My old PC = good for setting up my own server ?

Morvak · 07-20-07, 03:04 PM

So now that I have a new rig, I still have my old one.

One of the things I am thinking about doing is running and checking out Linux/Unix on it.

I'm really looking to teach myself some networking stuff because I want to change careers and get into computers somehow and while I don't expect anyone to say "oh you taught yourself how to setup Windows Server, you're hired!" i figure it can't hurt to mention it in a possible interview.

So with that said, does anyone have any recommendations on what latest network server I could setup on my old PC?

Or can't I because it's not a server motherboard or whatever?

It's an A7N8, 1gb ram, 80gb hdd.. generic older PC.

I just thought I could teach myself some server stuff I dunno maybe not.

Turd Furguson · 07-20-07, 03:06 PM

Look up FreeNAS if you want to do a little bit of Linux.

OkydOky · 07-20-07, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turd Furguson

Look up FreeNAS if you want to do a little bit of BSD.

Now Fixed

FreeNAS is based on a Minimal FreeBSD, if memory serves me right.

An Older PC makes perfect Choice to Fiddle around with Servers.
It coudl be as mentioned above great for a NAS. You could also Try and Install apache and set up a web server, just for practice. Also an FTP server (though that may be part of NAS)

Morvak · 07-20-07, 03:23 PM

Cool cool thanks for the info.

1 more question - so I setup the "Server" and all that.. would I need another computer to hook into it to test it out?

Like I have my new rig on a d-link wireless home network.

Would I create this server, put it on the network and then use my new rig to connect to it? Or am I totally off base? lol

Or can I simply test/play with the server without needing another computer to test a connection to it and stuff like that?

JamesXP · 07-20-07, 03:28 PM

You could just hide the computer somewhere with no monitor or anything just power and network. and VNC into it..

You'd need to load your OS of course, what exactly do you want to do with your server :P

theres lots of options.

Morvak · 07-20-07, 03:33 PM

Nice!

I am not sure what I want to do with the server. I just want to set it up first, for that experience alone. And then I guess go through settings, security... teach myself whatever I can. Just like how I learned from setting up Windows OS environments.

Then go from there. Maybe try out Linux, and then Apache.

Can you install both? Like, switch between them?

JamesXP · 07-20-07, 03:38 PM

Teehee

Apache isn't a OS. it's a program that lets you host a website

You could make a firewall,network atttached storage, Game server? online radio server?

The possibilitys are endlesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

gangaskan · 07-20-07, 04:09 PM

you can install server 2003 on very minimal hardware actually. i've got 2k3 working on as little as a dual pentium 200 (yes PENTIUM

) mhz server with i think 256 mb ram.....

OkydOky · 07-20-07, 04:17 PM

Yes MS' server OS is possible.
Though I would suggest dabbling with Either BSD or Linux.

Once You have one running, install whatever you want and play with it

TalRW · 07-20-07, 04:21 PM

you really wanna learn linux? Try doing a gentoo install. You will learn linux doing that.

Enablingwolf · 07-20-07, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesXP

Apache isn't a OS. it's a program that lets you host a website

Apache does more then just web sites. It supports web applications also and the transfer of files.

Apache is used for many other tasks where content needs to be made available in a secure and reliable way. One example is sharing files from a personal computer over the Internet. A user who has Apache installed on their desktop can put arbitrary files in the Apache's document root which can then be shared.

What is Apache?

JamesXP · 07-20-07, 04:33 PM

That's the main use of it though :P

Enablingwolf · 07-20-07, 05:13 PM

There is many things about Apache that are well beyond the simple page or two on a site. Many things about Apache that are way beyond someone using it as a website.

Simplest terms. If you make an intranet, which alot of internal uses are. It is not web anything. Mail is not a website. Which is usually powered by the Apache(or IIS) backend.

Yes, most the best parts of the web are powered by Apache. But the majority is not websites. There is Apache modules that actually do the work. You don't need Apache for html pages. PERL,CGI,PHP,SQL.. That is waht does the website as deemed needed.
The list goes on. Each part has its use and may or may not be used for a web page or site. Apche does the job serving files, not just for websites.

It is not nitpicking, it is making sure Apache is not viewed as just for webpages, or the primary use of it. It is a great and powerful application.

nd4spdbh2 · 07-20-07, 07:43 PM

i am going to recommend windows server 2003... i have it running on my server and it runs so nice. i ust it as a Counterstrike, web (php, mysql, perl), and file server for the network. Also use it as a torrent downloader...

