[nylug-talk] Slim home server for samba and subversion (and possibly IMAP)

[Chris Knadle]

On Monday 05 May 2008, Alexander L. Belikoff wrote:
> I've been using a spare PC running Debian as a home server for the last
> several years. This server has basically the following responsibilities:
>
> - Serving files (music/pictures/documents) via SAMBA. In particular, it
> serves the MP3 files for the iTunes running on my desktop, which already
> makes iPod syncs somewhat slowish.
> - Acting as a Subversion server (over SSH)
> - Downloading my mailbox(es) from the ISP via fetchmail and serving them
> via IMAP for my home PCs.
>
> While it's been working well, I cannot help thinking that having a
> full-fledged PC for such meager list of responsibilities is an overkill.
> I'd like to explore some alternatives. One is using a NAS device with no
> server functionality - basically, a network disk. This has a drawback
> that it would not be able to run a Subversion server, so one would have
> to make subversion directly update shared storage which is not elegant
> and prone to repo corruption. It would also rule out the IMAP mailbox.
>
> The other option would be to run a "slim" server - something that is
> barely larger than a NAS device but is capable of running SSH,
> Subversion and imapd. So my question is whether someone has experience
> with using such devices.

   Friends and I have been having similar thoughts as you have.  From my point 
of view something *similar* to a NAS device, but which allows you to do your 
own custom Debian load, would be most fitting.  I wouldn't want to trust a 
2.5" hard disk, and those don't have the capacity you want, anyway.  Going 
the way of external drives is also problematic, because of the messy cabling 
involved as well as several external drives having heat-related problems.  
Additionally I've seen external drives that use the same power connectors but 
which are wired differently, so plugging in the wrong power supply destorys 
the drive controller.  So if you use external drives, please be careful to 
put labels the power connector ends.

   Personally I'd want something that *looked* like a NAS device, used 
standard hard disks, possibly housed in removable bays, and which contained a 
low-powered CPU and had an internal power supply.  Bonus points for being 
rack-mountable.

   What I've been doing along these lines have been to use really old 
equipment that's been thrown out (almost anything will do as long as it's 
relatively quiet) and add a couple of removable drive bays.  But if I were to 
build something up from scratch, I'd probably start off by looking at either 
2U or 3U rackmount cases at CircoTech.com or try to review what other cases 
people have used successfully.  [3U cases can use standard-sized ATX power 
supplies which can be purchased to be quiet, 2U cases require nonstandard 
power supplies due to the lack of height, 1U cases are very limiting due to 
the lack of height and thus CPU coolers become difficult.]  I'd also look 
into Zalman coolers and focus on trying to make the box as silent as possible 
without hurting the budget too much.  (Depends on where you're putting it.)

   But in terms of OS I'd want Debian, and I probably wouldn't be happy with 
anything less.  I'd want full control and what I'm used to running so I can 
do whatever I want, and not be limited to what OS or software shipped 
pre-loaded.  So any commercial solution is _probably_ just OUT.

   Anyway that's my $0.02.
   Best of luck, and hopefully you'll build something you like that fully fits 
your needs.  :-)

   -- Chris

-- 

Chris Knadle
Chris.Knadle at coredump.us