profamous :
Hello all, lately i have been looking into servers and home automation and media servers and stuff like that, and ive been wanting to set up one of my own for my home personal use. However the computer i am thinking about setting up the server on is a little bit old, i don't have the specifics at the moment but i think a 1.6 ghz dual processor with 512 mb of ram (possibly 1 gb). So i was wondering if it is possible to do all of the following tasks on this computer, if not all of the tasks then maybe just a select few. Here is what i want to do:
VPN/FTP/FTPS/SSH server
Home file server
Computer backup (not really important, i have 2 laptops on my network as well)
Home Automation (not important, however if it can be done thats great)
Media Server for streaming to my laptops and TVs...using Roku for my TVs (very important for me)
Managing an Active Directory for my laptops for a learning experience
DVR/PVR for TV
Downloading Torrents to server from laptops
I realize this is a large task load for such a mediocre computer, however these are just the ideas that i would like to try and if its possible for me to not go buy another fancy computer that would be great. I will be using a couple 2 TB harddrives for these tasks so space is not a problem.
So, is this possible? Thank you in advance for all help!
Here is a guide I wrote about building a low cost low energy home server, maybe some of it will apply to your situation:
Building a low cost energy efficient thin client home server, media server, or iTunes Server
I’d like to share my experiences on what I have found to be the best solution for a very energy efficient home server that supports Windows, Mac, Linux, and iOS clients. My solution is based on an HP Thin client and has proven ultra reliable and more than sufficient to service a house full of geeks and a wife that is completely technology illiterate. I have built several of these servers for my coworkers and everyone loves them. I want to be clear, this is not about building a terminal server, this is about building a home server.
So what can you do with a “Thin Client Home Server” and why wouldn't I just buy an off the shelf NAS? First off, a server must serve, or share resources with its peers. I wanted to share files and printers. Some of my coworkers wanted to serve video streams as well. Here is a list of prerequisites that I needed to have:
Share my printers with all clients including iPads and iPhones
Provide network attached storage for Mac, Windows, and Linux clients
Provide easy administration and remote access - I didn’t want to learn something new
Provide a really energy efficient environment with no noise and low power
Optionally
an iTunes or DLNA media server
Well, you could buy a NAS and it might have some advantages but I doubt it will be more energy efficient and probably much more expensive. You could also build a NAS, I have tried FreeNas, Zentyal, and several other linux based systems and have always found them to be more trouble than they are worth and much more time consuming to support than I wanted, not to mention that they needed a full PC to run on.
There are two different configurations of my Thin Server depending on what your needs are. The basic components are the same and consist of the following; a Windows XP(sp3) based thin client and an external USB drive. My experience is based on the HP T5720, T5730 thin clients. My server builds can fall into two categories; a Thin Client Server and a Thick Client Server which I will explain in a few moments.
The first component you need to buy is an HP Thin client, these are readily available on eBay for about $30 to $60 depending on the model. The prices were going up for a while as many people were using them as MagicJack servers, but now that Magicjack no longer needs a host PC, so they are readily available and inexpensive again.
The differences in models:
T5720 - 1GHz AMD Geode processor, up to 1GB flash and 1GB RAM, 1x VGA, 6x USB 2.0
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12388_na/12388_na.PDF
T5730 - 1GHz AMD Sempron processor, up to 2GB flash and 2GB RAM, 1x VGA, 1x DVI-D, 8x USB 2.0 (the T5730W is the same but has built in Wi-Fi)
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12888_na/12888_na.pdf
Find one with at least 1GB of RAM and 1GB of flash, if you do find one with more great! You can upgrade both the RAM and the flash, but the key here is to keep the cost down, so pay the extra $20 up front rather than having to upgrade.
The RAM is a standard notebook style DIMM module and easily replaceable. The Flash memory is actually a flash based hard drive known as a Flash DOM or Disk on Module and is a standard 44 pin IDE female connector (same as a IDE laptop hard drive). You can install a larger DOM (32GB or more) if desired but going to standard spinning HDD probably makes more sense.
OK, now some thin client basics for those of you not familiar with them. A thin client by nature has its settings locked into flash memory so the user gets the same experience every time they use it. If something goes wrong you just reboot and you are back to a fresh image. So, in our case as a home server, once we setup our file and printer sharing permissions, we would lock those changes into the flash memory, restart, and we are done. Remember, whenever you change something and you want to retain those changes, you must commit the write filter or they will be gone upon the next reboot.
Thin Server - if you just want a NAS solution for file sharing, storage, and printer sharing a Thin client using the standard Flash DOM will work just fine. You will need an external USB HDD drive to share files, the size is up to you. I don't recommend a USB memory stick/thumb drive as the transfer speeds are too low/slow.
Thick Server - If you want to build and iTunes or DLNA server, information on your C: will be constantly changing and you will want to replace the Flash DOM with an internal hard drive. Installing a hard drive really opens up what you can do with this device and turns your Thin Server into a Thick Server (really into just a standard XP PC). These are the same Toshiba hard drives found in classic iPods and are very reliable and shock resistant. Even though they are 4200 RPM drives (same speed as in a Mac Mini or most laptops), they spin up incredibly fast due to their small platter size. The internal drive will host your OS and programs, an external USB HDD drive can be added to share files, the size is up to you. I don't recommend a USB memory stick/thumb drive as the transfer speeds are too low/slow.
