Simple file/print server, with potential for retooling

[mathnerd]

Hello forum experts!

I'm planning to build a simple home server, running Ubuntu linux, which will be used for backing up our (Windows XP home) laptops via SSH and providing network printing via CUPS. I wish to keep it simple (e.g. no RAID; we'll make secondary backups of important stuff on dvds) both because this is my very first build and also because our server needs are not, as yet, very elaborate.

However, I would like to leave open the option that in, say, a couple years, I will replace this with a more substantial server, retooling this first build as a midrange Windows desktop for a relative to use. So, I would like to be able to reuse as many of the original components as possible. For example, although I expect to replace the processor and memory and add a graphics card, it would be nice if I could keep the same motherboard, if this seems reasonable.

I don't really have a budget per se. My (perhaps naive) plan is to choose from high quality brands and select the cheapest components which meet my above criteria. I would also like this server to be very reliable and fairly quiet and small.

So, here's what I have so far:

Case and PSU: ($80)
Antec NSK3480 microATX tower case, w/ 380 W power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129035
Hard drive: ($80)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148136
Optical drive: ($27)
SAMSUNG 20X DVD Burner SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151153

I've been having a tough time figuring out the best motherboard/processor/memory combination. Given that this will be a simple home server, my thinking (and correct me if I'm off base here) is that my processor and memory selections can be fairly modest. Also I'd like to somewhat "future-proof" the motherboard to possibly retool this box as a midrange Windows desktop someday. But, one of my main questions is whether you think this is worth doing or if I should just plan to replace the motherboard along with the processor and memory if I do retool. Well, given all this, what do you guys think of these choices:

Motherboard: ($70)
ASUS P5KPL-CM LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard ()
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131288
Processor: ($50)
Intel Celeron E1200 1.6GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116064
Memory: ($24)
CORSAIR XMS2 2 x 512MB 240-Pin SDRAM DDR2 800 Dual Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145040

Well, if you've read through all this, I appreciate it. And if you have any sage advice for me, all the better!

Cheers

 

[shadowduck]

Friends don't let friends buy Celerons. Even for your use a Celeron is a terrible investment. If you want to go super cheap go AMD.

At least 2GB of RAM, and 500GB is enough?

The motherboard is fine, its in my budget build. Put a E2100 CPU on it though.

 

[mathnerd]

Thanks shadowduck!

Actually, I originally had in mind the processor you mentioned, and it's still quite reasonably priced. And memory isn't a real bank breaker, so 2GB it is.

As for the hard drive, I'm not sure yet how much room I will need, but I think even the small case I listed has room for another one if I need it. Probably a good idea, huh?

Thanks again!

 

[shadowduck]

Hard drives are so cheap right now, it really cheap to pick up a second drive.

You have 2 options for that: 1) Use two drives separate and have 1TB of total storage.
2) Create a RAID 1 array which gives a failsafe which is never a bad idea in a server.

 

[mathnerd]

Yeah, I was considering RAID 1 as a possibility, but I don't think that motherboard has built in RAID, which would mean an expansion card purchase I guess. And given that I've never configured RAID at all, let alone under linux, and have no idea how to recover things should a drive fail, I was shying away from RAID, at least for this first build.

The 1TB option would be easy though.

 

[shadowduck]

RAID is not configured in the OS. It is configured in the BIOS. If one drive fails, you pull it out and kill off the array. The other drive becomes freestanding and has all your data on it.

RAID 1 SATA cards are under $50.

1TB option is easy.

Edit: Your post got confused in my mind with another lol. If you read something about SCSI Here ignore it.

 

[mathnerd]

Oh, so maybe RAID doesn't sound that bad. So, is it possible to get the thing up and running for a while with just one disk, and then later plop in a matching drive and start mirroring everything with RAID 1, or does the mirroring have to start with both disks "blank"? (Ok, I realize I should probably just Google this question.)

 

[shadowduck]

With RAID 1 you can do that- since it just a mirror.

 

[mathnerd]

Cool. Thanks again for your help. I feel like I'm going into this a little less blind than before.

 

[rgsaunders]

On the surface, that case looks nice, but it is a horrible little case to work in, notably for hard drive mounting and cooling, etc. I have built systems with this case at customer request, and cursed them every minute of the build. http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15300# this would be a much better solution, pair it with an Antec Neopower HE 550 modular power supply, this combo will give you expansion room, better cooling, and much lower blood pressure when assembling the system or working on it.
Other options:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129037
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103941

 

[valis]

i fail to see the point of a "print server" for a home based network. with file/print sharing, most printers now having a network port making possible the use of IP print, the phrase "print server" is just about ready to go the way of the dodo. they are only really necessary if you have a client/server based application that receives print jobs from many users and then distributes them to many different printers all over the organization.

 

[rgsaunders]

valis
Contrary to what you seem to think, "most" printers do not have network ports. Network ports may be common in office machines, however they are not that common in consumer level printers, specially inkjets. Sharing local printers required the host machine to be online or set to wake on lan, much easier to use your server as a print server as well, that way only one machine has to be online at all times.

 

[mathnerd]

Thanks for the tip rgsaunders. I had been looking at the Antec Sonata Plus (your optional link) as a possibility, particularly for dealing with multiple hard drives. I now think I should go that direction, as you suggest.

valis: Our printer doesn't have a network port. The primary raison d'etre for our server will be file sharing and backup. The print server feature is just a free and easy bonus. "Go the way of the dodo" you say? Ha, that's me all right -- a dinosaur indeed!

 

[valis]

fair enough

my latest box is built for future expansion and hopefully will erase my storage needs for a while. i'm using a highpoint rocketraid 2320 card in raid 5, it's an 8 port sata raid card and is expandable, you can link two of them together making it possible for me to have 16 drives in the box total before i run out of space.

right now it's populated with 7 500 gig WD R2 drives and i can throw more into it later and run the Online Capacity Expansion wizard on the card to grow the array.

one thing on your build tho, i would really consider buying a high quality power supply of at least 600 watts. i've seen too many setups fail because of cheap or underpowered power supplies to even begin to think of skimping on that part, not to mention the several PS's that i've personally seen melt before my eyes... it'll also give you room when you want to put more drives into the server in the future.

Valis

 

[mathnerd]

Wow, 16 drives? What kind of case has enough bays for this?

Thanks for the PSU tip. The case I'm now considering after rgsaunders' suggestion includes a 550W PSU, so hopefully that's close enough to your suggested 600W minimum. And I believe the 500 GB Seagate drives only draw 13 watts on average, so even if I someday add 3 more (the most I can imagine ever adding to this machine) that wouldn't be much of an increase in power needs. However, I acknowledge that I'm fairly clueless in determining my precise power needs.

 

[valis]

this baby does

it's a 12u rackmountable chassis (it comes with wheels, which is good, cause thing is heavy) and is about the size of a dormroom type fridgerator lying on it's side. it's got room for at least 28 hard drives and two power supplies. the thing is a monster, i've named it Epsilon3 from babylon 5.

i got mine on ebay, and i see that some are still available:
http://cgi.ebay.com/CSF-1630-12U-Rack-Mount-Server-Rackmount-Chassis-Wheels_W0QQitemZ310058300580QQihZ021QQcategoryZ80166QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

160 bucks including shipping puts the monster in the same price range as a normal high-end case!

and one thing is for sure, no one is going to walk off with the thing...

Valis

 

[mathnerd]

Egad, what a beast! Only $160 for the case, but I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I couldn't afford all the real estate you'd need sitting under that thing.