Looking for help building new server

lotussama

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Dec 19, 2006
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Hi all, I'm looking to build a new server for home. Its ideal role would be to act as file storage, mainly, as well as do backups of client machines.

As for background: I'm looking for something to go in my living room to allow me to show stored movies on my TV. I do have an X-Box 360, but the wireless connected the living room to my office (where I currently share my media from an XP Pro box) produces too much latency for that to be feasible. A single-sign on domain would also be nice. I have one XP Pro laptop also, that simply hooked up wirelessly from my office.

I work on Windows servers for a living, so I'm quite familiar with them. I also know linux has some nice media server systems out, but lacking the domain controller aspect. Can anyone recommend something to me that'd meet my needs?

If you need any clarifications of what I'm looking for, please fire back.
 

fugben

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Mar 19, 2008
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Have you had experience building systems before? If not youd probably be better off ordering a system from ibuypower or cyberpowerpc . They usually charge a 20 % premium but thats only 200 $ extra and saves u warrantly hastles
 

lotussama

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Dec 19, 2006
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Yes, I probably should have mentioned, I'm an MCSE, and have been building desktops and servers for about 20 years now. But I'm new to the world of servers in the home, however...what I'm looking for is the best of both worlds, one that will stream content to my TV (hooking up through my x-box would be a plus) as well as offering single-sign on to a domain, with share-level security, and centralizing a lot of the backup/antivirus updates, windows updates with WSUS, etc. Just looking for the best solution I can get. I am not into building a full server with hot-swap fans, serial-attached SCSI, etc.

The trick is that the XBox can't stream content quickly enough from the XP Pro box over 802.11g. My plan is just to hook a switch up to the wireless bridge in the living room, and run cat5 to the XBox and PC in the living room, so I can get 1000gbs speeds for the streaming movies. Just trying to decide if a Vista box is good enough, or if I'd get a lot more use out of a real server.