I'm thinking of networking

[Lutfij]

hey there,

i'm thinking of networking in my house,

1st rig,
Asus Rampage Extreme
Q9550
OCZ 4GB DDR3 ram
this mobo has a dual gigabit LAN.

This is my main rig and i plan on building a new rig that will take care of my internet/download needs.

2nd rig.....?

Wat would i need to take into consideration when i'l b selecting components for my new net rig build?
and should i treat my main rig as a server or can i treat the net rig as 1 (on that note should i look into getting mobo's that have dual gigabit lan)?

The networking is only for data transfer not splitting net usage.

Thanx

 

[p55ibexpeak]

One of my buddies was in the same boat as you. He asked me what would be the fastest server and I pointed at his gaming rig with the same cpu as you + DFI MOBO + 4 gigs 1066mhz ram. He got a gigabit router. After some discussion, he let me build a quad-core HDMI HTPC server for both downloads, Internet & file sharing for $300. His main rig is off most of the time. The server is on all the time and is set up in such a way that it will turn on by itself and load up Ubuntu and all server apps after power comes back on after a blackout. BTW, he likes overkill.

I have a headless server that does everything you want and more (web server; free; no monthly fee; website hosted on my home server) that cost my about $200 without storage. Storage prices varies widely. I threw in 2 TB drives. No optical. USB stick install. It's managed by me via SSH (command line) for software updates (I must see what it is before update) & scheduled tasks. There's Webmin (GUI) if you want point & click. You could buy a NAS for $160, but my $200 server beats it out ~4 times in speed. 17mbps vs 100mbps+.

How much has you allocated for the server build? What other usage is there? If you're doing Ubuntu, I strongly recommend a separate OS drive cuz the OS will slow to a crawl when you're updating software & downloading files to client.

 

[Lutfij]

very informativ...thanx for the fast reply bro!

hmmm - i'd want to splash $400 +/- the thing you mentioned:

He got a gigabit router. After some discussion, he let me build a quad-core HDMI HTPC server for both downloads, Internet & file sharing for $300. His main rig is off most of the time. The server is on all the time and is set up in such a way that it will turn on by itself and load up Ubuntu and all server apps after power comes back on after a blackout. BTW, he likes overkill.

now THAT sounds interesting! i'm not much of a pro and am willing to go for pretty much any suggestion. I don't really know if i would want to watch movies on it but hey if its decent to watch bluray quality movies, then Y not ?!

lemme know if u want more info on my main rig and i haven't purchased anything for the new build - this includes a router/switch (like i said i'm a newbie) i dunno how to set up a server... but i'm sure with the hardware and time - i'l b able to!

I have another PC (my friends) - i'd want to do lan gaming with him with my main rig...how do i manage that and keep my net from sharing internet usage with the rest of them?

- my brains turned to noodles - dunno wat to do...

about the storage, i hear ya bro! i plan on keeping a 250GB jus for the OS, another one/two drives for all the downloads and optical drives for burning.

 

[p55ibexpeak]

What router/switch do you have?

You'd need a good router if his rig is remote or a switch if his rig is local: I'm thinking he lives with you.

remote: use MAC address filtering to accept his pc to network. Unfortunately, consumer routers don't have much control. Either allow network & internet or none. But since he's connecting from remote, he won't be able to use your Internet. Cuz he'd need Internet as well.

local: plug all pcs in the switch, turn on MAC address filtering on your router, allow ONLY computers you want to access Internet. Basically, the switch is still available to anyone so it still shares data from server. Don't know what router you use. Take this for example:

http://support.dlink.com/emulators/dir625/109/Advanced_MAC_Address_Filter.html

[wall]-[modem]-[router]-[switch]-[computers]

Either way, you'd put the server in DMZ: demilitarized zone. No protection. Ubuntu is more robust than any consumer routers. It got firewall (iptables). Set up rules to ban incoming file sharing from WAN & allow only LAN.

For $400 US and shopping at newegg.com:

-- quantity of item 1


LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50

LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136167
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options27-136-167|hide options27-136-167)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info27-136-167.0.18)

* 1 year: $6.99
* 2 year: $11.99



$23.99

select item 2 quantity of item 2


APEX DM-387 Black Steel MicroATX Slim Case Computer Case 275W Power Supply

APEX DM-387 Black Steel MicroATX Slim Case Computer Case 275W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811154087
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$5.00 Instant


$49.99
$44.99

select item 3 quantity of item 3


Western Digital AV-GP WD2500AVVS 250GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

Western Digital AV-GP WD2500AVVS 250GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136523
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy



$44.99

select item 4 quantity of item 4


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152185
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy



$89.99

select item 5 quantity of item 5


MSI 785GM-E51 AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

MSI 785GM-E51 AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813130247
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options13-130-247|hide options13-130-247)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info13-130-247.0.18)

* 1 year: $9.99
* 2 year: $16.99



$79.99

select item 6 quantity of item 6


OCZ Gold Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G10664GK

OCZ Gold Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G10664GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227346
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy

-$10.00 Instant


$89.99
$79.99

select item 7 quantity of item 7


AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Processor Model SDX140HBGQBOX

AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Processor Model SDX140HBGQBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103698
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy



$32.99

Subtotal: $396.93
--

I've been using the exact same case + psu for over 6 months, but my cpu is a discontinued 45W OEM dualie. You can downgrade the ram to 2 gigs, HDD to 80 gigs minimum, ditch the DVD burner or downgrade it to DVD reader (you can install Ubuntu from USB stick if you have a 1GB one or bigger), upgrade the cpu to a dualie if you do video/audio transcoding (i.e. PS3 won't take MKV videos so it must be transcoded to AVI or something supported).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145246
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148528
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688

And a cheap gigabit switch. I wouldn't pay more than $50 unless it's a used biz/enterprise-class managed switch:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010400030+1733045517+1150210242&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&Subcategory=30&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

Get Ubuntu on USB by getting the iso & write it to a USB stick with the windows program. The server edition won't install from USB due to missing dvd/cd drive. The desktop edition installs from usb perfectly. If you're doing a CD install, disregard the previos step, just get iso & burn it on a CD/dvd.

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/USB%20Installation%20Media

Install only the barebone without any GUI(KDE/GNOME,etc.). This will be a very lean fast machine. After install, then remove USB/CD.

Restart, log in as user, install LAMP for webserver, mediatomb for streaming audio/video & samba for file sharing (must have; works with any windows/mac os).

https://help.ubuntu.com/9.10/serverguide/C/index.html
https://help.ubuntu.com/9.10/serverguide/C/lamp-applications.html
https://help.ubuntu.com/9.10/serverguide/C/samba-fileserver.html
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MediaTomb

 

[Lutfij]

I'l try and find some time to raise some cash for this build...i'll try getting in touch with you when that happens!

thanx for the quick replies!

 

[Lutfij]

Best answer selected by Lutfij.