Page 3 - February_Newsletter_2021

My Server

Background

Many years ago I decided that a server would be useful addition to my home network for several
reasons and over time the list of reasons has grown. I initially used an old desktop machine as my
server, over the years I have replaced it a few times as a less old machine became available. My
first one I called ‘orac’, the second was ‘zen’ (both computers in Blake’s 7), the new one is
‘holly’ (Red Dwarf)
What is a server?

It is a computer which provides services to other computers/devices on the network. In a commer-
cial operation it usually has many roles, one or more of :- centralised file storage, email server run-
ning the company email account, accounting package, sales system, purchasing system, inventory,
stock control, etc. In a commercial environment the server(s) would be located in the computer
room, seldom accessed by physically direct means, would only have a monitor or keyboard
plugged in for maintenance actions, so not a computer which people would use for their normal
jobs.

Why have a server for a home system?

From the list above probably only file storage is relevant, however in my case there are a few other
things -

· File back up from both my desktop and laptop and so keep them both in sync.

· Storage for photographs, music and videos.

· As a streaming source for media to the TV.

· To monitor some Pi’s running control systems and email me if any problems arise.

So it has the functions of a NAS box but with additional stuff as well.
The hardware I used originally was a spare desktop PC, lives in the loft and runs Ubuntu Server
Edition. That has been fairly successful generally, although there have been a few failures over the
years.

What is different about server hardware?

A server is basically a computer, so any old desktop fits the bill, but….

In a commercial environment you cannot afford for any of your systems to go down, that will im-
mediately cost the company money, so reliability is key, and also ease of changing modules in or-
der to minimise the downtime if/when there is a failure. So while they are still computers there are
some hardware design considerations to improve reliability. Typically disks would be ‘hot swap’
so pull one out and plug a new one it without having to power down.