Ubuntu Home Server Edition

FusionGuy wrote:

Linux has been copying Windows usability elements for years.  No surprise there.  They've got their work cut out for them to compete with WHS, which will continue to improve with each revision.  Now Apple will come out with a home server and claim it as their idea, complete with a 200% markup. 

They already have a home server. It is called Mac OS X and I have it running in my lounge on my lil compact Mac mini. Not only is it a server but it does everything a client OS does as well. It holds all my music, photos, music etc that I want to share in my house. I could even retrieve them from the internet if I like, Tell me what makes a home server product a home server product? What characteristics define when you can call a system that, and try to not put your 200% of marked up fud on top of it.

PaoloM wrote:



Custa1200 wrote: Tell me what makes a home server product a home server product? What characteristics define when you can call a system that, and try to not put your 200% of marked up fud on top of it.

Automated, unattended backup for all the machines in the home? Easy data replication? A hardware/software package that is quiet, inexpensive and provides easy internal storage expansion? Automated password management and synchronization? Remote access gateway capabilities?

I don't know, that was just off the top of my head...

I have automated unattended backup in the form of Time Machine, If I wanted data replication I could just add another drive and have time machine backup from one 500GB to another one, oh thats what I do from the Mini system disk to the attached drive. Mac mini is super quiet, inexpensive (bang for buck), aesthetically pleasing with it's matching 500GB Lacie sitting under it and my airport extreme sitting on top of it. I'll manage my own passwords thanx, and Remote access is no problem either. I think my lil Mac handles everything I would expect WHS to do, heck I could even install WHS on it if I really felt the need and still have a nicer looking setup next to the telly , Did I mention its also my Media Center connected to my receiver via DVI and mini toslink? I'd even have it recording Free to air TV here to except I have one of our companies test cable and FTA PVR's.

Any others? I played with one of the RC's of WHS and really wasn't compelled by anything in it, maybe it was the fact that the import things that you mentioned are for Windows only. It definitely would have been one option if it could be admined better from other OS and provided the same functionality for them too.

My house runs Mac OS probably 95% of the time so WHS just couldn't cut it for my needs.

Maybe I should run up the Unbuntu Media Server  in VMWare and see how it compares.

Ion Todirel wrote:



Custa1200 wrote:Mac mini is super quiet, inexpensive (bang for buck), aesthetically pleasing with it's matching 500GB Lacie sitting under it and my airport extreme sitting on top of it.

lets see... considering you can get a 2TB machine for $700, Mac Mini that cant do anything usefull, with a 80G and a price of $600 is expensive

who cares about aesthetics when it comes to servers? its a server you know, you put it somewhere and forget about it

Did you miss readin the bit about it being my media hub? This thing is in my lounge room on my TV cabinet. Aesthetics is important to me in this enviroment.

Why would I want 2TB of data atm when what i have is nowhere near full? And as I require more i can daisy chain more devices using Firewire.

Did i also mention that it is also a node for Logic Studio to offload processing there? It helps having dual 2Ghz with 2GB of ram for this task.

Like I said, I had a play with WHS and it really did not meet anywhere near my needs compared to a Mac mini running OS X for my multipurpose lifestyle. I was initially excited by the WHS but after a lil bit of time with it the excitement dropped pretty quckly. I certainly hope the install process is cleaner in the release to because the version I tried I nearly gave up at that stage it was so crazy.

It is interesting to see how ubuntu go moving ino this sector with a real product targeted directly at WHS.

Rossj wrote:



blowdart wrote: Custa1200 wrote: I have automated unattended backup in the form of Time Machine, If I wanted data replication I could just add another drive and have time machine backup from one 500GB to another one, oh thats what I do from the Mini system disk to the attached drive. I thought Apple didn't support Time Machine to network drives?

It works fine for networked drives, just not for USB drives directly connected to Airport Extreme basestations.

Is that non-technical enough?

I didn't like when i had my HD connected to the Airport Extreme as the HD would not sleep/spin down.