Winter Project: Server

[nate22]

Hey,
    Winters coming around and I won't be able to enjoy the outdoors to the fact that I hate the cold so I decided to start a project. I'd like to build a server of some sort. I've taught myself everything I know about computers through trial and error. I figured this would be a good way to grasp a better understanding of the networking side of things, which i lack experience in. If you guys have any good information on setting up a server that acts like NAS but can still be accessed from the internet I'd appreciate it. Once I gather enough info and feel comfortable with the process I'll go ahead and try and set one up. I plan on documenting the whole experience and posting it on the internet for later reference.

Much appreciated,
Nate

[SilentAssasin64]

Will you be using *nix or Windows to do this?  If the former, I have setup quite a few personal SSH and FTP servers over the years and would be more than happy to help where I can.  There are also lots of good tutorials about it on Librenix and HowToForge.

If you're planning on using Windows, I'm afraid I may not be of much help.  Pretty out of my element there.

Also, what are the specs on the machine you plan on using for this?

[nate22]

Well at the moment I have a Dell Optiplex gx280. It has a Pentium 4 with windows xp on it with what i believe is a 512MB stick of ram. Software wise I can go either way. I myself am more familiar with windows but this project is meant to be a learning experience for me so I am more than willing to try whatever software you recommend. The budget is preferably around 200 dollars but my max is 300. Like I said tho I know very little about servers and networking so just giving your fair warning I may ask a lot of questions that you might find stupid or a no brain-er. ha ha I appreciate any help you can give me tho.

[SilentAssasin64]

I like your enthusiasm.  One of the great things about running Linux on a home server is it can fit well withing any budget you have.  I just transitioned away from Ubuntu, which is what I did the vast majority of my early learning on, so I would recommend that.  Very easy to get a good, solid server up and running while still learning a lot in the process.  I will forewarn you, though.  The learning curve of *nix is very, very steep if you have an all Windows background.  However, with that said, I'll be more than happy to help where I can.  Just gotta keep an open mind and keep moving forward.

The hardware you have listed should be more than adequate for a personal server (depending on the use).  Which brings me to my next question: what are you going to be using this server for?  File Server?  Proxy/Cache? HTPC?  Once we determine the uses for it, it will be much easier to recommend more specific software packages and tools.

[Sid]

Well at the moment I have a Dell Optiplex gx280. It has a Pentium 4 with windows xp on it with what i believe is a 512MB stick of ram. Software wise I can go either way. I myself am more familiar with windows but this project is meant to be a learning experience for me so I am more than willing to try whatever software you recommend. The budget is preferably around 200 dollars but my max is 300. Like I said tho I know very little about servers and networking so just giving your fair warning I may ask a lot of questions that you might find stupid or a no brain-er. ha ha I appreciate any help you can give me tho.

With that budget you're probably going to have to go down the *nix route, as Windows Server isn't cheap to buy.

[nate22]

I like your enthusiasm.  One of the great things about running Linux on a home server is it can fit well withing any budget you have.  I just transitioned away from Ubuntu, which is what I did the vast majority of my early learning on, so I would recommend that.  Very easy to get a good, solid server up and running while still learning a lot in the process.  I will forewarn you, though.  The learning curve of *nix is very, very steep if you have an all Windows background.  However, with that said, I'll be more than happy to help where I can.  Just gotta keep an open mind and keep moving forward.

The hardware you have listed should be more than adequate for a personal server (depending on the use).  Which brings me to my next question: what are you going to be using this server for?  File Server?  Proxy/Cache? HTPC?  Once we determine the uses for it, it will be much easier to recommend more specific software packages and tools.

Well, I'd love to set up a HTPC but i find it a little useless since I don't have any HDTV in my house yet, so a file server would be a lot more use full to me. What software do you recommend?

[SilentAssasin64]

I personally prefer using FTP when doing a home server.  Others like Samba, though.  More of a personal preference.  I find FTP easier to setup, manage, and more compatible with various settings.

For this I would go the route of Ubuntu (or any distro of your choice) with VSFTPD, simple to setup and get going and very stable.

[rthompson80819]

If it's for a learning experience I would try every server software I could find.  Linux would be a good start since it's mostly free.  That will help you get used to using the command prompt if you are mostly used to Windows. 

I've seen some older Windows server software on Bay for $100 or so (buyer beware).  Unix won't be going away anytime soon.

Once you get comfortable with the command prompt, going from one OS to another isn't that hard.

[SilentAssasin64]

If it's for a learning experience I would try every server software I could find.  Linux would be a good start since it's mostly free.  That will help you get used to using the command prompt if you are mostly used to Windows. 

I've seen some older Windows server software on Bay for $100 or so (buyer beware).  Unix won't be going away anytime soon.

Once you get comfortable with the command prompt, going from one OS to another isn't that hard.

Agree 100%.  I've gotten so used to the *nix CLI that I install Cygwin on every Windows install I use personally.

On topic, though.  The best way to learn about stuff like this is by getting your hands dirty with it.  As mentioned earlier, I'll be more than happy to help out where I can.

[Linux711]

so a file server would be a lot more use full to me. What software do you recommend?

FreeNAS. It's the easiest way to make a simple file server and it only uses about 20MB of space to install. It has CIFS (Samba), FTP, NFS, HTTP, BitTorrent, and a few more I can't remember. It also has JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 5 so if you have a lot of extra hdds, you can setup a RAID system without having a RAID card. The only downside to using it is it's so easy to setup, you probably won't learn much.