Server OS

C

cranky

Skilled
So I need a small home server.

It needs to absolutely support NTFS read write, so not every flavor of Linux will work well or at all.

It should be able to act as a router. There will be two network adapters in use, one wired (from ISP) and one wireless (for two computers to share when needed). The wireless network will also have a repeater which will serve the HTPC, phones and my office Macbook.

The server will serve two purposes.

1. Internet and network sharing between all three home computers and properly authorised portable devices.

2. File storage and media serving for clients over the network.

Hardware being used:

Gigabyte GA-510UD with 2GB RAM (board is new, RAM is recycled)
300GB IDE drive for OS (6-year old drive, hope it lasts long enough)
2 x 2TB and 2 x 1.5TB drives for media storage, these already have data on them in NTFS format.
PCI wireless card - 300mbps (on the way from Prime)

WHS2011 does not (?) provide router functionality as far as I know, and needs to connect to the home network to properly work, rather than be the center of the network.

The basic issue as far as I can tell is that the OS needs to be aware that it is serving a dual purpose, so it needs to know what to share and with whom. This is proving to be a little more difficult than it sounds and I'm not certain of the correct starting point. I know this is possible with a standard OS like Win7 and using network bridges and folder sharing. However not 100% sure I want to plump the cash for a full OS (WHS is about 3K, and does not work without a router AFAIK - at least the original Vista-based WHS did not).

The reason it needs to support NTFS properly is that I have not enough space to back up all my data before reformatting my drives. Else I could have experimented with Linux of some sort. There is also Lion server, but it comes on a Minimac with no way to add on all my drives.

Comments and suggestions are welcome :)
 
Edit: you want someone cheap. Windows Server 2008 R2 will not fit the bill unless you go the ahem way.

As a router, nothing beats pfsense. For file sharing, WHS 2011 with flexRaid is good. I don't know which Server OS will have these two functionalities in one.
 
Sorry if I have missed out on anything but why not just get a dedicated router ? So your chain would go from ISP Modem -> Router which could broadcast to the other PC's on the network and repeater ? Then you can share folders on the Filer Server system to specific user accounts within Windows
 
Umm...just check out clearOS, linux!

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you could also use win 7/server 2008 r2/whs v2/win SMB server and use virtual router/connectify software.
 
@bottle - this is because of a geographical challenge. My HTPC is about twenty feet away from the router at the moment and getting a good signal there is close to impossible (connection is successful only at 30mbps). So I need to configure the router as a repeater and was hoping to use the server to serve the net wirelessly and be the central fileserver. This also helps me to keep separate functionality in separate boxes, and have one box for two purposes.

@vivek - clearOS and NTFS support? Does that work?

@Sumit - I'm also stuck on the dual functionality. If nothing else I may have to go back to a 7 installation and use it to serve both uses. Not 100% sure at this point, so was hoping for some more inputs.
 
I guess Home server 2011 would be able to serve your purpose. I am using Win 7 for media purpose but it can very well handle the router part as well. addded advantage with win 7 is the media capability which is absent in servers mentioned in the thread.
 
for using clearOS with ntfs, if native support is not present, you will need to get the ntfs-3g package, and install it.

however for your needs, use windows 7 and virtual router. it should also work with whs v2 as it is based on 2008 R2.

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kuld33p said:
I guess Home server 2011 would be able to serve your purpose. I am using Win 7 for media purpose but it can very well handle the router part as well. addded advantage with win 7 is the media capability which is absent in servers mentioned in the thread.
Click to expand...

WHS 2011 has the capabilities of streaming....

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However the downside of using Virtual router is that there is no management features to speak of at all............

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The basic issue as far as I can tell is that the OS needs to be aware that it is serving a dual purpose, so it needs to know what to share and with whom. This is proving to be a little more difficult than it sounds and I'm not certain of the correct starting point. I know this is possible with a standard OS like Win7 and using network bridges and folder sharing. However not 100% sure I want to plump the cash for a full OS (WHS is about 3K, and does not work without a router AFAIK - at least the original Vista-based WHS did not).
Click to expand...

This is going to be tricky.....
 
This is going to be tricky.....
Click to expand...

Yup, it figured when I started doing a bit of digging on the server side. One OS cannot actually do both the things intelligently, so we need to run a few tricks to get both functionality in one box. Or use a desktop OS with sharing and bridges between two physical connections. Not sure how secure the server is in that condition, though.

Will dig a bit deeper once the network adapter is here. Gonna be a hell of a weekend, methinks.