Like said the posibilites are endless.. but you have so much a broader option with windows server 2k3 compared to linux cus well, 1 its easier, and 2 windows is just more supported.

Pluss win2k3 is very stable... coming up on 37days of it being on 24/7 and being used 24/7 also without a single hitch...

only reason it hasnt gone longer is because it needed to restart for windows updates and before that it was on for a good 3 months striaght w/o probs.

and i did exactly what you did... got a new comp, turned old one into a server!

fogot to mention... with win2k3, you can use it as a regular comp to as well as a server... i got mine in a corner with no monitor, and i use remote desktop to manage it.

Enablingwolf · 07-20-07, 08:54 PM

Win2k3 is actually a nice OS. XP64 is based off this. Also Vista borrows off of it IIRC. Easy way to nutshell it. XP Pro on steriods.

If properly ran. IIS is not so bad. Honestly, if your more comfortable in Windows. This is a better option. Though Linux is the actual pick for secure server.

Quote:

Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 is a powerful Web server that provides a highly reliable, manageable, and scalable Web application infrastructure for all versions of Windows Server 2003. IIS helps organizations increase Web site and application availability while lowering system administration costs. IIS 6.0 supports the Microsoft Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI) with automated health monitoring, process isolation, and improved management capabilities.

Being comfortable and knowlegable in the operating system will greatly increase making it work for your needs and be secure. You have a reduced chance of making a glaring boo boo. Leaving a gaping hole and not even know it. Plus getting the server running and tailored to your needs.

I have heard of folks gaming on 2003 also.

Even though I feel a Linux server box would be best. A properly fed and groomed Windows 2003 box can do the job very well. Good suggestion nd4spdbh2.

Soichiro · 07-20-07, 09:19 PM

Comparatively, Apache is much more secure and has more features (because of modularity) than IIS. IIS has ASP support, which Apache doesn't have (AFAIK), but I doubt you'll really want to use ASP (it sucks

compared to PHP and Javascript IMO).

Yes, you can run Windows Server 2003 on a minimal environment with little RAM and CPU usage, but you can run Linux on even less. Plus you said in another thread (I think) you wanted to learn Linux, so now is your chance. Someone else suggested Gentoo, and I would too, as just by installing it you get to learn quite a bit about how Linux works.

nd4spdbh2 · 07-20-07, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enablingwolf

Win2k3 is actually a nice OS. XP64 is based off this. Also Vista borrows off of it IIRC. Easy way to nutshell it. XP Pro on steriods.

If properly ran. IIS is not so bad. Honestly, if your more comfortable in Windows. This is a better option. Though Linux is the actual pick for secure server.

Being comfortable and knowlegable in the operating system will greatly increase making it work for your needs and be secure. You have a reduced chance of making a glaring boo boo. Leaving a gaping hole and not even know it. Plus getting the server running and tailored to your needs.

I have heard of folks gaming on 2003 also.

Even though I feel a Linux server box would be best. A properly fed and groomed Windows 2003 box can do the job very well. Good suggestion nd4spdbh2.

big time... you said it Win2k3 is xp on steroids... it just runs faster. heck i had it running on a 466mhz celeron with 348mb of ram and it ran super smooth. Then you also have the option of IIS or Apache on it, i use IIS as its easier to setup and use in my case... although apache is just about as easy, but not as gui friendly.

Plus linux as we all know can some times be a huge PITA.... yes it can be more secure / stable, but only that can be achieved when a person who knows how to use it, configures it correctly.

so again my vote is win 2k3... you can get a trial of it at microsoft, then you can go from there with various "loophole exploiters" as i like to call em

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/w.../bb430831.aspx

btw i run windows server 2003 enterprise edition (NON R2 version)

Btw i have gamed on win2k3 (a lil test of mine) and bf2 just felt smoother with all same game and gfx settings, its hard to splain but it was. But it was quite a pain to get it working as win2k3 is definetly not by default designed to do n e thing 3d.

Morvak · 07-20-07, 09:51 PM

Well again, thanks for all of your input!

As per my other thread.. I am going to go with Linux for now. (Gentoo).

nd4spdbh2 · 07-21-07, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morvak

Well again, thanks for all of your input!

