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Ask Slashdot: Building a Home Media Center/Small Server In a Crawlspace?
An anonymous reader writes "I've decided it's time for me to build a separate machine specifically for use as a Media Center/Small Home Server. My wife and I haven't had cable TV in years, instead relying entirely on Netflix, other streaming sites, and hard copies we've bought over the years. Having just finished ripping our entire media collection (CDs, DVDs, and even our vinyls and VHS with the help of a capture card and some sweet digital voodoo) to a couple HDDs, I'm feeling froggy. Up until now we've been using WDTV Live, and it's been pretty snazzy, but I want to upgrade to a dedicated media machine instead of piggybacking off of my office computer. It'll be a Windows based machine utilizing Plex, and it's going in the crawlspace of the house. The crawlspace in question is unfinished, but I do have a dry concrete slab down there where I can put/mount/assemble something. Cooling won't be an issue obviously, and I am keeping a close eye on hardware specs with regards to moisture. It is still a crawlspace though. What would be a good setup to to house the hardware? Priorities being to safeguard against moisture, vermin, and dirt. Modified PC Tower? Rack? Build an enclosure? Something I haven't considered?
Please assume I'm stubborn and absolutely dead-set on putting it in the crawlspace to avoid the discussion devolving into the 'best' place to put a media machine." Do you have a question to Ask Slashdot? Fire away, with details, using our submissions form.
Please assume I'm stubborn and absolutely dead-set on putting it in the crawlspace to avoid the discussion devolving into the 'best' place to put a media machine." Do you have a question to Ask Slashdot? Fire away, with details, using our submissions form.
Please assume I'm stubborn and absolutely dead-set on putting it in the crawlspace to avoid the discussion devolving into the 'best' place to put a media machine."
Actually there is no need to devolve into that. We don't need to discuss which places are better as you have literally chosen one of the worst places in your house for this. You will have issues with dust. You will have issues with humidity. You will have issues with small animals. There is absolutely 0 chance you will successfully protect your machine from these issues, and the fact that you have already discounted even the discussion of it proves you not only don't really want our help, but that you won't listen to it if we give it.
All I am going to say is have fun.
Look into encapsulating the crawl space. I bought 20 mil plastic for the purpose, insulated the perimeter, and sealed all the vents. Humidity levels are now the same as inside the house, almost always cooler than the house too. The only issue I have at all is that by the middle of winter any areas that are tile feel a bit chilly over the cold ground, but not that bad. Feels really nice in the summer too which takes up more of the year here than winter.
If you're OK with doing some minor renos, how about building a sunken cabinet that extends into the floor? You could seal it off from the rest of the crawlspace to keep out the vermin/moisture. And you could also build something to hang some rackmount cases from so that the front panels would be facing up. This way you could get a 1U to run your OS with Plex on it, and then have a 3U case for your NAS. Oh and probably room for a batter backup too! You'd be able to put some sort of a cover over and put carpet on it so it would be hidden. But when you need to replace a drive or upgrade your system you'd have relatively easy access. This sort of setup might make cabling easier for you as well.
Dear Slashdot, I have a 1 and a 3 and I need add them and make 5. How can I add them together to get 5? Please don't tell me 1+3=4. I need it to be 5.
There's zero fucking reason to put an HTPC in a crawl space. Get a small machine and stick it by/behind the TV. Minimal power / video / network cabling, minimal worry of dust / moisture / temperature, minimal issues with connecting to a keyboard / mouse / remote, minimal issues with access when it needs to be physically powered on off (and it will), minimal cost, etc. They even have cases small enough that you can mount them on the TV's VESA mounting holes.
Dear Slashdot, I have a 1 and a 3 and I need add them and make 5. How can I add them together to get 5?
Use the 1 twice?
I am now picturing your car being stolen by joyriding mice who wrapped it around a telephone pole and then stumbled away from the wreckage in drunken laughter.
I refuse to entertain any other possible meaning of your statement.
Could also be he doesn't want his wife to know where he's physically keeping his pr0n server.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned using a decent NAS instead of a PC for your hardware already. A 4 bay NAS from QNAP or Synology would store your media and serve it up via Plex or some other DNLA server. The footprint is small enough that all of the good points about not putting expensive electronics in a crawlspace become moot. HTH
Take off every 'sig' for great justice.