Home server

Clanket

Hi all,

I have an Imac at home that's starting to fill up (photos, music etc.). I also use a windows laptop.

I need to clear space on the mac so was thinking I should set up some sort of home server, to store all the photos, music etc on. I'd like the server to allow me access the content from either computer over my home network. If I could also securely access it over the web that would be great.

I've done a small bit of research and a few people have said NAS is the way forward. However, I've had a look at a few of these and there seems to be a lot of problems with hardware failure.

Has anyone any reccomendations on how to proceed. Is there a home server solution out there that doesn't cost big bucks? Is buying a cheap laptop and using it as a server a viable option (can you access over the net?).

Thanks for any help.

rolion

Hi,

Search online,with your prefered search engine,this product,sold as bundle (hardware and OS):

HP ProLiant MicroServer Bundle - 658553-421

Have a look and let me have your feedback !

Stay away from NAS...a nas needs to be backed-up as well !

Regards

Clanket

Thanks for your reply.

Do you have one? Is it wireless (because I'm after one that is). Is it noisy?

uberpixie

Clanket wrote: »

Thanks for your reply.

Do you have one? Is it wireless (because I'm after one that is). Is it noisy?

+1 on rolion's suggestion, you got in there before me!

I have a HP Micro Server the N36 model.

It is currently running debian with ps3 mediaserver software to stream media to my PS3. Media is stored on an old 1.5tb harddrive I have in the server which is shared on the network. Once harddrive prices come down a bit I will pop another 2tb drive or two into it.

Noise wise it's pretty quiet, you will hear it on in a quiet room but any sort of background noise will drown it out.

You would need to fit a half height wireless card or a usb wireless card to make it wireless. I would also suggest using homeplugs as an alternative to wireless for networking the server.

Overall I was in the same boat wanted a NAS box but found NAS boxes to be a bit limited and overly expensive.

A HP microserver will be more work to setup than a NAS but is much more flexible. It is also much smaller than a standard PC, very power efficent and will take x4 standard 3.5" harddrives so space shouldn't be an issue.

OS choice is up to you, there are a variety of Linux distributions to choose from (including NAS like out of the box setups such as FRee NAS) or you can use Windows Home Server which is a bout €50 to buy or an old spare copy of windows.

I def would recommend one as a good option.

ARGINITE

OS wise.
Open Media Vault

Cork24

Macs dont link up well with Window base Servers..

your best bet is to buy a hard Drive that can use WiFi and set it up with your Wireless Router.

why waste money on trying to set up a File Server..

if you want to have a home Server i would download Linux Suse Server..

Clanket

Cork24 wrote: »

your best bet is to buy a hard Drive that can use WiFi and set it up with your Wireless Router.

Any suggestions which one? Needs to be readable and writable to by Mac and Windows.

Cork24

Any kind once it is formatted at FAT32, Mac cant write or read on a NTFS

Bufflo is a Company that makes Wifi routers and i do think they make WiFi Hard Drives..

or if your Router as a USB port on the back you can stick a Extrnal HardDrive into that and set it up with File Sharing

rolion

Cork24 wrote: »

Any kind once it is formatted at FAT32, Mac cant write or read on a NTFS

Bufflo is a Company that makes Wifi routers and i do think they make WiFi Hard Drives..

or if your Router as a USB port on the back you can stick a Extrnal HardDrive into that and set it up with File Sharing

Will you put ALL your files (pictures,music,files,apps) on a single hard drive,lately so called WiFi Hard drive !???

Good luck with that,i'm out from here...

Clanket

rolion wrote: »

Will you put ALL your files (pictures,music,files,apps) on a single hard drive,lately so called WiFi Hard drive !???

Good luck with that,i'm out from here...

Why you say that? Are they not a viable solution?

Cork24

rolion wrote: »

Will you put ALL your files (pictures,music,files,apps) on a single hard drive,lately so called WiFi Hard drive !???

Good luck with that,i'm out from here...

Some people like being in the STONE AGE....

RIGHT you can go and buy a HP HOME SERVER with Win Home Server 2008 build in you can Access it any where in the World SAME Fecking thing as a Wifi Hard Drive... Just like Teamviewer

They all Carry Risks... If you have a Wifi point at home and you cant trust it by having stuff on the Network then what is the point in Wifi at all..

Have a WPA key code,

Access Control on the Hard Drive, MAC Fliter on the Router they all stop hackers from getting into your Network and into your Files..

I can hack into any one of the Wireless point in my Area within 2 days of Sniffing and Injection packets to that wireless point, and still i bet you that half of them would have a Folder on Share Mode and once your in not matter if its a hard drive hooked to the Router or a Folder in a PC they can all be gained access to without Control.. SO you wouldnt by an Apple Time Capsule ?? NO..


OP if you want to Save Money go away and buy a hard drive hook it up by means of USB to your Router..

inside your Router Mac Filter/ Time Filter and lock out different Time zones on that Router Cisco routers allow this..

place Access Control on the Hard Drive and its safe.. HP home Servers cost at lest 500 euro and come with their own/higher risks

Cork24

If theirs ppl in your Area trying to get into your network, i would Recommend a Honey Comb Trap...

I cant give Steps to this a i would get a ban.. but all you need is Wireless Router with open Access... a Horse Trojan and a HTML Welcome page with a Link to the Trojan..

I have one Running on my Old PC and you be Shocked how many would click on a fake link just to get "free Internet"

Clanket

Have to say placing a hard drive on the router sounds like a quick and easy option but I don't know enough about security to be comfortable at the moment. Can I access the drive over the internet?

I'll definately do some research.

Cork24

Unless you use VPN No you cant access the hard drive over the internet..

to secure any type of network you could use a Mac Filter Address

no one would go out of their way to Fake a mac Address just to access some guys Home Network..

BigEejit

Everyone has their favourite method of serving/storing, all I'll say is pick one that you will be happy poking around in the innards of (software and hardware). You are going to be fixing this thing yourself after all.

More important than whatever flavour of hardware/software you choose, backup your backup. Never ever trust your data to a single machine. Bad psu in your server, bzzt ....bye bye data.
I would go further and advise keeping an offsite copy of your non replaceable data (personal documents, photos etc). Why? what happens to your server and the backup usb drive if your house goes up in flames? (but you get out obviously)

I have a 120GB usb drive that is kept in the car, I update and check it regularly. It is encrypted with http://www.truecrypt.org/ so if the car gets robbed/crashed etc, there are no copies of my stuff in some miscreants hands and I just get a new car and a new hard drive and my data is protected again.

BigEejit

Personally, I got a DNS-320 and put two 1tb drives in it. Wont break any speed records and I had to change the fan in it but it does the job.

http://www.ebuyer.com/248760-d-link-dns-320-sharecenter-pulse-2-bay-no-disks-nas-enclosure-dns-320