Advice on a home server please!

[addylad]

Hi all

Looking on this forum has been getting me interested in some sort of home server setup. I currently have a Synology DS112, which although handy, only backs up data at about 50 Mbps. This will probably become some kind of back up station for CCTV purposes.

So, I'm hoping to get something Gigabit capable to save some time when backing up, and also stream music etc. around the place. I'd also like something to download stuff to, and maybe experiment with the odd VM.

I've been looking at the Dell T20 (the basic one) and it looks to be a good deal for what I want. The only questions I have are about upgradeability and OS really.

Firstly, am I right in thinking I can stick a Xeon in this later down the line? Either way, should I just be doing that now? And will the 4 GB RAM be sufficient for my usage?

Secondly, I do have access to a free version of Windows Server 2012 R2, but it's thanks to being a student. I don't know what the situation will be with license expiry and such like, so I was thinking of throwing it on to experiment, and then perhaps putting Windows Server 2008 on it, or possibly a Linux variant. Any opinions on this? I don't know whether I could justify the expenditure on a copy, unless as a student I can get a sizable discount from somewhere.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I should add, will probably be throwing a few WD Reds in there, and possibly an old SSD for the OS.

 

[john_s]

As a student, do you qualify for Microsoft's Dreamspark programme?

I'd be tempted to put Server 2012 R2 and Hyper-V on and then you can run virtual instances of pretty much whatever OS you wanted to try out.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I have just got a T20 to replace my micro server, I am going the unriad route.

I have lots of mismatched drives so running and kind of traditional raid will not be possible. The ability to expand the storage pool at any time is a big bonus for me so I can limit my initial outlay.

Will be running a few apps in docker and windows in a VM on top of it for the 'normal' stuff.

 

[Semple]

Depending on how many VM's you plan to spin up at one time, you may need to expand on that 4Gb ram.

I'm fairly certain your student key should be able to work even after you've finished your studies. Just make sure you save it before you finish, as you'll end up losing access to the site. There's a wide range of linux distro's you can dump on a VM and use/experiment with.

What is it you actually plan to do? You're likely to get more specific advice if you have a specific set of requirements.

 

[addylad]

As a student, do you qualify for Microsoft's Dreamspark programme?

I'd be tempted to put Server 2012 R2 and Hyper-V on and then you can run virtual instances of pretty much whatever OS you wanted to try out.

That's exactly where my copy is from. There's quite a lot of good stuff on there, and I was pleasantly surprised, as the university didn't mention it!

Am I right in thinking that the T20 Pentium with be okay with several VMs? I am quite new to virtualisation, having only experimented a little a few years ago. If it's going to struggle, I'll go for the Xeon.

I have just got a T20 to replace my micro server, I am going the unriad route.

I have lots of mismatched drives so running and kind of traditional raid will not be possible. The ability to expand the storage pool at any time is a big bonus for me so I can limit my initial outlay.

Will be running a few apps in docker and windows in a VM on top of it for the 'normal' stuff.

That's neat. Did you go for the Pentium or the Xeon? I'm tempted to spend a bit more, especially since I will be keeping it for a few years, and just upgrade with ECC RAM and more HDDs as you say.

Depending on how many VM's you plan to spin up at one time, you may need to expand on that 4Gb ram.

I'm fairly certain your student key should be able to work even after you've finished your studies. Just make sure you save it before you finish, as you'll end up losing access to the site. There's a wide range of linux distro's you can dump on a VM and use/experiment with.

What is it you actually plan to do? You're likely to get more specific advice if you have a specific set of requirements.

Aside from the back ups and streaming, I have some software that I'd like to install inside a VM and then access from my Surface Pro 3. And I'd also like to experiment a bit more with Linux. Other than that, nothing specific really. But I'd hate to buy something underpowered and then decide that I need more oomph!

 

[john_s]

That's exactly where my copy is from. There's quite a lot of good stuff on there, and I was pleasantly surprised, as the university didn't mention it!

Am I right in thinking that the T20 Pentium with be okay with several VMs? I am quite new to virtualisation, having only experimented a little a few years ago. If it's going to struggle, I'll go for the Xeon.

Depending on what you're going to be doing... I'd have thought it would be fine for just setting up some machines to tinker with if you're not going to be heavily loading them. As mentioned above though, you might need more RAM if you want multiple machines running at the same time.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

That's neat. Did you go for the Pentium or the Xeon? I'm tempted to spend a bit more, especially since I will be keeping it for a few years, and just upgrade with ECC RAM and more HDDs as you say.

I only got the Pentium, the Xeon would be over mega ultra kill for my needs which is essentially just a NAS, media server/trans-coder for ipads and something to tinker with when I get bored.

 

[addylad]

Thanks guys, think I'm pretty much set on the Pentium with some additional RAM.

Can anyone offer me some advice on VMs and what I'll need to shell out for the right software? I won't be running more than a few at once.