[mcgsxr]

Well, this should be fun!  Not even sure if I should put this here, on in the Magnetic Circle, but as it is directly related to running Slimserver, I will start here, and see where we can take it.

I have an old P2, 256 RAM, 4G hard drive Windows PC in my basement, a cast off from a place I used to work.

I would like to find a way to use this as a dedicated machine to run Slimserver for me, so I can run my Bolder SB3 wired via crossover cable, on a PC that NO ONE ELSE uses, and one that NEVER touches the internet. 

I suppose I could just install Slimserver on this unit, and run it in Windows, headless, but I fear what that might end up being like, with Windows 98 on there...

I am not an IT guy, but I have a pretty good grasp if IT, and have been able to do the simple stuff in the past - install new HD, setup secure wireless LAN, setup SB3 etc.  The system would be setup with a head, and then the monitor removed.  I just want it simple.

Thoughts on IF I should move to Linux?  I have access to a friend with deep knowledge of it, to help get me setup.  Am I wrong in thinking that a headless Linux system would be more stable than a Windows environment?

Trying to do this as cheaply as possible, and had initially thought to buy a small form factor ALIX type machine, but suspect I can get away with FREE if I use my old PC.

Open to suggestions!

Thanks guys,

[Rashiki]

You need Windows 2000 at a minimum to run the more recent versions of SqueezeCenter. I'm not sure if there's an old version of SlimServer that will run on Windows 98.

I'd recommend that you try installing one of the smaller Linux distributions rather than any version of Windows. Since you plan to run it headless, you may be able to run a "server" version without a graphical interface. Running a full GUI with 256MB of RAM would be sluggish, but a simple command line interface should be fine. You'll have to upgrade the hard drive or add an external, though. 4GB should be enough for the operating system, but it won't hold a lot of tunes.

 -Rob

[mcgsxr]

Good points all.

I have a 250G outboard I intend to run, or I might spring for a large inboard drive, it depends on how difficult this all becomes.

I will verify the OS, it might be 2000 afterall.

[chip]

Have you thought about running either of these -

Slimnas - can't find link - looking for it as it was an IOS that booted to CD and basically had a gui Slimserver front end.

Freenas with slimserver - http://www.herger.net/slim/detail.php?nr=1026 and http://freenas.org/

vortexbox - might be able to run this - http://vortexbox.org/documentation/hardware-requirements/

[chip]

OK here it is SlimCD - http://www.herger.net/slim/detail.php?nr=763

[mcgsxr]

They do all appear to be capable of performing what I seek, and glad to see that I am not alone in trying this!

Looks like SlimCD will do it for sure.  It also appears that it is designed to run from the CD-ROM while the PC is on, it does not install onto an HD?

I will have to poke around the donor PC, to see what speed the CD-ROM is.

Thanks!

[chip]

Right now I run freenas with slimnas...and haven't had any issues with it. All my drives are internal.

Once Freenas is setup no need for monitor or keyboard or mouse. Shove the box away in a corner and never look at it again except when it breaks.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hey Mark,
Can't say I have much advise about headless PCs, but I would like to throw my two cents in there about having an external HD set up with "RAID1".
It's not very pricy and you all but eliminate a harddrive failure causing you to re-rip your entire music collection.
I have an external dual drive 3.5" SATA USB enclosure (<$100 U.S.) and two 500Meg harddrives. Been working flawlessly, I love it. Best of all it was VERY easy to set up!  aa And there's no 'maintenance'.

Regarding 'headless'....
How would you do all the tagging info?
Maybe you could find a cheapo 7" LCD that you could hide away when it's not needed?
I would think, someday you'd want to "see" the computer??

Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

Like THESE HERE .......

[mcgsxr]

Bob, thanks for the heads up, I can see how those devices are useful.  I have some exposure (meaning I am not 100% backed up), but all my critical music is backed up.  I have a 300G onboard drive that all my music is on, and a 250G outboard drive, that I back up onto.

I think I am different than most, in that my music collection is pretty static at the moment, so I have done all the ripping I need to.  My brother owns most of what I own too, so I even have a form of offsite backup, though that music is his property, not mine.

As for headless, I am under the impression that although the box in question itself does not have a monitor, keyboard or mouse that I can type in a web address, and connect to the headless unit to perform any required changes to the setup.  Sort of like using a laptop to access your main Slimserver host on your setup.  I should be able to "see" the server that way.

This is simply experimental, and a point of interest along the way, with some spare h/w.  In time, I would seek to build out an actual media server, and RAID setup, but before any of the real money gets spent, it might be fun to play around with the technology and see what my appetite for learning Linux is!

As with any of my DIY projects, I am happy to post about the experience, warts and all, to help others learn about it, and to get others who know lots more than me to help!

[Bob in St. Louis]

"Sort of like using a laptop to access your main............"
Oh, ok....I gotcha now. I understand.

Please do post about the process, trials and tribulations as you get it going. You've peaked my interest.

Thanks Mark,
Bob

[TomS]

I run ClarkConnect Linux with 1tb external drive on a very old cast off Dell 1000 Celeron laptop (kind of headless), kept away in a basement room, though hardwired and fixed IP.  It works like a champ and has no problem running Squeezecenter on 256mb RAM.  I telnet in from a Macbook as the console so never really need to touch it.  The only problem I've had in 2+ years of running was an external 500gb Western Digital HDD that crashed.  I replaced it with the 1tb and all is well.  There are threads here and on www.slimdevices.com documenting the CC Linux and Squeezecenter install.