Are my parts ok for a file server?

[CanaBalistic]

I recently got a couple of old computers and i want to know if either of them would be allright for a file server.

The first one is a pentium MMX 166Mhz in a little tower

The second is a 486SX desktop system

The 486SX was a good cpu in its day but i dont know if it's powerful enough for a file server. I also pulled an ISA soundblaster 16 card with IED controler from this machine.

What i want to know is this. Would one of thies computers make a decent file server and what would be my best O/S for somthing this old?

[nil8]

Ouch. That would be a pretty old fileserver. I bet those mobos don't support above 40 gb.

If I were you I would load an old version of linux on them and play around. I'm partial to debian, but if you're a newbie to linux go for mandriva/mandrake.

A good fileserver doesn't have to be the fastest thing around, but that's a strech.

[.Maleficus.]

Xubuntu is a complete GNU/Linux based system with an Ubuntu base. It's lighter, and more efficient than Ubuntu with GNOME or KDE, since it uses the Xfce Desktop environment, which makes it ideal for old or low-end machines, as well as thin-client networks.

Ideal for older machines... free... Sounds like a good OS to me!

[CanaBalistic]

I missed out big time... Last month Telus (ph company) was giving away a dell insperon 1100 to anyone who signed up for thier high speed internet service. I should have switched ISP's and grabed the computer. BUt i didnt hear about it untill the last week of the promotion.

It might have made a decent HTPC... Now i've got to wait and see if that promo comes up again.

Thanks for the input guys.

[mikeroq]

You should at least go for a 700mhz cpu with around 256mb of ram. To make sure your file server is also fast, add in a SCSI hard drive, or a 10K IDE.

[silverdemon]

You should at least go for a 700mhz cpu with around 256mb of ram. To make sure your file server is also fast, add in a SCSI hard drive, or a 10K IDE.

I have an AMD K6-II 500 MHz file-server system with 188 MB RAM, it works nice and I don't have any problems with speed, UNLESS I try to log on to the computer via remote control... then you will find it very slow, but otherwise, as a file-server it's fine...
But here we are talking about 166 MHz and slower systems... I don't know how that will work out
also, on my server I use windows server 2003, I don't know if linux would be faster (probably will be) than that...

[.Maleficus.]

You know, I really wouldn't worry about speed. As long as it runs, it will store your files. I guess if you plan on using it for like an hour a day, then yeah, I guess I would start worrying about speed, but if it will just be to transfer files every now and then, then it should be fine.

Otherwise, if you really, really want a file server, you could just check out eBay, you can get reasonable computers for what you need, for cheap.

And like I said in my above post, try Xubuntu.

[CanaBalistic]

I am having a bit of trouble getting the system to boot up. There are so many frickin pins and i cant make heads or tales of it all. I have what appears to be an SCSI drive installed. The 3" floppy, and an IDE drive. The sound card has a connector for a cd rom.

When i click on the power, the monitor turns on and the HD's start spinning. I get 2 beeps from the mobo spkr and thats it. The screen stay's blank the whole time. Maybe i am missing somthing...

I am using the AST 486sx/25Mhz because the pentium appears to be dead and has a bad look to it (scuffed and appears to be schorched).

Which drive would it start from first, the SCSI or the IDE?

I also dont have a proper keyboard for it. It has the big connector and another smaller one that fits a current keyboard plug. Could that be my problem?

[Edit]

There is no SCSI drive in that machine. I do have one and it was sitting on the table beside the massive pile of parts and i read the wrong drive before i posted :)

[silverdemon]

what I do remember from my old-school computer freak teacher:

one beep, good
two beeps bad...

I don't know what's wrong though...

[CanaBalistic]

AWW, $&@%!! The monitor i was using is now dead. I guess i fried it when hooking it up to the messed up machine. I use that monitor as my dual display on my good computer. Now im down to 1 monitor and i dont want to try using it on the old machine incase it screws it up aswell...

I think im going to scrap the whole thing. Ill salvage parts and keep one of the cases. Ill wait untill i come across a more powerful computer.

[.Maleficus.]

