Home Server OS

[ShiBDiB]

I got bored and seeing how my desktop is more than enough for the games I play I decided to build a home server..

Now that I got the hardware..

1 x ASRock Z87E-ITX LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s 
1 x Intel Core i3-4130T Haswell 2.9GHz LGA 1150 35W 
2 x Western Digital WD Green WD10EZRX 1TB IntelliPower 
1 x Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 
1 x SeaSonic SS-300ES Bronze 300W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS 
1 x Team C123 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Model TC123332G

I'm debating on what OS to go with. I plan on using the server to
- Store media files
- Stream said files to an xbox and pc
- Maybe host a minecraft server for a few friends
- Must be able to access remotely after initial setup.. ssh/remote desktop/


Is Ubuntu server edition a good choice? I have limited, aka no, experience with linux. So I figured it would be something fun to mess around with.

 

[Fourstaff]

Friend recommends Ubuntu -> Gentoo, Ubuntu to get acclimatised with Linux, and then Gentoo because its better.

 

[kenkickr]

I was happy with both ubuntu server and then trying ubuntu desktop to see what it could do. Make sure to grab Samba and Plex is great for streaming media to other systems, xbox, and ps3.

 

[Aquinus]

Is Ubuntu server edition a good choice? I have limited, aka no, experience with linux. So I figured it would be something fun to mess around with.

I use Ubuntu server for any server I make. It's solid and works well and recommend it 100%. As for having no experience, I really recommend starting with Ubuntu and not Gentoo. Gentoo isn't exactly the easiest OS to start using if you have minimal experience with *nix. Also only use Ubuntu Server if you plan on doing everything on the command line. Use something like Xubuntu if you want a GUI to use.

edit: Also, the learning curve and time you have to invest to use Gentoo versus the gains from using it hardly makes it worth it IMHO.

 

[ShiBDiB]

I use Ubuntu server for any server I make. It's solid and works well and recommend it 100%. As for having no experience, I really recommend starting with Ubuntu and not Gentoo. Gentoo isn't exactly the easiest OS to start using if you have minimal experience with *nix. Also only use Ubuntu Server if you plan on doing everything on the command line. Use something like Xubuntu if you want a GUI to use.

edit: Also, the learning curve and time you have to invest to use Gentoo versus the gains from using it hardly makes it worth it IMHO.

so http://www.ehow.com/how_7541477_stepbystep-server-can-access-internet.html

should give me a gui to work with? Neat..

 

[Fourstaff]

edit: Also, the learning curve and time you have to invest to use Gentoo versus the gains from using it hardly makes it worth it IMHO.

If you are happy with Ubuntu, by all means stay there. If you eventually find Ubuntu slightly lacking in features/customisability/whatever, feel free to proceed to Gentoo. I never used Gentoo, I am just going by my friend's suggestion.

 

[Aquinus]

If you are happy with Ubuntu, by all means stay there. If you eventually find Ubuntu slightly lacking in features/customisability/whatever, feel free to proceed to Gentoo. I never used Gentoo, I am just going by my friend's suggestion.

Sure, if you want to spend an entire day recompiling something like OpenOffice when ever you want to update it. You can do just about everything in Ubuntu that you can in Gentoo. Gentoo is for people who like to compile just what you need for what you're running. The performance improvements really don't show and waiting for software to compile get boring real fast.

Gentoo is cool, don't get me wrong, I just think that it doesn't belong on a server that you're planning on relying on.

 

[Fourstaff]

Sure, if you want to spend an entire day recompiling something like OpenOffice when ever you want to update it.

Yeah recompiling sucks, which is why I never touched Gentoo. However, if you are strictly going to keep it as a server keeping your media and other things I don't think you will need to recompile often, maybe once a year or half year.

 

[Aquinus]

Yeah recompiling sucks, which is why I never touched Gentoo. However, if you are strictly going to keep it as a server keeping your media and other things I don't think you will need to recompile often, maybe once a year or half year.

True, but Gentoo takes some work to get working. Ubuntu can be up in running in no time, but I'm just justifying all the reasons for why I think Ubuntu is good.

