Starting a home server

I am an IT Systems Engineering Consultant, dealing with mainly Microsoft products, but a lot of them. System Center stuff, Virtualization, Storage, Networking, Security, Exchange/Lync/UC, and just about anything else that my company has a need for me to learn.

With IT security, there are really three main different job styles out there. A lot of security jobs is setting up policies and procedures. There are also network security jobs managing firewalls, routers/switches, IPS/IDS, VPN, etc. Lastly there is ethical hacking and penetration testing.

The first one is often seen in Microsoft environments, meaning you want Windows servers at home. Build a server with as many physical cores as you can afford (AMD Bulldozer 8-cores, for example) and 32GB of RAM. Can easily run 10-15 servers with this and really play around with the basics (Active Directory, DNS, DHCP) and other stuff like Policies and such.

Network Security, well you want a Cisco home lab made of switches, routers, and whatever else your budget allows...but seeing that you have DreamSpark access, I'm going to assume you aren't in networking.

Ethical Hacking and Pen Testing is a Linux world, which I assume you are also not in. So I say, build a beefy server. 8-core, 32GB RAM, and an onboard Raid-5 array. Build virtual machines and just play. Build a domain, play with System Center stuff, do whatever you want...and wipe it and start over when you screwed it all up. A decent rig like this can be build for under a grand, and little by little. I have two servers built like this, which do nothing buy run Hyper-V on Server 2012 Core (RC), and a storage server for...well storing stuff.

With resources like that, your options are endless. Good luck in your endeavors!

hey,
i study IT online through Open Universities Australia and found that online study is great as you can design you study time around your life but one important piece of advice to online study is self discipline and time management..

ok for hands on i bought a nice Cisco lab kit of ebay Cisco kit all up about $500, the 4 servers about $1100 for the lot
Router:
2x CISCO 3620 Router 64D/16F 12.4 IOS
2x CISCO 2621 Router 64D/16F IOS:c2600-bino3s3-mz.123-26.bin

Switch:
3x WS-C2950-24 Switch
1x c3550-24 L3 switch

Module Card:
2x WIC-1T Serial connection Module Card for serial connection between Routers
1x NM-4T Serial Connaction Module for 3640 Routers
1x NM-2E2W Module Card with 2 FastEthernet Ports
1x WIC-1DSU-56K Module Card

Security
1x Cisco ASA5505

used for lab studies for CCNA R&S and security certifications and eventually CCNP etc

Servers
2x Rackable Systems dual quad core L5420 Xeon's 2U servers 32GB RAM
2x Rackable Systems dual quad core E5345 Xeon's 2U servers 16GB RAM
(older 771 sockets and draw the power but powerful none the less) used for a VMware lab ATM for server and desktop virtualzation.. self study for VMware certification (EXSi, View(VDI), PCoIP etc)

NAS bought new
1x synology DS710+ 2 bay
1x synology DS1512+ 5 bay (new addition)

slowly built over 6 months from eBay (not including the NAS servers) and for a good home server for hands on have alook at this site or thier ebay store
http://unixsurplus.com/

shop around and you can find some nice lab gear for hands on and at good prices
work in progress is building myself a 12 Bay unRAID server