Cheap server?

[DeltrusDisc]

So I want to do some messing about with a server, but knowing my computer's instability issues (I have to restart it if it's been on for like over 16-18 hours because the graphics card is a piece of shit) I feel simply doing this through VMWare might not be the best choice, especially if I want to perhaps try hosting my own Mumble 10 man server. Let me know what you guys think and if you have any suggestions, but my idea for a cheap server would have it almost be a server without all of the extra space, something like:

AMD APU Fusion board
60GB SSD
4-8GB RAM
some very low wattage PSU
Likely a mini-ITX chassis

Thoughts?

[Deleted]

Depends completely on what you're going to do with it. Dedicated game server needs a bit more horsepower, but voip server hosting is 95% dependant on internet bandwidth.

If you want to go real cheap, get a second hand dual core system with 4GB+ ram. Maybe even a laptop if there's not much cpu usage involved, and low power consumption and small physical size are preferable.

[DeltrusDisc]

Marest's cheapest build might be a good one for me to consider, or something similar.

Office 250
MoBo: ASRock E350M1 – $94.99
CPU: AMD Fusion APU E-350 – (Comes with MoBo)
RAM: Crucial 1333MHz 2x2GB – $22.99
HDD: WD Scorpio Blue 250GB – $69.99
Case: Antec ISK 300 65W – $74.99
--------------------------------------------------
Estimated Total Price – $263

A 60GB SSD could be found for $50-60 nowadays, and they're only going down.
I could get a single stick of RAM for like $10-15.

I don't think it can get much cheaper though, I certainly won't be putting Windows on it, Linux.

[Deleted]

I still don't see you justifying a 263$ build to host mumble on.

[DeltrusDisc]

I would not only use it to host Mumble sir, it would be a good way for me to get some experience working with a server, don't you think?

[Zoneseek]

Get a vps. You honestly can't run a server at home for how much a low end vps costs a year just from the electricity alone, never mind the hardware. Also any decent vps will be on a line way way way faster than your residential endpoint connection.

https://hostigation.com/?page=OpenVZ
http://buyvm.net/

I recommend Hostigation & buyvm.net. Their $20/year and $15/year VPS can do a whole lot for next to nothing price-wise. BuyVM is extremely popular though and the $15/year plans generally sell out within an hour or so of them coming back in stock, and they only get new stock a few times a year.

[DeltrusDisc]

I am not interested in that, Zoneseek. This is going to be an extremely low-powered "server" if it can even be called that, can only be called that because I'd put a server-Linux kernel on it, and did you notice the wattage of the PSU in Marest's build I linked? Electricity costs are not a problem for me and thus it would likely only cost $260~ and no more.

[Deleted]

What are your plans for this server? If you just want to look around then a dedicated system is not something that is worth it at all.

Also I hope you are referring to a Bare Metal Hypervisor. As I see no point at all in a hosted environment for this setup.

[Zoneseek]

I am not interested in that, Zoneseek. This is going to be an extremely low-powered "server" if it can even be called that, can only be called that because I'd put a server-Linux kernel on it, and did you notice the wattage of the PSU in Marest's build I linked? Electricity costs are not a problem for me and thus it would likely only cost $260~ and no more.

Your loss. And yeah, you can do an absolute ton on a good distro with a minimal spec.

[DeltrusDisc]

A monthly/yearly sub for more disk space than I need (I have 3 HDDs in my main rig and an SSD) is not something I have interest in. I want experience on a legit server, however minor it will be, here in my home, setting it up and everything.

Plus I have a builder's itch to try out a really tiny build.

[Zoneseek]

A monthly/yearly sub for more disk space than I need (I have 3 HDDs in my main rig and an SSD) is not something I have interest in. I want experience on a legit server, however minor it will be, here in my home, setting it up and everything.

Plus I have a builder's itch to try out a really tiny build.

No probs it was just a suggestion. The main reason I suggest it is because putting a beast of a server on a garbage residential connection is really a waste of time, in my opinion. And these are 100% legit servers. I run mumble and vent on one of my 128/256 vps'. Also run squid, glype, apache, openvpn, sftp...and the current memory use is 96.56 mb lol.

[Deleted]

A monthly/yearly sub for more disk space than I need (I have 3 HDDs in my main rig and an SSD) is not something I have interest in. I want experience on a legit server, however minor it will be, here in my home, setting it up and everything.

Plus I have a builder's itch to try out a really tiny build.

Don't get disapointed when it doesn't turn out to be as awesome as you imagine it is.

[DeltrusDisc]

Don't get disapointed when it doesn't turn out to be as awesome as you imagine it is.

idk how awesome do you think I think it will be? There's a reason I came here, to ask what peoples' thoughts are. :P Still going to try to do this through VMWare Workstation first.

[Deleted]

idk how awesome do you think I think it will be? There's a reason I came here, to ask what peoples' thoughts are. :P Still going to try to do this through VMWare Workstation first.

So you will buy and build a minimal spec workstation to install an OS to install VMware Workstation to install hosted non environmental aware Operating Systems.

And this is done on a separate machine for better performance. Alright.

[DeltrusDisc]

So you will buy and build a minimal spec workstation to install an OS to install VMware Workstation to install hosted non UEFI aware Operating Systems.

And this is done on a separate machine for better performance. Alright.

Completely off.

I have VMWare Workstation on my main rig, and use it, however I want the experience of having a completely separate "home server" that obviously won't really be an actual server (won't have the HDDs and crap) but will be a separate box to have and use for messing about with.

Like I said though, I'm still not 100% sure and I'll be trying it first on VMWare on the main rig.

[Deleted]

Completely off.

I have VMWare Workstation on my main rig, and use it, however I want the experience of having a completely separate "home server" that obviously won't really be an actual server (won't have the HDDs and crap) but will be a separate box to have and use for messing about with.

Like I said though, I'm still not 100% sure and I'll be trying it first on VMWare on the main rig.

What do "HDD's and crap" have to do with a server? And again, what is your server providing for your home network? Neither do I get why I'm completely off. VMware Workstation is a hosted hypervisor, there is no possible bare metal setup.

edit: I see where I got confused now. You refer to VMware as a synonym for Vmware Workstation. The brand VMware is primarily related to the ESX family of bare metal hypervisors, which would imply you wanted to install Vmware on your server.

[Deleted]

Really get geeky, and get yourself a Raspberry Pi

Broadcom BCM2835 700MHz ARM1176JZFS processor with FPU and Videocore 4 GPU
GPU is capable of 1Gpixel/s, 1.5Gtexel/s or 24GFLOPs with texture filtering and DMA infrastructure
GPU provides Open GL ES 2.0, hardware-accelerated OpenVG, and 1080p30 H.264 high-profile decode
256MB RAM
Boots from SD card, running the Fedora version of Linux
10/100 BaseT Ethernet socket
HDMI socket
USB 2.0 socket
RCA video socket
SD card socket
Powered from microUSB socket
3.5mm audio out jack
Header footprint for camera connection
Size: 85.6 x 53.98 x 17mm

All for $35

[DeltrusDisc]

Really get geeky, and get yourself a Raspberry Pi
All for $35

Very interesting, looking at their website, thanks for the suggestion!

[Deleted]

I guess this is just an ad-hoc and arbitrary situation without any direction. As you lack any answers as to what the server will be used for and what the expectations are both performance and functionality wise. There is no thought out advise possible with the current information.

[DeltrusDisc]

Lack any answers? Excuse me? I've already said what I want to use it for, multiple times. Then on top of that, it could be upgraded/used for more things I don't even know about now at some point in the future.

Is that such a difficult concept to grasp, bud?