Re: [seul-edu] Linux Servers

[Michael Viron <mviron@wsdo.sao.uwf.edu>]

>As mentioned, you should try to get one free. :)
>
>But if you don't, the prices above look reasonable. (But you didn't
>specify the components in each, so I can't tell for sure.)
>
>You should remember that the phrase 'server' is not a description of
>hardware so much as a description of how you use the machine.  Dell and
>similar companies inflate the price if you call it a 'server'.
>
>But depending on how much reliability (redundancy, etc) you need, you'll
>do just fine with a 'normal' desktop or similar. Any computer at all
>can do just fine as a server. For example, the main seul computers run
>at 133mhz and dual 166mhz respectively, and handle perhaps 10 million
>webhits a month, plus ftp, mail, etc. Linux can do amazing things with
>not all that much hardware.
>
>Of course, if you plan to have two dozen students compiling on the
>machine at the same time, you'll want more power. My point is that a
>computer that will serve your needs just fine doesn't need to have the
>word 'server' associated with it when you're buying it.
>
>--Roger
>
I would have to agree with Roger on this one...for the longest time we were
running a 486 / 100, 32 MB RAM, and a 4 GB hard drive as our Primary server
for the Web Spinners group at uwf--which dealt with web, dns, ftp, mail,
compiling (some members are active developers, after all), and a few other
things.

We've since moved to a Celeron 400, which for the most part, sits at 90%
idle, even with mysql / php, and a couple other traditional heavy hitters....

Anyways, the point is, Linux can do a lot with very little--we even ran X /
compiling off of a 486/33 with 32 MB ram, and a puny 127 MB drive (not much
room left, but it can be done).

Look at desktops first (provided that you can't get something donated), as
they may very well fit your needs...2 of my company's internal test servers
are nothing but PIII desktops with large hard drives and 256 MB of ram
running linux (and they get hit very hard--such as running multiple reports
that take upwards of 4 hours to finish).

Michael