But it's cheap (less than $200) and as the power input is 12V, I use two paralleled gel-cells for a UPS. (That way I can swap out one battery for maintenance without interrupting anything.) My DSL router also runs off 12V. Linux installed very easily.
There's a similar VIA-CPU based low power motherboard for a little less money that draws so little power that there's no CPU fan. For reliability this may be a good choice as it reduces the number of moving parts.
If you insist on room for two hard drives, see these cases.