home server

[MaxOC]

me and my brother are transfering files between eachothers computers all the time and i was wondering if i could set up a server in our house out of a crappy old comp and have loke 300mb of storage on it, how would i set it up so we could use it as either a server or just an external hdd for both of our comps?

[nil8]

The best idea is to take an older machine, setup 2 500gb HD in a small RAID configuration. This protects your data, creates a viable option, and keeps your machines from having to deal with all the bandwidth or drive seek issues.

[MaxOC]

yes but how do i connect it to the network so that i can use it as a hdd for both of us

[DaveW]

In theory you can share the root of the drive. (Would be best to put the OS on a separate partition.)

Alternativly, you could buy a network drive. Prices have dropped to ~£50-£300 in the UK. Most of the ones over £150 also have a basic web server, which is nice. I'll buy one myself when someone releases one with a CVS server (or other form of subversion).

-Dave

[MaxOC]

huh? okay i need like step by step cuz im an idiot

[.Maleficus.]

Do a Google (http://www.google.com) search for "home networks" or "home networking tutorial".

[Xpirate]

If both of you are running windows and already connected to a router, it is as easy as plugging in your newly built old windows based PC and right click the hard drive and select sharing. Then share the root of the drive. Google and the windows knowledge base will give you more details.