What to use as a download server?

[pinktank]

Soon I'll make me a download pc preferably with passive cooling, maybe just a low speed 12cm fan. Normally I'd just snap on a celeron micro atx and run dslinux from it and run smb for networking with pc but now that I'm going to use a mandatory(school) macbook pro, I'm having second thoughts.

Things that It should do:

Network seamlessly with my macbook pro while its running both macosx and win

Be stealth ( probably in a closet near my modem)

Interior Storage not that big of a deal since I'll have an external hd

Run 24 hours without problems

Be remote controlled from a linking computer(I dont want to waste money on a screen, I'll connect it to what I have for config at first)

Run a decent torrent, dc, newsgroup program together



Now, the choices are,
a) buy a mac mini and shut up but I dont want to spend much on them
b) buy a relatively new chipsetted micro atx board and run mac os off of it
c) buy an ultimately cheap bundle of components and run Linux( keep in mind I'm not an experienced linux user but still a minor computer tech so I don't think it'd be a problem)

Thanks for your opinions as of now.....................^-^

Oh and I'm in an art college so modding tools a plenty, I can even laser cut panels for case if need be.

I don't know enough ITX boards, what do you think about them?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

If you're stuffing it in a closet, why would it need to be totally quiet? 😛

An old P3 should do all of that quite nicely, and will be old enough to be supported by 90% of the Linux distros out there.

- M4H

 

[pinktank]

I wasnt sure of linux-mac networking
and the availability of the sharing programs for linux but thats a given

Why do I need it quiet? because I want an absolutely quiet room, a fan can kill much when you want to meditate.
+ I'll be in a studio so the closet will be close

Looks like I'm going to go with some passively cooled celeron micro atx. Not a p3 tho,
I want full and proper usb support and a decent ide interface, I may use it as a music interface later on.

 

[OSX]

Why? A Tualatin PIII will have good USB and IDE support and interfaces. You can get a USB card for cheap. Use VNC to manage it.

 

[pinktank]

Will think about that Tualatin, I may spend an extra bit and do an amd since you can grab a64s for 50-100$ today, that way I can convert it to a media pc If I feel like it later on.
and yes vnc is a sure choice there, and probably probably SHH for the network.

 

[Talcite]

I'm wondering how you plan to b) buy a cheap pc and run a mac OS off it 0.o. I thought mac OSes were proprietary, and only ran on powerPC chips? Or the new intel core duo chips... But yes, Linux looks like the best one to run to me. It's great for file servering, because it uses so few resources. If you don't know linux, or arn't familiar with it... there's a first time for everything =p.

 

[pinktank]

About the mac os, ermm I'll pm you in a sec.

Now that linux is decided, I must

a) spend some and build an am2 gf6100 using 2nd hand part, approx cost, would be hmm 50 for board 50-60 for cpu 50 for ram, something for case +++s are gigabit lan , onbard usb sound and firewire
b) go p3 tualatin, board+cpu +ram = 80? something for case, needs pci usb/firewire card,

use samsung pata in either case as it is the quietest drive I've heard but I'm open to recommendations, I'll probably wrap it with rubber bands and etc, whatever makes it dead. May go for the first choice given that I find parts at a good price, It will differ 50$ or so, not that grand in the long run.

 

[Talcite]

p3 tualatin. I'm using a freeNAS server for my network, it's a slot1 cpu. You probably don't need anything faster. ehh... samsung sp120 is actually the quietest rated drive. I've heard it's a hit-miss thing though. Buy from a store you can return at. Goto storagereview.com or something. They have all the drives ranked by dBa.

Oh and yes i know freeNAS is freeBSD, but they're all pretty much low requirement.