Back around the holidays, it became clear that the time had come for a home file server. With stuff spread across multiple PCs, getting to our documents, photos, etc. had gotten a lot harder than it should’ve been. The problem was only going to get worse each time a new device came into the mix. Oh, and backups? Not happening with any regularity.
There are plenty of “home NAS” products out there that probably could’ve met our needs. Setting up something on a Windows machine also would’ve been an option. I had been wanting to gain more experience with Linux, though, so I decided the server would be a Linux system, with Samba offering connectivity to Windows clients.
On the hardware front, I figured I’d try my hand at home-building a system. Since the server would be turned on pretty much all the time, power efficiency was a must, and I wanted something compact. Some Googling led me to Logic Supply and their fanless offerings.
Shopping List
My shopping list consisted of components mostly from Logic Supply and Newegg:
| Intel D945GSEJT Johnstown mainboard with case, AC adapter, and right-angle SATA cable | $199.00 |
| Samsung Spinpoint 750 GB hard drive | $109.99 |
| 2 GB RAM | $35.00 |
| HDMI cable | $7.99 |
| DVI-to-HDMI adapter | $0.99 |
| Total | $352.97 |
I also picked up a keyboard, mouse, and external DVD drive, as well as a Kill A Watt, to keep an eye on electricity use.
Next up… putting it together!
oklampy 