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Energy Efficient and Cheap Servers for Home Use?

Posted by Cliff on from the losing-less-money-down-the-outlet dept.

CapnRob asks: "I just got married, and my wife and I are putting together a home network in the (small) apartment we're now living in. We'd like to set up a firewall/mail server/small-file-server, but all the machines we own right now are pretty big machines that pull a fair amount of power, and that we don't want to keep running 24/7. Since our mail and file server needs are pretty low, our ideal box would be something like a Linksys WRT45G with one of the open source firmwares ... if only you could add a small hard drive to it. We're both long-time FreeBSD users, so installing a *nix system is no big deal, but what I've found so far in this line needs more l337 soldering iron skillz than I've got. Any suggestions for tiny little cheap boxes that won't send our power bills into orbit?"

26 of 594 comments (clear)

  1. whoa! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You found a BSD chick? roxxor!

    1. Re:whoa! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
      You found a BSD chick? roxxor!

      I happen to know there are some BSD chix out there. They like Star Trek, Star Wars, computer games, Dungeons and Dragons, and love wild sex. Unfortunately 90% of them are five foot two and weigh in at 250 pounds.

    2. Re:whoa! by UranusReallyHertz · · Score: 4, Funny

      geeky, smart, hot. Choose any two.

      --
      Smoking is an expensive, slow, and unreliable method of suicide.
    3. Re:whoa! by kevman42 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hilarious...the parent is modded as "Informative"...like some person with mod points was reading through the posts, saw that one, and thought "Hm, I didn't know the BSD chix weighed in at 250. Next time I see h0tti3BSDbab3 online, I'll know not to flirt with her anymore, because I like my women thin".

    4. Re:whoa! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
      Beg to differ. Mine is young, tall, thin, hot, funny, technical (computer security no less) and pulls down big bucks.
      Has she noticed you following her yet?
    5. Re:whoa! by amide_one · · Score: 3, Funny

      > pulls down big bucks.

      Bare-handed? or does she hunt the deer with dogs? :)

    6. Re:whoa! by uberdave · · Score: 2, Funny

      Sorry. My N key is fiicky.

      --
      "I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
    7. Re:whoa! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      You have GOT to be kidding. I suggest visiting Slashdot to kill that unfounded notion.

    8. Re:whoa! by babyrat · · Score: 2, Funny

      ummmm no - we were talking about women - sane doesn't apply. :)

  2. Just do what I do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Move into an apartment with utilities included.

    AC 24/7, free electricity... It's like a server farm in here.

    1. Re:Just do what I do by bobbozzo · · Score: 2, Funny
      Our electricity isn't included, but water is... so we hooked a generator to the tap and let the water flow freely.

      Then you should be able to have free watercooling too!

      --
      Nothing to see here; Move along.
  3. Slashdot by couldntthinkupagoodn · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you're planning on making the file server accessable from online, whatever you do, don't post the link. I've never heard of a slashdotted house before, but I can't imagine how hard it would be.

  4. This guy is a fraud! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Geek guys never find a geek girl that has actually used FreeBSD or any open source OS. The only geek girls that exist are those hot cam girls that take their clothes off.

  5. Priorities? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Perhaps give up the wife and then a big massive AMD-64 system would fit in nicely.

  6. None of us believe you by mark*workfire · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just got married, and my wife and I are putting together a home network in the (small) apartment we're now living in. We'd like to set up a firewall/mail server/small-file-server ....

    Dude, honestly, none of us believe you. You should have included a link to your marriage certificate and a picture of yourselves. People posting articles on Slashdot aren't married.

    Besides, you just got married, and your interested in the network ?????

    1. Re:None of us believe you by big+tex · · Score: 4, Funny

      I have over 0x800 posts.

      Dude, 0 times anything is still zero.

      You're not impressing anybody.

      --
      I think I need a new sig here.
    2. Re:None of us believe you by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 3, Funny

      There's 0x10 kinds of people in the world: those who know hex, and 15 other kinds..

    3. Re:None of us believe you by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 2, Funny
      Besides, you just got married, and your interested in the network ?????

      Hell yeah! When I first married, I didn't think about anything other than sockets for months. Now I mostly yearn for the days with a fat pipe in promiscuous mode. At least I'm hooked up with thin-net, unlike some of my old peers.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  7. No where to hide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Dude, your wife has complete access to the network? Where do you keep your pr0n?

  8. Obsolyte! by tekrat · · Score: 4, Funny

    As the owner of http://www.obsolyte.com, which is running on one of these little boxes, I'd like to thank you for slashdotting my poor little server into the ground... However, I guess it's good test for the server to see if it can withstand it -- if it can, than I guess that's the box they are looking for in the "ask slashdot"....

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
    1. Re:Obsolyte! by sirReal.83. · · Score: 2, Funny

      Wow, what fools wrote Coral's software? It caches the 503 error page. Talk about defeating the purpose... they totally fail it.

  9. Stunned, Shocked, REALLY F***ING JEALOUS by Donoho · · Score: 2, Funny

    I just got married, and my wife and I are putting together a home network...

    No really, I'm verklempt.

    --
    Michalangelo Progr
  10. I did that once by EvilStein · · Score: 2, Funny

    The maintenance people said that they were afraid I was a fire hazard!

    Damn, I should have kept that apartment. Heh.

  11. Re:Old Laptop (aka a "california server") by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    : Why do you think its called a "California Server"?

    because only in california is the cost of living so high that even an old laptop is considered low cost.

  12. Re:Openbrick by fiddlesticks · · Score: 2, Funny

    >I run Debian, but have installed openbsd for kicks, also.

    I really love /. sometimes.

    my friends and colleagues *dread* (re)installing OSs ('upgrading windows' or 'moving to OSX'), preparing for months, canvasing advice, backing *everything* up (the OS they are getting rid of, for example), *taking the afternoon off* to do so, ringing me as they do it, etc etc etc

    here, people install openbsd 'for kicks' on weird 'old' computers

    that's why i love slash

    ps, i want an openbrick :)

    --
    http://milkshake.dexy.org
  13. poor bastard by FLoWCTRL · · Score: 2, Funny

    "I just got married, and my wife and I are putting together a home network ... we're now ... We'd like ... we own ... we don't want ... our needs ... our ideal ... We're both ... our ..."

    lol!

    Translation:

    I just got married; I no longer do, like, own, want, need or imagine anything myself. Please help.