Server Questions For Computer Guys

[e-merlin]

I got a bunch of old computers (Pentium II and newer) from the place I used to work a while back. They have no hard drives, but do have everything else you would expect a business computer to have.

One thing I want to do is to put a server outside my network firewall so I can host my own website and pics. It will be pretty much open to the public, but would give me a way to share pics and articles over the net. Might even use it as an e-mail server, but not sure I really need one...

I mostly want advice on which operating system to use and any programs I might need. I have Windows 95, 98, and NT laying around unused, and would be open to using Linux if there are any advantages, but I've never used it before. I would really like to stick to freeware because I'd rather spend money on other things like guitars, but will spend the money when necessary.

I would consider myself an intermediate computer user. I usually build my own machines and do my own IT here at home, but everything needs to be fairly easy to work with. I don't want to have to deal with resolving conflicts and settings manually, but I'm not going to install much hardware on this thing. It's going to be a stripped down machine with only the things that make it work.

Oh, and I'm not switching to Mac, I'm sticking to the old hardware I got for nothing

Thanks in advance.

[timmer]

You're probably not going to find much to work with that hardware unless you go to a Linux variant.

I would go here and look through the different distributions to see if one is tailor made for your requirements.

It won't be a "walk in the park" though because Linux tends to be very technical in nature; but on the bright side you will learn how your computer works.

[drewsblues]

I agree. You'll get the most bang for your buck (figuratively speaking) out of those old machines if you run a Linux server. But to really do it up right, you might need to abandon the GUI and run from the command line.

If you're just looking to run a low-traffic HTTP server and not much else, you could probably get away with NT4. Even Windows 2000 will run on a Pentium II, though not especially well. Keep in mind that the more services you stack (FTP, e-mail, etc.) the more performance will degrade.

If it was me, I'd give Ubuntu Linux (or its parent distro, Debian) and LAMP a shot. It'd be a fun project, if nothing else. And free.

Here are a few "Linux on an old PC" links I found whilst Googling:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAMP_%28software_bundle%29

http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.co...le.php/3346331

http://www.webpronews.com/expertarti...r-of-an-old-pc

http://www.howtoforge.com/ubuntu-home-fileserver

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make...-Of-An-Old-PC/

Whatever you choose, good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[aunchaki]

Originally Posted by drewsblues

I agree. You'll get the most bang for your buck (figuratively speaking) out of those old machines if you run a Linux server. But to really do it up right, you might need to abandon the GUI and run from the command line.

+100

I've been a UNIX programmer and server admin for over a decade (which means I've earned my opinions the hard way!). With older hardware (heck, even with newer hardware) the best way to go is with any of the open source UNIX variants (Linux, BSD, etc...). Getting used to the command line can be a shock initially, but it rapidly becomes second nature and soon after that becomes the only way you want to deal with a remote computer.

Ubuntu Linux has a version designed just for servers (without the windowing environment). It's easy to keep up-to-date (the biggest issue for new users, in my opinion). I'm a big OpenBSD fan (actually all the BSDs: FreeBSD, NetBSD, etc...). They're cousins to Linux and largely identical in everyday use.

Get started. Have fun!!!!

[neocaster]

Linux will get the best mileage out of limited hardware if you can hang with the learning curve. If you can run x windows without losing too much punch, you'll get some graphical interface stuff to make it a bit easier. If you're still outside of your comfort zone, try an older version of a Windows server (you might get away with Windows 2000 but a lot of your resources will go to OS overhead. a 3d screen saver could probably suck up 50% of one of your processors so keep an eye out for waste)

[mistermullens]

You should figure out how to make an amp out of all that stuff.

[beep.click]

Another vote for Linux here. Haven't tried the server version of Ubuntu personally, but it looks promising.

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by mistermullens

You should figure out how to make an amp out of all that stuff.

That was the original plan. Put it all on eBay and buy a nice. used Classic 30 with the procedes. Then, my daughters each wanted a computer and I wanted to build something to monitor the weather, and was going to use the rest for a server farm. Then I got lazy and didn't do jack.

Frankly, at this point in my life, I'd rather be building a guitar or two to use up the parts I've been hoarding.

[drewsblues]

I was thinking about this on the way home. One non-hardware-related issue you might want to look into before you tackle this project: Make sure that your ISP will let you host an HTTP server on your connection. Many (like mine -- Cox Communications) block outbound traffic on port 80, which is the TCP port where all of the Web stuff happens. If this is the case for you, then your task become considerably more complicated -- and much less fun.

Same goes for an e-mail server. Many ISPs block the ports used for SMTP, POP3, and IMAP. Which is a big ol' bummer for us DIY types.

Just food for thought before you take the plunge...

[GhostofJohnToad]

Another vote for linux here. I did pretty much what you want to do and it cost me only $10 for a domain name and that's it. You can do it cheaper if you don't care what your website is called. You'll take some lumps learning stuff but I had a blast. I recommend Debian and then an install of Drupal. I used zoneedit for my dynamic DNS. I realize all that may be alien but it will start to make sense when you get into it. I knew nothing about servers and followed the HowtoForge article below and was up an running pretty quickly. The DNS thing was the hardest part especially if you have a dynamic IP.

http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect_setup_debian_etch
http://drupal.org/

[e-merlin]

This is just for my use. Not commercial. I'll probably not use it for anything but hosting my own stuff. Things like pics and vids of guitar builds, car builds, maybe a blog (God how I hate that term). Yeah, I'm sure the whole world wants my opinion.