Home Server...?

[KDF]

Pic of said rack? (I'm a data engineer so love stuff like this! Haha)

Iv been toying with the idea of a home server for a little while! For a little while I was using an old pc I found laying around, but ended up completely dieing (wasn't worth saving tbh) so I dumped the idea.

Reading on the proliant micro server has got me in the mood for a home server again. Not to sure what I will do network wise, ideally I want the server out of the way and not in my room.

Where do others put theirs? Others are using the attic, which sounds good to me. Currently I have the modem and wireless netgear router downstairs, with 2 cat6 cables to my room from the router. With a edimax (excess stuff from a job! Got another layin around!) patched into the router, and all my stuff patched into the switch (easiest way as I am always having mates around plugging pcs in lol)

Can't get rid of the router as everyone uses wifi, but it can't stay there same as the modem.

Bear with me while I brainstorm aloud, and a bit of advice? Seeing as others have done it before! Will defo relocate the modem, to the attic maybe? Or some cupboard, along with the switch, and mount it all in a 6U cab (got countless amounts of the f**kers in my van!!!), run cat6 everywhere I need it, and put the router in a cupboard with a cat6 link to the switch. Although, we has cable broadband, last time I tried plugging the router into the switch there was no internet through wifi, but didn't play around - maybe scrap this for a cisco AP I have somewhere.

Then proliant in the cab, possibly a NAS . Will defo use a RAID setup though. Will run WHS I think, although have 2008 r2 laying around which was given to me.

How does that sound? Mainly will use it for media streaming and backing up. This will be my little baby for a while I think. Just need the CAT6 and a rack, and order the server!

Sorry, moving into a new build house in a few weeks (I managed to get the builders to pre-wire it with pink c-bus cable all going to the loft space) so no pics. But for the record I didn't bother with a sound proofed one as I won't hear the kit in the loft space anyway.. I decided in the end to go for an open frame 25U flat pack and literally just ordered a 48 port patch panel, 24 port managed switch etc

I am going to be doing full automation of the house using Idratek and have enough kit delivered to get started writing code.. thankfully they have an API and are open to development suggestions, I've already written proof of concept software to control my new Panny P55VT50 plasma tv over IP, an Onkyo AVR receiver and have also written software to intercept Siri voice commands and pass them onto my media server.. I am also going to write proof of concept software to control Sonos kit (time permitting)

I am getting Virgin 100mbit installed in my house and will be asking the engineers to run the cable to the loft as that will be Node 0. It's worth noting that if you are going to be running all that kit in your loft and you have a timber frame house (even if you don't) you should have smoke/heat detectors installed !! my home automation takes care of that and will alert me audibly, switch all the lights on in the house and kindly ask me to leave lol

I'll be doing a 'blog' or something once I start and my source code will be freely available to whoever might have a use for it.

 

[Tom]

Geek.

There was a piece years ago on a guy that managed to get a JARVIS like service running. That would be cool.

 

[richy22]

Got a link anywhere for that Tom?

Edit this one??

http://hackaday.com/2010/04/07/23073/

 

[Tom]

That's the one

 

[richy22]

I like that idea. I like the RFID idea as well. Although with the power cuts I get living in the country it would be a right pita.

 

[AK]

Gareth, would this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00265L1S2/?tag=cliospnet01-21

And these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0018YNY28/?tag=cliospnet01-21

Work?

 

[Gareth]

Yes, I can't see any reason why not.

 

[AK]

Cheers mate. Will give them a bash.

 

[Gareth]

I've got my ML110 G7 up and running now, upgraded it to 16GB memory and a Xeon E3-1230 Quad Core CPU.

 

[AK]

Nice. My NAS is just sat there, lol. Haven't even bought those speakers for it yet.

 

[Danny133]

Just bought and set up my server last night. One of those £230 HP Prolient jobbys with the £100 cash back.

Wacked on Ubuntu server edition, Plex and Samba - Got myself a fully functioning server that streams media/streams files to my phone/iPad anywhere in the world in under 3 hours. Well chuffed at the results!

