Ace of Spades

Hi guys, im contemplating sorting out a home server for the family.
The rig i will be using is an old PB PC.
1.8Ghz P4
768mb Ram
5200 128mb
80GB HDD

This is only going to be for things such as music collection, a few movies and document backup for the family.
However i want this also to run a webserver for my own personal site and occasionly use it with the 360.
Now i can run this in my room with wifi or wire it up, however wiring it up will mean i cant leave it in a random room.
But i feel wifi will work aslong as im not streaming films.

Ook so now you know wat i want to do, ofcourse i shall use remote access to configure this both after setup and when im away.

But what OS should i use, bearing in mind i need an Apache server is it?
I was looking at just XP Home with some downloads or maybe Windows Home server?

so:
Windows XP
Windows Home Server
Windows Server 2003
Linux Distro

I want my family to be able to manage this without me aswell, backing up their music etc so needs to be fairly easy to use.

Thanks in advance for reading this mamoth post

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max302

Linux is pretty flexible for home servers, but if you have zero experience with linux and don't want to mess around with it much, you won't really get what you want. In order to get something like filesharing to work correctly and safely, you need to edit samba config properly, set up you shares with appropriate permissions (which most of the time means balancing chmods and chown, user and group ownerships, etc).

For that reason, your maybe better off getting a windows based server OS.

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Ace of Spades

Got a copy of Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, free as im a student from Microlove

However i have a severe lack of PSU lol, apprently the old pc had a big bang so there goes the PSU.
I think it also took out a few of the components. I thought it was weird that a 512 stick wasn't being recognised in another computer. Damn.

We shall see how this thing goes, for now i will experiment on the setup with VM Ware

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lattyware

Linux isn't hard to setup, and it's likely to be more useful and faster in the future, not to mention more secure.

Linux shouldn't be that hard to get running, especially with the help you can get here and elsewhere online. In the long run, it'll be better.

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Lattyware | Main (Sig) Rig: gBOX42 | Lan Rig: gLAN42
Never been convinced by Linux? Here is a challenge. | Using LVM
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There are three types of software. Free as in speech (FOSS), Free as in beer (Freeware) and Free as in BitTorrent.

Retrospekt

"And occasionally use it with the 360". Linux doesn't work with the 360.

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Chipp

How does the 360 get it's streaming media? I would have thought MPD, but if it's not linux compatible...

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lattyware

It's entirely possible to stream media to the 360 from Linux, you just need to install the right tools. Google it, there is loads of info.

TwonkyMedia seems to be the big one. Apparently it's only a trial version which is free, but it never times out, so it's fine.

Or this is full-free, aparently.

__________________
Lattyware | Main (Sig) Rig: gBOX42 | Lan Rig: gLAN42
Never been convinced by Linux? Here is a challenge. | Using LVM
Scratched Disc? | Guide To LAN Parties | Writing a GUI application in Python/Glade
Etching an image into your case. | Wireless Access Points: Easy wireless networking.
A Member Of The OCN Anime/Manga Club
There are three types of software. Free as in speech (FOSS), Free as in beer (Freeware) and Free as in BitTorrent.

BlackandBlue

I hate to say it, but Windows Home Server is actually a great product (what? An OS from M$ that works as intended?) I have had mine setup for a couple months and it has not given me any issues. I have all of our pictures, movies and music shared between all of the computers in the home. I also have it run uTorrent as a service, so I can log in remotely to have it download while I'm at work. It runs headless, so you will not have to touch a thing once its setup. Over all, I'm very impressed. Only bad part is you have to pay for it, though there is a 120-day trial available at microsoft's connect website.

Ace of Spades

Thanks to everyone thats provided info on this, i will definatley look into Home Server. Very tempted BlackandBlue, need to find a PSU. will try out both, cheers.

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Limes

You don't need really any security for a home server, its yours personally, and I doubt anyone from Europe would try and access it. So Windows 2003 would be your best option its easier to use.