As per my other thread.. I am going to go with Linux for now. (Gentoo).

i will give you all the luck in the world to your endevours into gentoo (great os once you get it working)... but you might be doing a lil of this

and some of this

while being

and

... hopfully you dont have a

, cus then ur up the creek without a paddle.. but in the end you are either going to be one of 2 things,

or

, probably the later of the 2 but only time will tell

07-20-07, 03:04 PM	Thread Starter #1
Morvak Disabled Join Date: Jun 2007	My old PC = good for setting up my own server ? So now that I have a new rig, I still have my old one. One of the things I am thinking about doing is running and checking out Linux/Unix on it. I'm really looking to teach myself some networking stuff because I want to change careers and get into computers somehow and while I don't expect anyone to say "oh you taught yourself how to setup Windows Server, you're hired!" i figure it can't hurt to mention it in a possible interview. So with that said, does anyone have any recommendations on what latest network server I could setup on my old PC? Or can't I because it's not a server motherboard or whatever? It's an A7N8, 1gb ram, 80gb hdd.. generic older PC. I just thought I could teach myself some server stuff I dunno maybe not.
	QUOTE Thanks

07-20-07, 03:06 PM	#2
Turd Furguson Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ashland, KY	Look up FreeNAS if you want to do a little bit of Linux. __________________ "When the rich wage war it's the poor who die." - LP
	QUOTE Thanks

07-20-07, 03:23 PM	Thread Starter #4
Morvak Disabled Join Date: Jun 2007	Cool cool thanks for the info. 1 more question - so I setup the "Server" and all that.. would I need another computer to hook into it to test it out? Like I have my new rig on a d-link wireless home network. Would I create this server, put it on the network and then use my new rig to connect to it? Or am I totally off base? lol Or can I simply test/play with the server without needing another computer to test a connection to it and stuff like that?
	QUOTE Thanks

07-20-07, 03:28 PM	#5
JamesXP Epic Fail Guy Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England	You could just hide the computer somewhere with no monitor or anything just power and network. and VNC into it.. You'd need to load your OS of course, what exactly do you want to do with your server :P theres lots of options. __________________ Intel i5 3570k @ 4.2GHz 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR 1600Mhz nVidia 8600GT ASRock Z77 Pro4 128GB Samsung 830 SSD Corsair VX450 My Saitek Eclipse III Review
	QUOTE Thanks

07-20-07, 03:33 PM	Thread Starter #6
Morvak Disabled Join Date: Jun 2007	Nice! I am not sure what I want to do with the server. I just want to set it up first, for that experience alone. And then I guess go through settings, security... teach myself whatever I can. Just like how I learned from setting up Windows OS environments. Then go from there. Maybe try out Linux, and then Apache. Can you install both? Like, switch between them?
	QUOTE Thanks

My old PC = good for setting up my own server ?

Internet Services

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Tech Hardware

07-20-07, 03:38 PM	#7
JamesXP Epic Fail Guy Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England	Teehee Apache isn't a OS. it's a program that lets you host a website You could make a firewall,network atttached storage, Game server? online radio server? The possibilitys are endlesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss __________________ Intel i5 3570k @ 4.2GHz 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR 1600Mhz nVidia 8600GT ASRock Z77 Pro4 128GB Samsung 830 SSD Corsair VX450 My Saitek Eclipse III Review
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07-20-07, 04:09 PM	#8
gangaskan Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lorain, ohio	you can install server 2003 on very minimal hardware actually. i've got 2k3 working on as little as a dual pentium 200 (yes PENTIUM ) mhz server with i think 256 mb ram..... __________________ Main Rig: [Silverstone TJ06 painted hammer black] [Intel E6550 3.2 ghz 1.35v ] [4 gigs Gskil] [Asus P5k Premium Wifi/ap] [Soundblaster Audiguy ZS platinum] [ATI 3560 pro] [enhiem 1250 pump, Swiftech Storm, primoflex tubing, mcres micro, maze 4 gpu block][ Windows Vista x64 Ultimate sp1] HTPC: [LianLI V300B] [Opty 165 1.88 ghz] [Thermalright XP90] [2 gb OCZ Platinum DDR400] [Soundblaster X-FI Xtreme Music] [8600GT Stock] [Windows Vista Home Premium sp1] Server: [Rocketfish Tower] [c2d E6600][Scythe Ninja Jr] [4 gigs Gskil ddr2 800][ATI X850XT ] [Windows Vista B] Network: Cisco 851W uptime: forever Heatware
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07-20-07, 04:17 PM	#9
OkydOky Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Calgary, AB, Canada	Yes MS' server OS is possible. Though I would suggest dabbling with Either BSD or Linux. Once You have one running, install whatever you want and play with it __________________ The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. - Albert Einstein
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07-20-07, 04:21 PM	#10
TalRW Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Irvine, CA	you really wanna learn linux? Try doing a gentoo install. You will learn linux doing that. __________________ CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3400+ MOBO: Asus K8N4-E Deluxe HARD DRIVE: MEMORY: 3.0GiB POWER: VIDEOCARD: GNU/Linux Distribution: Trisquel 5.0 (Dagda) Support software freedom! Try one of the nine FSF endorsed distros. Got a wireless network? Secure it!
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07-20-07, 04:33 PM	#12
JamesXP Epic Fail Guy Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England	That's the main use of it though :P __________________ Intel i5 3570k @ 4.2GHz 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR 1600Mhz nVidia 8600GT ASRock Z77 Pro4 128GB Samsung 830 SSD Corsair VX450 My Saitek Eclipse III Review
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07-20-07, 05:13 PM	#13
Enablingwolf Senior Member overclocking at the speed of plaid Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Strongsville	There is many things about Apache that are well beyond the simple page or two on a site. Many things about Apache that are way beyond someone using it as a website. Simplest terms. If you make an intranet, which alot of internal uses are. It is not web anything. Mail is not a website. Which is usually powered by the Apache(or IIS) backend. Yes, most the best parts of the web are powered by Apache. But the majority is not websites. There is Apache modules that actually do the work. You don't need Apache for html pages. PERL,CGI,PHP,SQL.. That is waht does the website as deemed needed. The list goes on. Each part has its use and may or may not be used for a web page or site. Apche does the job serving files, not just for websites. It is not nitpicking, it is making sure Apache is not viewed as just for webpages, or the primary use of it. It is a great and powerful application. __________________ No one ever expects Aloysius Snuffleupagus
	QUOTE Thanks

