Server at home
Server at home
I assembled a home server using refurbished components from eBay. It features four quad-core CPUs, 16 GB of RAM (upgradable to 32 GB), and four 15K RPM 146 GB SAS drives. I might add an SSD and larger storage options if I discover additional needs. Currently, I’m exploring Windows Server 2012 to gain experience with it as the sole valid server key I possess. My goals include setting up a personal email client, using it as a media or file server, connecting cameras for security, and possibly running a game server. Are there essential features or experiments I should focus on? I won’t perform backups since my desktop already holds many drives, so I might end up backing up the server into it instead. I believe four cores are sufficient for home use, and with the 512 MB RAM on the RAID card, the HDDs should operate efficiently. Also, are there methods to put the server to sleep when idle and automatically wake it back up? I want to keep electricity costs low.
Fortunately, I discovered a tool named lights out that activates the server only when needed and shuts it down otherwise. I'm now exploring additional ways to experiment with it.
Cameras would activate only when I wasn’t at home, and I don’t play 24 hours a day. Right now I’m mainly trying to find fun activities to do with them. Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback! I’ll connect it to my Kill-A-Watt to check the actual power draw. It’s interesting how much less power my gaming rig uses compared to what I expected.
Great ideas for home servers include using Plex as a media server. You can stream your local movies or TV shows directly to phones, tablets, or computers. It organizes content easily. Owncloud acts like a local Dropbox alternative. It’s affordable and fast when you’re connected locally or have strong internet speed. Owncloud also offers calendar and document features, letting you create your own personalized suite. Web server, email, and file hosting are also possible options.