[Tfug] DIY Server Components

[Bexley Hall]

Hi, Jeff,

--- Jeff Berry <jjberry at email.arizona.edu> wrote:

> I'm thinking about putting together a simple server
> for a home network 
> and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations
> for what 
> brands/models of components (i.e. motherboard, chip
> set, ethernet card, 
> etc.) work well with unix. Are there any that I
> should stay away from? I 
> basically just want something that I can use to host
> a website and store 
> data on, accessible through ssh, sftp, etc.

Is performance a *real* issue?  I.e. I suspect
this just has to address *your* personal needs
(its not like you're expecting 10,000 hits per
hour on your web site, etc.).

Since you probably want tis to be up 24/7
(i.e., you don't want to have to power it down
every night and then up again each morning),
I would be looking for something that uses
very low power.  E.g., my recent comments
re: the SPARC LX are for just such a use...
it is a *slow* processor -- by today's
standards -- but serves *my* needs quite
adequately (I am willing to wait a few hundred
milliseconds for a web page to get served up!)
but it draws very little power (i.e., I think
the disk drive accounts for 20% of the total
power required!  Contrast that with more
"modern" CPUs that spend lots of watts waiting
for you to need them  :< )

I think the biggest compatibility issues you face
will be video and audio (and USB, in some cases)
support.  But, if it is used as a server (as you
claim), then these are non-issues -- run it
headless and/or with just a text console.

HTH,
--don



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