 

[newtekie1]

Unless you are really wanting to learn linux, just go with Windows 7 Pro.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Yeah Newtekie has a point. Though if learning and widening your experience with other operating systems is also an aim then I say install the free version of VMware ESXi and you can try multiple OS's all on one box at the same time. The only thing you might need for compatibility that you don't already have is an Intel NIC. Also gives you the opportunity to have a whole network of "computers" if you so choose, clients and servers.

I think this machine also your gaming rig, right? It is only a couple gigs can run/boot ESXi off of a thumb drive and store/run your virtual machines on a dedicated SSD. Then when you want to game just boot back into Windows like you do now.

Would have a separate VM for the Minecraft server, etc etc.

There is also Hyper V under Windows server but much more limited. There are six month free trials of the various Windows Server OS's same as the Windows 8 "preview" so many BF4 players have installed this week.

 

[Red_Machine]

I know this might sound silly, but have you considered Windows Home Server?

 

[newtekie1]

I know this might sound silly, but have you considered Windows Home Server?

I thought of that at first too, but setting up a Minecraft server might be a bit hard on WHS.

 

[Black.Raven]

There's also windows server home. but I dont know it does anything besided backing up and sharing files

(I see its discontinued. 2012 is the last version

 

[ShiBDiB]

I know this might sound silly, but have you considered Windows Home Server?

where's the fun in that?

 

[rtwjunkie]

There's also windows server home. but I dont know it does anything besided backing up and sharing files

(I see its discontinued. 2012 is the last version

It actually does quite alot, from streaming and storing media, to automatic backups, to file storage and sharing, and there are even some folks on We Got Served Forums who have set it up as a minecraft server and even a mail server. It's quite a good piece of software.

Also, "discontinued" is a misnomer. They (MS) merely said there won't be a next version and gave out the date of it's EOL, something most OS except 8 out now have listed already. It has about 5 more years of mainstream support, and is still being sold.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Well if no virtualization and you're bored by Windows Whatever then I say Ubuntu Server I guess. Or CentOS maybe which is Red Hat Enterprise Linux-based.

Or there is always the venerable FreeBSD if you want to be more of a bad ass.

 

[ShiBDiB]

Gonna go with Ubuntu/xubunto. Something new and different from windows

 

[rtwjunkie]

Gonna go with Ubuntu/xubunto

Cool! Good luck, and I hope you'll keep us up to date on your learning experience.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

That's definitely a good starting point, at the least. If you did not already know it is Debian-based so that can help you when Googling for software, how-to's and solutions.

 

[Aquinus]

You also don't have to spend money on it. Windows costs money.

 

[Papahyooie]

My opinion, go with windows home server 2011. It's 50 bucks on Newegg or less sometimes and based on server 2008. I run minecraft and dayz servers on it. It has plenty of features, native media transcoding to xbox and other windows machines, automatic incremental backup of any windows machine on the network, remote access through a personalized free website (this one may end up defuct pretty soon... have heard rumblings on the internet.) The launcher that sits on your client machine is either love it or hate it depending on how you feel about "software on startup." Some people hate it, I find it to be pretty useful and intuitive. Easy to setup because it is after all just a modified windows. Also means that by installing the right modules and services you could get it to do anything you want, servers or otherwise. I had a friend who didn't want to pay for a license for windows 7 so he juse got a 50 dollar copy of windows home server 2011, uninstalled the systems and services that only partained to servers, and installed the ones that he needed like visual themes and directx and such, and bam he pretty much had a dirt cheap copy of windows 7. Point is, with ubuntu or anythign else youre going to be limited as to the applications of said server due to the unavailability of software. With a windows solution you can use any of the software you are used to. Linux is needed for much more robust server applications, but for home use you can't beat WHS 2011.

Then again like it was said above if you're just building a server because you're bored then perhaps linux experimentation is exactly what you need to scratch the itch.

 

[newtekie1]

something most OS except 8 out now have listed already

8's EOL was announced when it was released. January 10, 2023

 

[ShiBDiB]

well ubuntu doesnt wupport the wifi that's built into the mobo, so I'll be installing an old copy of windows server 2008 I have.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Not R2? It will suffice but it was "Vista Server" and kinda old by now. But certainly not suggesting you fork over for a new 2102 license either.