Well worth the investment I say, going to set up a SMS message gateway on it next so I can pretend to send texts to anyone like that dailytxts website someone posted on here a while ago.

How can u access it round the world? AK has the same setup and can only access it over local wifi?

 

[Andy.]

My plex. You have to register.

 

[Danny133]

Ah yeah i have that .. been trying to convince AK to use it not XBMC but hes a bell and wont touch it.

Im about to take the plunge and buy a N40L.

Anybody have a link to the cheapest module of 8GB Ram for it? - And Also a link to a half decent graphics card?

Not sure whether to use Win7,8 or WHS2011?

 

[Jay_G]

Ah yeah i have that .. been trying to convince AK to use it not XBMC but hes a bell and wont touch it.

Im about to take the plunge and buy a N40L.

Anybody have a link to the cheapest module of 8GB Ram for it? - And Also a link to a half decent graphics card?

Not sure whether to use Win7,8 or WHS2011?

How comes you need a graphics card mate? If its for plex, it's useless.

 

[Danny133]

To output to my TV via Hdmi

 

[Gavin.]

Bit of a read bump bump but no point in starting another thread. I'm looking at getting myself a media server for use with Plex, anyone have any recommendations?
Ideally it needs to be raided, no single point of failure and needs to be powerful enough to do the transcoding for Plex. So far I'm leaning toward a Mac Pro 1.1, upgraded up to OS X Mavericks. The one i've found is a 2006, 2 x 2.66mhz Xeon Dual core CPU's and 7gb Ram for £190. What do you reckon?

 

[Gavin.]

Nevermind, I bought it

 

[cava83]

Bit of a read bump bump but no point in starting another thread. I'm looking at getting myself a media server for use with Plex, anyone have any recommendations?
Ideally it needs to be raided, no single point of failure and needs to be powerful enough to do the transcoding for Plex. So far I'm leaning toward a Mac Pro 1.1, upgraded up to OS X Mavericks. The one i've found is a 2006, 2 x 2.66mhz Xeon Dual core CPU's and 7gb Ram for £190. What do you reckon?

Power Thirsty. If you don't need to actually do anything on the unit itself, I would have said to you to purchase the Synology version specially for transcoding. Personally I have a 1513+ and it works really well. I am considering buying a second version, replicating to each other and then again offsite.

However, that is a good price you got there for the Mac

 

[Gavin.]

Power Thirsty. If you don't need to actually do anything on the unit itself, I would have said to you to purchase the Synology version specially for transcoding. Personally I have a 1513+ and it works really well. I am considering buying a second version, replicating to each other and then again offsite.

However, that is a good price you got there for the Mac

So I believe, not actually sure on real world running costs of leaving it on 24/7, I'll soon find out I guess.
I deal with a lot of raw files and my current NAS cannot cope with them, it just falls over. OS X doesn't even display a preview image. The Mac Pro has more than enough processing power. It is a good price to be fair, there's more on there for that price too a little messing to get Mavericks on it is required though.

 

[cava83]

So I believe, not actually sure on real world running costs of leaving it on 24/7, I'll soon find out I guess.
I deal with a lot of raw files and my current NAS cannot cope with them, it just falls over. OS X doesn't even display a preview image. The Mac Pro has more than enough processing power. It is a good price to be fair, there's more on there for that price too :wink: a little messing to get Mavericks on it is required though.

Depends on the raw file and how you're accesing them. If you're trying to use WiFi for massive files that's going to suck. Gig always and I tend to recommend a scratch disk if working with files locally (again depending on file size).
Nevertheless, good luck

 

[Danny133]

I bought a Mac Mini in the end and use an attached external HD. I use it As sever and client with Plex home theater

 

[J203425]

How come everyone seems to be using plex? Surely a better setup is a nas drive with either a raspberry pi or an Xbox to pull the media from it? Removes the need for a pc running plex entirely

 

[iain187]

I have a silent PC because it's just more flexible than a Pi

I can login to my dads sky go, download stuff from legal sources and anything else I want really