And no Sumit, need a free or legit server OS. I may use a different version for trials, but am going to get a proper serial number if I do choose to go the Windows way. However, am interested to know if Server 2008 will provide both bits of functionality with the network bridge and file server in two separate sandboxes?
 
I'm not sure who or what made you think that a server OS is not equipped for multi roles.. Any native server OS will suit your requirement.. Although i would advice to go with linux.. You could go with win2k3 server r2..
Please do some research on the net about how you can configure it to be a router cum dns server and file/media server
++Posted from my old buddy, the Sony Ericsson Z710i
 
Would you be so kind as to provide a few links? All the research I am doing is pointing me to the fact that ext4/ext3 is required for Linux to properly support my data, and that WHS needs to connect to the home router same as every client computer (no DHCP, no routing).

I'll look up 2k3 and 2008 server and see if they work any better.
 
cranky said:
Yup, it figured when I started doing a bit of digging on the server side. One OS cannot actually do both the things intelligently, so we need to run a few tricks to get both functionality in one box. Or use a desktop OS with sharing and bridges between two physical connections. Not sure how secure the server is in that condition, though.

Will dig a bit deeper once the network adapter is here. Gonna be a hell of a weekend, methinks.

And no Sumit, need a free or legit server OS. I may use a different version for trials, but am going to get a proper serial number if I do choose to go the Windows way. However, am interested to know if Server 2008 will provide both bits of functionality with the network bridge and file server in two separate sandboxes?
Click to expand...

Yup I do exactly the same with a very similar machine - it is my music server and also feeds my external dac and at the same time is acts as a router for the rest of my machines to the internet as I use a tata indicom USB dongle for internet access. I use Avast on that machine with the firewall that it comes with.

So far no trouble and no compromises either. All unwanted ports have been closed manually and the OS(WinXP Pro) is updated to the latest and greatest all the time.
 
If you machine supports virtualization, you can install two OSes, pfsense for the router and FreeNAS for the file sharing.
 
Intel Atom 510. Yay, or Nay for virtualisation?

OTOH, won't it be dog-slow?

Edit: A quick update, WHS 2011 is out the window (pun not intended). It won't even install if it does not detect a wired network connection. Now it's looking like a desktop OS. How much is a legit copy of WinXP, OEM is also fine.

Edit 2: @Chaos - is your server headless? Using TeamViewer or similar? Or do you have a setup to control and monitor it as well?
 
Virtualization on the atom is a strictly theoretical probability , and yup its dog slow as in a lone Chihuahua pulling the Santa's sled.

XP Pro license last I heard was close to 4-5K, and current Win7 Pro price is about 8K, and ultimate is around 8.6K. So a 7 Ult/Pro license is a no-brainer really. Lets move over XP please.

IIRC the pics someone shared sometime back showed Chaos' box running headless.

I was in a similar situation as yours a while back and ended up adding a Wifi AP for about 2.5K. I kinda believe in horses for the courses, so let the router be a router, let the AP act as a repeater and let it sit cuddling the home-server for best results :p

Now with the routing out of the way, you can use any media-centric Linux implementation with requisite NTFS packages which would serve files and media. The Atom could definitely be a nifty lil transcoder and streamer with a single user caveat.

And lastly, are you confident of getting HD streaming over WiFi? Even with my rangemax n setup with the PS3 + Htpc at 6ft and Media Server at 12 Ft from the router it stutters and drops frames at 1080p and anything above 640Kbps/channel. Would really like to see your mileage.
 
cranky said:
Would you be so kind as to provide a few links? All the research I am doing is pointing me to the fact that ext4/ext3 is required for Linux to properly support my data, and that WHS needs to connect to the home router same as every client computer (no DHCP, no routing).

I'll look up 2k3 and 2008 server and see if they work any better.
Click to expand...

Sorry I was using the phone to reply, hence couldn't give you the links.

Win2K3 server R2 is what you need, you get everything, no unwanted stuff, easily configurable.

In Win2K3, enable DHCP so that all the clients connected to the second network card can get IP from the server and also, it will become the gateway to the internet which it's connected to using the first network card.

Then configure the DNS service and make the server a file server and assign an ip to it so that all the systems can access media on it. It isn't rocket science. What I would best suggest is download cbtnuggets CBT for MCSE2003 or even Trainsignal CBT. It explains how to configure everything. Or simply go to youtube, there are like a gizillion videos on these over there.

