[GRLUG] Net-top as server?

[Bob Kline]

On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 11:41 AM, Jim Olding <olding at smashtech.net> wrote:

> > Anyway the question is would a net-top be powerful enough to setup as
> > a file and media server.  I had plans on setting up Apache as well,
> > but I hadn't around to it yet.  I used sockso, but I might setup a
> > more powerful media server in the future when/if I setup an
> > entertainment PC next to the tv.
> >
>
> Absolutely, it will do the job just fine as long as you're just
> serving the files over a network share. Transcoding however would kill
> it.
>
> > Those small, power sippin' little boxes really look appealing as
> > compared to what I did have, which was a full mini-tower scrapped
> > together with the remains of past desktops.  I would put ubuntu server
> > on it, I wouldn't need X.  How powerful are those little atom chips?
> >
>
> I actually did a writeup of my switchover to using an Atom system as
> my fileserver, and the power savings it yielded.
>
> http://smashtech.net/2009/03/12/going-green-in-the-home-datacenter/
>
> I've since added another 1TB software RAID5 array to it, and its been
> running great.
>
>
Interesting piece.  Everyone should
have access to a Kill-A-Watt.  The first
thing they'll do is replace every bulb
in the house with a CFL.

Power used per unit of capacity has
clearly been going down for decades.
Image the cost of running a disk farm
of 1GB drives to equal the capacity of
one 1TB unit, which probably uses the
same or less power as each 1GB drive.
True, there are bandwidth and redundancy
issues.

CPUs have much small linewidths today,
and on a per instruction basis use a lot
less power today.  And of course a lot of
function are built in today, as well as in
chipset.  Few thing too much about how
many slots they have in their motherboard
today, unless it's for more memory.

All arguments to upgrade one's hardware
every 3 to 5 years.

    -- Bob
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