Do you have any shops around where you live that take in old, sometimes broken computers? I went into one by my house and got an entire Compaq Proliant server, for free. The guy just gave it to me. And another time, .alchinko. and I went into a different one and got like, 6 or 7 cases for free. You should try to get an old computer from them. If you do that though, call ahead and tell the owner/manager what you want the computer for, and ask if they have any they would be willing to give to you for free, or a reduced rate. I think I might call up one of the people again soon to try to get another.

[CanaBalistic]

There are only 2 computer repair stores in my town. I know one for sure wouldnt give anything away. The other is another story. I'll have to call/check it out and see if they have any crap for me.

Another thing i might do is go to the recycling depot and see if anyone has turffed a computer or two.

[Nagoshi]

Tell me in which way you need helpo with your 486 and I may help you. Ive got a 486 DX4/100MHz, and it works really well. (Well, it worked really well the last time I used it :D)

I think your beep problem actually are your RAM. Now that is one hell of a problem, because we don't find SIMM sticks around here very much... Note that you can grab some from a Pentium1 (maybe P2) and other 286/386/486. I dont know if thye will work, tho, because all motherboards got their RAM limitations.

I doubt 486 controllers will detect anything more than like 5GB, I had a 2.1GB in my 486 computer. So you'd better have a PCI controller card that will allow you to use better disks. Also, grab Windows 98 SE. Thats a MUST. Windows 95 sucks with newer stuff, and Windows 98 is only an upgrade of 95. 98SE is the OS you need. Or NT. Or Linux. but with these 2 I'm lost.

You will also need a PCI Ethernet card.

And I see you live in BC, Canada.. Maybe I could check if my 486 100MHz still works, and I could ship it to you (you pay the shipping for sure.. I live in Quebec). 486DX4/100MHz, 16Mb Ram (Ill test it with 48Mb), Id have a sound card (old Sound Blaster) that should be still working with that, and a Cirrus Logic video card. No hard drives nor CD drives, but Id give you the case and power supply with that (the fan in the power supply needs to be changed, its making weird sounds).

If you are still interested in using old computers as a file server, I could get back my 486 to work (hoping I still have it), but Im pretty sure I still have the Cirrus Logic video card, the Sound Blaster card, a ****load of RAM, 2 or 3 486 CPUs (one 33, one 100, maybe another one), I still have my Packard Bell Pentium1 140MHz which has on-board video, you would only need a sound card, ethernet support and a IDE controller (or SATA, at your will), IVe got another 133MHz P1 CPU around too. Everything should work properly (unless we threw away my 486 cases and motherboards) so if you need something, tell me and Ill try to find it for you, and ship it (you'd have to pay the shipping tho).

[CanaBalistic]

THanks for the offer but i threw them away. I recently got a couple power macs and im going to put linux on em and see what happens. Also there is a promotion for ADSL from the phone company that comes with a dell dimention 1100. So im going to use a mac as a linux box and the new dell as a stereo component.

[chedabob]

i use an xbox for my fileserver. i have debian installed, and its pretty sweet. just use an SSH connection to control it.

[slaveofconvention]

For nothin more than basic file-serving, I'd go with the 166, win98se - it aint the best but it'll do the job without too much hassle. As for the hard drive size limit problem - you can always partition larger drives and use PCI IDE cards if it's a bios-level problem.
My server is a bit higher end than that (754pin Sempron 3000 with 1GB ram) and frankly, it's just a waste of a good puter....

[nil8]

File servers don't have to be fast, just reliable. My FTP server is a 500 mhz k6-2 I built on a whim because I had it lying around.

It has xp and an 80 gb hard drive and works great as a fileserver.

[CanaBalistic]

Can you give me some programs i can run on the mac? Asuming i can get linux on it.

Web Server, FTP, Networking stuff i might need, ect.

[OvRiDe]

Webserver = Apache
FTP = ProFTPD or I prefer GLFTPD
MySQL = Database
Networking stuff.. hmm
SaMBa (SMB) = windoze file sharing
CUPSD = Print server
Ethereal = Network Sniffer
SNORT = Intrusion Detection

The cost?? Priceless :D
Gotta love Open Source!!

But this is assuming you get linux running on it.

[CanaBalistic]

http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/products/ydl/ Yellow Dog Linux for Power Mac's

http://www.mklinux.org/ MK Linux For Power Mac's

There are a bunch of OS X programs that i can get so i might not have to do the linux thing.