Overview

I set out to create a home server having never used Linux before. This is therefore a summary from a newbie perspective. There is of course much more detailed information for everything I discuss here. This discussion is limited only to what I actually use. It is also intended to be my notes to rebuild a server if anything catastrophic happens.

It was not easy getting here, especially the RAID part, so I wanted to share what I have learned in this process to help others who are trying to do the same thing. After all it was only because of people freely sharing information on podcasts (www.linuxreality.com) message boards and tutorials that I was able to do this. I hope this helps someone.

The first step is to decide what you want the server to do. This will affect the hardware you buy and the operating system you select. I wanted my server to primarily be a file server, but a complete list of functions follows:

file server (samba)
web server (apache)
RAID array (3ware)
music server (tangerine)
media server (twonkymedia)
IMAP mail server (getmail and dovecot)
DNS and DHCP server (dnsmasq)

Once you have decided on functions you will need a computer and an operating system.

When it is done I want it to be a headless machine (no keyboard, mouse or monitor) so I have it set up with SSH and VNC. During the setup process you will want direct access, so it is also handy to have a KVM switch.

Once you have a server it makes backup easier because all your data is stored in one place, but it makes backup critical because all your data is stored in one place. I have implemented a 3 layer backup system that minimizes my risk of data loss.

Logging data can be useful. This is a topic I have yet to explore.

System automation such as software updates and periodic rebooting.

If you are looking for an excellent overview of Linux and Linux servers in general, you should check out Linux Reality podcast. That is where I got my start. I will link to specific episodes as I go.