Used server for home automation?
- Thread starter Texsun
- Start date
Just keep in mind that those drives are SCSI drives. They are much more expensive than normal SATA drives.
I personally would want to make sure that any OS running on my server would allow me to host RDP sessions. You never know when you might want to connect a small wireless device and use it for a interface viewer. Those OS include XP Pro, Vista Business and Vista Ultimate. There has been a hack to get RDP sessions hosted on a Vista Home Premium, but I'm not sure the current status of it. Sometimes MS will release an update that kills hacks like that, so there is always a risk of that.
I personally would want to make sure that any OS running on my server would allow me to host RDP sessions. You never know when you might want to connect a small wireless device and use it for a interface viewer. Those OS include XP Pro, Vista Business and Vista Ultimate. There has been a hack to get RDP sessions hosted on a Vista Home Premium, but I'm not sure the current status of it. Sometimes MS will release an update that kills hacks like that, so there is always a risk of that.
znelbok
Active Member
SCSI drives are not expensive any more - not the used ones on e-bay.
You don't really need anything above 36Gb for the OS drive, and thus they are easy to find a decent prices
Servers will run sata or IDE drive anyway, so you could always swap over to that in the future
The server could be noisy, ours here at work are quiet while cool, but the fan is noticable when it is up to speed.
One thing to watch is expansion slots. If you have an older PCI card to use (say a 5V PCI) it may not work if the server only supports a 3.3V PCI.
Memory is typically more expensive as it is ECC
Otherwise there is no real reason not to use them, they are quality components that work well together.
Mick
You don't really need anything above 36Gb for the OS drive, and thus they are easy to find a decent prices
Servers will run sata or IDE drive anyway, so you could always swap over to that in the future
The server could be noisy, ours here at work are quiet while cool, but the fan is noticable when it is up to speed.
One thing to watch is expansion slots. If you have an older PCI card to use (say a 5V PCI) it may not work if the server only supports a 3.3V PCI.
Memory is typically more expensive as it is ECC
Otherwise there is no real reason not to use them, they are quality components that work well together.
Mick
felixrosbergen
Senior Member
The power usage issue woudl be a big thing for me. If it's on 24/7 it really adds up. Rough math for my 100watt server adds up to about $200 to $250 a year to run. And that unit is certainly going to consume a good bit more than 100 watts.
