[thechat] Setting Up a File Server

[Martin Burns]

On 6 Jun 2008, at 15:58, Ben Dyer wrote:

> I'm looking at setting up a file server for our small, but growing web
> development firm.  However, I'm not a serious hardware or server guy
> (I can get by), so I'm looking for a little advice as to what I should
> be looking for.  We've got a mixed environment of Windows PCs and
> Macs, but one of the primary uses of the box will be to host different
> Subversion repositories (we're currently remotely hosting them).

So a bit more than a simple fileserver - it's applications too?

> So,
> I'm thinking Linux, but it's been a long while since I've dabbled with
> that, so does anyone have a good recommendation as far as distros go?

Start with Debian based - updating is *really* simple. If you go for  
pure Debian Stable then it does what it says on the tin - unless you  
explicitly define otherwise, you'll only get essential security  
updates (nothing for features). But they will be regression tested to  
death and back.

If I were building my home server rn, I'd go for Ubuntu though - a  
nice balance between the rockness of pure debian and uptodateness.

http://davidwinter.me.uk/articles/2006/02/16/subversion-over-apache-2-on-ubuntu/

> Also, I'm considering just building this box so I can max it out with
> the biggest HDs I can find (and run RAID1 on it).  Any specific
> hardware considerations I might want to take into account?


Take a look at
http://www.drobo.com/products_drobo.html
which is low-hassle expandable. No matter how big a disk you put in,  
you'll find yourself wishing "Damn, if only I'd got the next size up"  
at some point.

You *could* run a Mac Mini as your server, hooked up to a Drobo for  
storage... or Drobo as a simple NAS on its own?

Cheers
Martin

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