Turkey in the Straw or Server on the sly?

[blindjim]

 

hello everyone!

 

I’ve exactly zero exp with using servers apart from a NAS drive I’ve been fiddling with for these same purposes throughout 2009..

 

What’s wrong with the following idea (s)? Or how do I improve upon it?

 

I’ve got a brand new Dell Optiplex 760. 2.7GHz DC Pentium 4 CPU. 32 bit. FSB = 800MHz. 4 gig PC 2 6400 DDR2 RAM. OS = XP Pro SP3.

 

I’m thinking to add an SS hDD of 30 – 60 Gig for OS and Apps. An ESATA PCI card to which I’ll attach a likewise ESATA 4 bay enclosure and add drives there as needed, likely 2TB’s each. I am thinking SCSI is not worth the extra $$$ for about 3ms – 6ms..

 

Current PCI audio card is an M Audio 24/192 feeding a BC DAC3 via SPDIF.

 

Networking is via Ethernet Westell G router.

 

JR MC 12 is the current media player for music files, iTunes for web radio, and Cyberlink Power DVD for video playback…. Why all 3? Don’t ask. It’s all my own accessibility issues… nuff said.

 

Questions:

Is this worth doing for music file sharing?

 

What’s the safest/easiest way to access this configuration for audio & video file playback remotely? IOW … via a laptop? Remote desktopping in or….. ?? Security is a nice idea too as the laptop is Vista wireless G..

 

I’m seeing this on paper, as a viable path for an “as you go” plan to amass and serve up files. The next step is the SS drive and ESATA PCI card… then the enclosure with two 2TB ESATA drives for starters.

 

Should I go all in at some point and get the MS server 2K software as well? Or am I missing something else? Or is there some other server software that’s both better and cheaper?

 

Again, this is merely to file share primarily, music and other files are the main idea and another audio card will likely be added down the road.

 

Any & all help or thoughts here are sincerely desired and appreciated. Please keep a PC frame of mind in this regard. I’ve nothing against MACs but they aren’t in the mix this time around for my own reasons.

 

Thanks a lot.

 

 

 

[Audio_ELF]

Dell Optiplex 760: nothing fundermentally wrong with this; but check out what PCIe and PCI slots and ensure they are full height if this is what you need for the cards. eSATA is a great idea - good throughput and lower CPU overhead than USB. Also with the Optiplex you need to check noise level as my experience of Dell Optiplex is they are quite noisey.

 

XP with SP3: not bad, but remember this is soon to end support from Microsoft. No need for a server operating system - infact best not to. Although we call them Music Servers, they are not servers in an IT sence of the word.

 

Eloise

 

[blindjim]

 

Thanks Eloise.

 

I also have an Optiplex 620, and a friend has a 520. Apparently the odd numbered ones are quite silent. Far more than those other two. My 620 using an aTI Radeon 4850 and larger PS sounds like I'm near the airport runway, at times.

 

One Xpress... two PCI. All are full height.

 

Ultimately, past the hardware and so forth, I want any other machine on the network to see the 760 as a data base of sorts... or drives.. of just plain folders.

 

I'm unable to beat the cost too. Free. W/3yr P&L.... IN HOME SERVICE. So MS is going to have to support it at least that much longer. Only the 'added hardware' costs me.

 

According to A utility that reports HW & SW on board the 760, it says there's SQL enabled. Isn't that some sort of server software or utility?