Do you have a file server at home?

[DefDC]

Originally posted by: AnthroAndStargate
If this was already asked in this thread I apologize - if not - why do you guys run file servers? Do you actually access random files that much for personal use? I am just curious. Why not just use externals?

I started playing with a copy of Win2K years ago, and built and hosted my own website... I've moved over to Win2k3 and used cheapo Outpost/Fry's components to build a halfway decently spec'd server. (Sempron 2800, integrated video, 2g of RAM)

Nice for nearly instantly updating family photos and sharing files with friends. I've also ripped all my music and a lot of video out to my server.

It's really nice to be able to use Orb to access any of my "Tivo'd" shows to my PocketPC at any wifi hotspot.

I also use terminal server to check sports and ebay from work, where sites are blocked or monitored. Quite handy!

BTW, if anyone has any interest, here's a great site for starting your own webserver.

DSLWEBSERVER.COM

 

[Goosemaster]

nice discussion

 

[Kanalua]

Windows XP Pro. On an OLD computer (PIII 450mhz, 320 MB). It's actually a dedicated torrent grabber and file server, more like a media server. Holds all my mp3s and video files (except home videos, which are stored on my main rig).

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: WhoBeDaPlaya

Originally posted by: aldamon
My Zyxel X-550 can support a NAT table of up to 16,000 max sessions.

:Q Skeet skeet skeet... aah frack, I'm a hardcore geek and I'm going to die a virgin

And under $80! :Q

 

[dman]

I don't have a dedicated file server, per se, but I do have multiple machines with file shares setup that run 24x7. I backup my important files (like digicam pics) from one system to the other and periodically to an external harddrive. I also burn to DVDR once in a blue moon.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Kaido
And under $80! :Q

WTF at the retards doing the reviews though.

It's your typical 11G router.

Uh, no, no it's not.

- M4H

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: Kaido
And under $80! :Q

WTF at the retards doing the reviews though.

It's your typical 11G router.

Uh, no, no it's not.

- M4H

Well spill the beans already...I've never even heard of this brand lol

 

[BZeto]

Does FreeNAS run as an independent OS? Or does it run on top of another linux install?

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: BZeto
Does FreeNAS run as an independent OS? Or does it run on top of another linux install?

it's a modified version of Manuel Kasper's modified version of FreeBSD (m0n0wall) that stores all configuration files in XML.

Hot stuff.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Well spill the beans already...I've never even heard of this brand lol

They make some pretty damn good SoHo network gear, and the configuration of their consumer-level gear is pretty far up on anything other than the third-party firmwares that run on Linksys/Buffalo/etc hardware.

Originally posted by: BZeto
Does FreeNAS run as an independent OS? Or does it run on top of another linux install?

Independent OS, best booted off a USB stick, CF card, or other solid-state media. It's like the live-Linux distros, but based off FreeBSD and dedicated solely to acting as a NAS.

- M4H

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: BZeto
Does FreeNAS run as an independent OS? Or does it run on top of another linux install?

FreeNAS is it's own operating system. Download, burn to CD, install. Cake.

 

[Megadeth]

Openfiler

 

[GTaudiophile]

My goal in the end is to have the following:

HD-HTPC
Decent Multi-Core CPU/RAM
"All-In-Wonder" GPU capable of DX10 with HDMI, QAM and ATSC tuners, CableCard 2.0 support
1080P HDMI, DVI, and Optical SPDIF output
HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Reader/Writer
At least two 500GB harddrives in RAID 0
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition / MCE

The machine would be my dedicated HD/BR DVD player, TiVo, HDTV decoder, and music/video file server. The optical SPDIF would output to a nice surround-sound receiver and the HDMI to a nice LCD or OLED HD-TV.

I have the feeling such an HTPC is still another 2-3 years down the road if ever.

 

[ultimatebob]

No file server for me... That's what my USB external hard drive is for.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Home proxy server was a file server of sorts for a little while until it had this bad habit of getting all the files in that shared folder infected with viruses all the time and corrupting the files after the AV removed the viruses. Guess having that folder shared like that and firewall ports open invited the baddies in

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I don't think I could ever bear to have my HTPC being that great, unless it was also my main rig
See Ainulindale for details.

 

[Evadman]

you peeps who have your rigs listed; where do you find the time to keep them updated? I have 2 desktops, 1 server, 1 NAS, and 2 laptops and I can't keep it all straight. I have this week as vacation, maybe I should update my rigs.

 

[NuroMancer]

Yes, and Windows

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Every couple of months. Takes only a few minutes and it helps me to keep things straight in my head.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: WhoBeDaPlaya
Every couple of months. Takes only a few minutes and it helps me to keep things straight in my head.

Doesn't matter today, I dropped the old rigs from my listing and went to add a new one and I get a system error on the page. Bad Zuni!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
Home proxy server was a file server of sorts for a little while until it had this bad habit of getting all the files in that shared folder infected with viruses all the time and corrupting the files after the AV removed the viruses. Guess having that folder shared like that and firewall ports open invited the baddies in

If that's an issue buy VMware or Parallels and run Windows virtually within Windows...then you can use your downloading apps within those and transfer the (scanned) files over to your real OS:

http://www.parallels.com/

 

[ryan256]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Well personally I buy new DVD movies, convert them to Xvid (1.4gb), then transfer to my file server all the time. I need to test that out on my hacked Buffalo router, actually...

But you're right, it won't matter for most people. But if you have a file server, why not use it for the good stuff?

Edit: Also, the place I'm currently at has foiled-lined insulation, the wireless reception is terrible

Ah.. I was about to ask if you used any kind of compression of if you just stored the raw .VOBs. Do you use GKnot for encoding or something else??

 

[eplebnista]

No

 

[blckgrffn]

Nice little guy, cheap 3800+ AM2, onboard 6100 graphics, 80 gig boot drive and a 200 gig RAID 1. It's amazing how much important stuff you can fit on a drive even that small.

Windows, I am not sharing what kind

 

[Robor]

Linux (Ubuntu Edgy) -- Specs in bottom of sig