07-20-07, 07:43 PM	#14
nd4spdbh2 Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Camarillo, CA!	i am going to recommend windows server 2003... i have it running on my server and it runs so nice. i ust it as a Counterstrike, web (php, mysql, perl), and file server for the network. Also use it as a torrent downloader... Like said the posibilites are endless.. but you have so much a broader option with windows server 2k3 compared to linux cus well, 1 its easier, and 2 windows is just more supported. Pluss win2k3 is very stable... coming up on 37days of it being on 24/7 and being used 24/7 also without a single hitch... only reason it hasnt gone longer is because it needed to restart for windows updates and before that it was on for a good 3 months striaght w/o probs. and i did exactly what you did... got a new comp, turned old one into a server! fogot to mention... with win2k3, you can use it as a regular comp to as well as a server... i got mine in a corner with no monitor, and i use remote desktop to manage it. __________________ #12 in the 4ghz core 2 duo club baby! - 52 inches of CRYSIS! - Black Belt Ubercloxx0r -- Heatware Main -- Lian Li V2000b -- i7 2700k -- MSI Z68A-GD80 -- 12gb 1600 -- GTX560Ti --Adata 128gb S510 & 2x500gb -- Seasonic S12 600w -- Dell 2209WA HTPC -- Silverstone GD05B -- E7200 @ 3.2ghz -- G41-M7 -- 4GB 800mhz -- g210 passive -- 320gb 2.5in WD -- Antec EA 430w -- 52inch Samsung LCD Server -- Antec NSK4480B -- E3300 @ 2.5ghz -- ECS G33T-M2 -- 3gb 667mhz -- Onboard Vid -- 500Gb + 1TB hatachi + 1tb WD -- Zalman 400w Netbook - Dell Mini 9 - Atom 1.6ghz - 8GB ssd - 2GB pc6400 - WIN 7 PRO! Need 4 Speed - BH
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07-20-07, 09:19 PM	#16
Soichiro Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Indianapolis	Comparatively, Apache is much more secure and has more features (because of modularity) than IIS. IIS has ASP support, which Apache doesn't have (AFAIK), but I doubt you'll really want to use ASP (it sucks compared to PHP and Javascript IMO). Yes, you can run Windows Server 2003 on a minimal environment with little RAM and CPU usage, but you can run Linux on even less. Plus you said in another thread (I think) you wanted to learn Linux, so now is your chance. Someone else suggested Gentoo, and I would too, as just by installing it you get to learn quite a bit about how Linux works. __________________ Heatware ~~ "Recent studies show that guys who fold for team32 get more girls." - sno.lcn Shindou: AMD Phenom II X4 @ 3.6 Ghz, 8GB G.Skill DDR3-1333, 3.5TB Total Storage, eVGA Geforce 460GT 768MB Railgun (RDP): AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.0 Ghz, 4GB RAM, 1TB Total Storage
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07-20-07, 09:51 PM	Thread Starter #18
Morvak Disabled Join Date: Jun 2007	Well again, thanks for all of your input! As per my other thread.. I am going to go with Linux for now. (Gentoo).
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