Ubuntu on my old HP MediaSmart Server!

[SteveRiley]

Apparently it's possible, and not too difficult either. This will be my next project! Buh bye, Windows Home Server.



(BTW, I am close to officially giving up on getting Ubuntu or any distro on that stupid Samsung 700T tablet. It's just too damn frustrating and, alas, Linux appears to have a way to go yet to be fully touch-friendly. I'm OK with that, as tablets aren't my thing anyway. Soon I'll be putting the thing up for sale, I guess, as I have little interest in Windows 8 now.)

[oshunluvr]

Once you're up and running, webmin is a nice tool. I use transmission (torrents) remotely too via it's web interface. I basically set a browser to open with all my browser-based server tools pre-opened. Piece of cake!

Mine is using 10.04 right now, but I plan on upgrading to 12.04 after the inital rounds of bug fixes come out.

Most of my access to the server I do through yakuake and ssh/rsh using a sharedkey for speedy log in. The totd in the bash propmt tells me if I need updates and so on.

What do you plan on doing with yours? Mine does all my media, torrents, backups, apache2, dlna, printers, and so on...

p.s. To bad on that tablet. Looked like (as our friends across the pond would say) a nice piece of kit!

[SteveRiley]

What do you plan on doing with yours? Mine does all my media, torrents, backups, apache2, dlna, printers, and so on...

Am I to infer from this that you've already done the same thing -- install Ubuntu on a MediaSmart Server?

Most likely, I'll continue to use the thing in the same capacity as I am now: a sort-of NAS, and the thing from which I launch torrents and other downloads. The one printer here is direct-attached to the switch (no need for a print server); the router does DNS. My reasons for switching it from Windows Home Server to Ubuntu include: (1) I'm bored with WHS and (2) it sounds like a neat project to tackle.

p.s. To bad on that tablet. Looked like (as our friends across the pond would say) a nice piece of kit!

It is, aside from the too-hot Core i5 processor that causes the fan to blow constantly. But I have lost all interest in hardware that constrains my choices of software. Hanging out here is likely a partial cause of this attitude adjustment

[oshunluvr]

Am I to infer from this that you've already done the same thing -- install Ubuntu on a MediaSmart Server?

No, sorry to have mislead you. I built my own. Bought this case and put a dual core Atom mini-itx in it with 2x1TB drives. I later added 2x2tb drives. It sits quietly behind my desk - sort of the "Men in Black Helicopters" of my home network... rofl!

[SteveRiley]

Hah! That's a pretty neat little case.

I've been considering alternatives to the WHS conversion. I'll still probably do it, if for no other reason than I like to tinker. But I'm also considering building a NAS-ish thing from parts and running Ubuntu server on it, or possibly just buying a prebuilt NAS and be done with it.