Parts needed for a turning a Thin Client into a Thick Client/PC:
Toshiba 1.8” 30, 40, or 60 GB drive: MK3006GAH, MK4006GAH, MK6006GAH ($15 to$30 on eBay)
1.8" 50 Pin to 2.5" 44 Pin IDE Adapter for Toshiba HDD ($1.50)
IDE 44 Pin 2.5" laptop HDD Female to Female Hard Drive Cable F/F 15cm 6-inch ($3)
Think client total investment: ~$80 (Thin client ~$50, IDE HDD parts above ~$30)
Remove the DOM, install the cable & HDD wrapping the adapter in electrical tape to prevent shorting out, and lay drive into system. Its a snug fit so no need to mount it.
Re image the thin client. See link below to HP support site for image.
Thin Server Basic setup:
Power on and log into your thin client. By default the HP client will auto-login as User and a password of User. Hold down the shift key while logging off. Login as Administrator with password Administrator (capital A on both name and password).
Open control panel and change the following settings:
Logon manager - change to auto login as Administrator (password Administrator)
RAM disk - set to maximum 64 or 96MB
Right click on My computer, Properties
Change your server name and workgroup name as desired
Set a static IP address if desired
Enable remote desktop (RDP host) if you plan to administer or access remotely
Right click on the green lock in the start tray, commit the write filter, and reboot
Test your system
Setup and share your printers and hard drives as needed (Windows sharing)
Right click on the green lock in the start tray, commit, and reboot
Test your system
Load software as required. You have very limited space on a Thin Server so don't load entire programs if all you need is a driver (especially printers). Some of my recommendations are:
Bonjour for Windows to support Apple clients
Airport Utility to administer Apple Airport devices
Fingerprint/Preso to enable AirPrint & Cloud Print for mobile devices
Set a screen saver password if desired, especially if opening RDP and port forwarding on your router
Right click on the green lock in the start tray, commit, and reboot
Test your system
Thick Server setup:
Disable the write filter. There is no need for it once you install a hard drive.
Follow setup as above, disregard references to write filter.
Control panel properties, Internet options, browsing history, change settings for disk space and move folder to C: drive
My computer, properties, system properties, advanced, environment variables, change User (top) and System (scroll down) temp drives from Z: to C:
Upgrade from IE7 to IE8 (see link below)
Install FireFox or Safari if you prefer over IE
Install Adobe Reader or Foxit PDF Reader if you wish
Microsoft Power Toys - really great software for XP and Thin/Thick Clients
Media Servers
There are basically two camps here, Apple/iTunes and DLNA (everyone else).
iTunes Server:
Install Bonjour for Windows
Install iTunes
Set your iTunes preferences to locate your media on the external drive
DLNA Server
Install Serviio or Sony Home Stream
Follow instructions on either website for setup and settings
FAQs and other info:
How do I re image a thin client? - Reloading a thin client to factory defaults is easy, all you need to do is download the image from HP’s support site at no cost, extract the image to a USB drive, and boot the Thin Client from the USB. HP support link below.
Where should i locate my thin server? - They produce no noise and so little heat that you can locate them basically anywhere, just be sure to keep it vertical (don't lay it down). I have mine located on a cart in my basement along with my printers and usb drive. If you don't have an extra monitor you can connect to your TV via VGA or DVI, or you can run headless via RDP (set a static IP address)
What won’t it do? - A thin client with a Flash DOM is limited to in functionality as a full server or PC. If you install a HDD you basically have no limitations other than the single core processor. LibreOffice and FireFox work great on a “thick” client. You can't play HD video on a single core processor, sorry.
Is it still a Thin Client? - Yes, it can still access RDP, Citrix, or VMware host servers. I work from home and use mine all the time as an RDP client to access our terminal server at the office. I have a 24” DVI monitor connected. You could also access any PC in your home the same way.
What other software can I install? - Since you are dealing with a single core XP based system, keep it light and use programs that don't need a lot of processing power. On a thick client setup I use: Java, FireFox, Thunderbird, Adobe Air (for Pandora Desktop), Adobe Flash 10, Adobe reader (disable updater), Apple Bonjour & Airport Utility, LibreOffice, and Fingerprint (to enable Airprint on any printer).
Why do I get an error trying to install programs? - IE caches it’s downloads to the RAM drive (Z
until they are finished downloading then writes them to the C: drive. If you are downloading a program larger than the RAM drive you created, it will fail. Use Firefox, where you can choose your download location, or download them on another PC, save to a thumb drive, and then run the install on the thick client.
Links to software:
HP Support:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Product.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=135&prodTypeId=12454&prodCatId=321960
Microsoft Power Toys
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/xp-downloads#2TC=powertoys
Microsoft IE8
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/downloads/ie-8
iTunes Server, Bonjour for Windows, Airport Utility (free)
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL999
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
http://support.apple.com/downloads/AirPort_Utility_5_4_1_Windows
Sony Home Stream DLNA Server (free)
http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/1237485339460
Serviio Media Server DLNA Server (free)
http://www.serviio.org/
Presto for Google Cloud Print and Apple Airprint (subscription based)
https://store.collobos.com/
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram