Home server using old PC

[pashok84]

Hi All,

I have old PC, which is brought in 2005. configuration is low. 40GB, 512 RAM... no cd drive, ethernet card,

• I want to use this as my home server for me, to store backup of files, source codes, important docs. I have laptop, where it needs to take backup.
• I want to use it as web server, host a webpage from this machine.
• I want to access the my PC from laptop, as my monitor and mouse is not good i hope this is not big problem, we can use VNC.

How can i do it?

For networking

• I planning to buy small wifi router and Ethernet PCI card or USB to ethernet device(as my PC doesn't have ethernet adapter).
• I have reliance data card for internet.

For server
Some linux based should be fine.as most will be free of cost.

Kindly advise me how to achive this.

 

[tpetar]

Buy External HD Rack 2,5TB with LAN (web/ftp support also) price about 100eur!!!! Works on 12V and always! Of course there is cheaper capacity disk. Direct connect that disk on LAN/WLAN and transfer your files. :wink:

 

[srizbf]

for file sharing and backing alone , you can have a pci ethernetcard in the desktop.
with winxp you can continue your work.(no need for linux for file backin alone)

when you want to have a homepage server , still you can have one more ethernetcard and connect to net.
you need not have a linux based server with apache for your homepage server.
apache is for heavy traffic servers of the top end.(apache minimal also available)

you can have windows based server for net with free software.
your pc config is capable of small home server without large additional expense.

 

[jamewhite86]

I think you can do file sharing and backing and a pci ethernetcard in the desktop.thanks for sharing the information.

 

[ard]

I'm not sure about your 2nd requirement, but for 1 and 3 you could set up your old machine with Freenas OR Naslite. Both do exactly what you need, can boot from a USB pen drive/CD etc. Also, once you set them up you can control them completely from a client, so you do not need to keep a monitor or keyboard attached.

Hardware requirements are also very modest, what you described should work fine.

Regards,

Anand Dhuru

 

[BradtheRad]

[*]I planning to buy small wifi router and Ethernet PCI card or USB to ethernet device(as my PC doesn't have ethernet adapter).
[*]I have reliance data card for internet.

Does the laptop have a second compartment for another card?

Are you using a card in one compartment for internet? Or is it ethernet as well, since it has to go to the internet through some connector?

Is it PCM-CIA? This is a common size used in laptops. There are several formats of PCI card. I had to search the internet to find detailed pictures of cards, and compare them with what is in my laptop, before I could determine what was the right format for me to purchase.

 

[jamewhite86]

In this installation guide on how to build home media servers, I am using an old, reinstalled version of Windows XP SP3 with a 1TB Hitachi hard disk drive.Thanks for sharing the information.

 

[srizbf]

Having Windows XP SP3 with a 1TB Hitachi hard disk drive in a desktop , you can have a perfect home media server . no server software is necessary.

just store all your multimedia files in a fixed folder in desktop pc , do the proper setting in system--> controlpanel and have local lan connected to a laptop.
you can have a zerocost multimedia home server.

see the following for the simple steps:
How To Build A Home Media Server From An Old PC

 

[tpetar]

See this :