You anyways get a 60day free license on win2k3 (and on other version), you can try configuring them without having to purchase it and then come to a logical conclusion if it fit's your need.

Install and Configure DHCP Server in Win server 2003 Step By Step Guide | Windows Reference

Windows Server 2003 - DHCP Server Configuration - YouTube

How To Install and Configure a DHCP Server in a Workgroup in Windows Server 2003

How To Install and Configure DNS Server in Windows Server 2003

Configure and Install DNS on Win2003 Server - YouTube

search terms used: dhcp on win2k3, dns on win2k3

EDIT: Since you're anyways going to be taking up the pain of configuring a server for use, I would also suggest you configure exchange server on it and configure all your email account like gmail, hotmail.... etc etc.. and then you can have your mobile devices pick up email directly from your server, you don't have to configure each and every account on your phone and no headache of mail space usage on phone and if your phone is lost, you still have your mails and best of all, everything is in synch, your mobile devices and your desktop. try it out if you are willing to go the extra mile.

Disclaimer: Although having a server is a pretty good idea for all your needs, you will be opening yourself up onto the internet with all your data, securing the server and constantly updating it and patching loopholes and not leaving open unnecessary access should be your priority. For example, blocking all ports for services to external world and enabling only http etc.
 
@sarang, thanks for that. Seems the AP plus the Win7 license will add another bit of costs. Linux + NTFS may be able to do that on the cheap, but I'm worried about the NTFS packages not properly supporting permissions. To your point - I haven't tried streaming because the media is still on my main rig though I did try a file transfer and it gave me about 5MB/s in real speed so I'm hoping the system will handle HD streams well enough. [EDIT: HD Streaming works fine. Not smoothly on some high bit-rate files but assuming that's because it's playing on the pathetic little NM10 chipset with 8MB shared memory] My bigger issue is music, as I prefer to pre-buffer all files before they play. For a 30MB FLAC file, that's 6 second pause between songs. OK for my main rig, not OK for my audiophile rig. Maybe that will store music locally and only be backed up to the server, then.

Just an update, have been playing around with a desktop OS for the server and I'm not sure it will cut it, at least not without some kind of router management software because the OS can use the network card only to connect to the router, and not as a broadcast point. Which means I still have to get a small AP for the network and continue to use the router by itself if I stay with a desktop OS. The good thing is that for a W7 network sharing is really easy, and the router keeps the big bad wolves at bay. Or some of them.

@Virus - that was a great post, thanks and repped. I do want to do a bit more digging on the security side.
 
cranky said:
It won't even install if it does not detect a wired network connection.
Click to expand...

I faced a similar problem sometime back when I tried to install WHS 2011 on the Samsung N128 netbook. It was on Win XP before that and since the specs were minimal (Atom N270 @ 1.6 GHz and a measly 1GB DDR RAM!), I decided to give WHS 2011 a try.

Seems like PC World has addressed this issue and the workaround later:

PC World said:
The system housed a single unformatted 2TB Western Digital GreenPower drive. The entire process went smoothly at the beginning, and if you've ever run Windows Setup, you won't find much different in the Windows Home Server routine. But we hit a snag at the end of the automated process: The system didn't have a built-in driver for the gigabit ethernet controller. That missing ingredient generated an error message, which resulted in a reboot, which led to the same problem and error message. In short, Windows Setup had entered an infinite loop.

Escaping this catch-22 is simple. After completing the 'Preparing Desktop' phase, you'll see the 'configuring Windows' screen with a progress bar; at that point, simply press Ctrl-Alt-Delete, open the task manager, and kill the setup process. Windows will unceremoniously dump you to the desktop, at which point you can install the chipset and the network drivers. Unlike in the Windows 7 setup, installing chipset drivers didn't require a reboot.
Click to expand...

Gave up on WHS 2011 ever since and used Win 7 Ultimate 32bit. Disabled Aero and all other useless features since the netbook primarily acts as the download rig and a NAS. It is connected to a router via Wifi. If I am away from the system, I access it remotely using Teamviewer 6 from my iPad and everything works pretty well. :)
 
cranky said:
Intel Atom 510. Yay, or Nay for virtualisation?
Click to expand...

Guess it is a No :( Intel® Atom
It does not support Intel VT-x. You still can install VMWare Server, but it is not worth it, the product is not actively supported by VMWare and when I last tried, there were many problems.

You can also potentially install any Linux distribution and make it as a Wifi AP. There are many links at Linux-Wireless.com
For file sharing, you can use samba.
 
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