Using Linux or 2000 for Storage?

Titor · 02-20-2007, 07:02 AM

I'm trying to decide what to do with my old machine once I have my new one built. (hopefully in another month or two.)

I want to us my old machine for storage, to backup images, videos and lots of junk that I download . I tried Linux once a couple years ago but I didn't spend enough time in it and my machine at the time was running like crap. Anyway, I'm wondering what OS to put on it Linux, Win 2000 maybe or maybe even 2003 server.

I'm also wondering what would be the best way to share files over the network? Would Linux be able to do this easily? Could I develop a webpage that would run on the machine in 2000 that would allow for transferring files easier. I really don't like how windows does networking and it would be neat if I could do something that would make it easy for my wife to transfer files over the network.

Which leads to another question what would be the fastest way? Is Ftping locally faster then transferring through folders?

Sorry for the long post, I'm just trying to find something that would make life easier. Plus I would like to learn some cool things that I know you guys know. I'm sure I could just get some software that would do automatic backups to my old box.

Cogar · 02-20-2007, 02:33 PM

It is hard to make a recommendation, since you did not state any specs for your existing (old) machine. Your degree of Linux expertise is also a factor. Based on your comments, I am guessing you would prefer a Linux version that is pretty much "plug and play" rather than one that requires specialized knowledge to install and configure. However, the "feature rich" distributions tend to be slower--and therefore not good choices for old hardware--since they incorporate lots of services and applications with bigger feature sets to do these tasks for you.

Regarding sharing files, Linux runs best with ext3 or reiserfs file systems and Microsoft works best with NTFS. Only the FAT32 file system works OK with both, although there are some limitations these days to using it. You would probably use Samba to share files across a network with both Linux and Windows machines.

John64 · 02-20-2007, 03:34 PM

what about FreeNAS? FreeNAS - The Free NAS server - Home

it is awesome!

It basically allows you to run a computer as if it were a NAS, network attached storage, server. It has a web ui and is awesome if all you want the computer to do is serve up files. If your computer can boot from USB stick, that is the best situation, since your data drive won't be anything but read by the OS.

02-20-2007, 07:02 AM	#1
Titor Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 3	Using Linux or 2000 for Storage? I'm trying to decide what to do with my old machine once I have my new one built. (hopefully in another month or two.) I want to us my old machine for storage, to backup images, videos and lots of junk that I download . I tried Linux once a couple years ago but I didn't spend enough time in it and my machine at the time was running like crap. Anyway, I'm wondering what OS to put on it Linux, Win 2000 maybe or maybe even 2003 server. I'm also wondering what would be the best way to share files over the network? Would Linux be able to do this easily? Could I develop a webpage that would run on the machine in 2000 that would allow for transferring files easier. I really don't like how windows does networking and it would be neat if I could do something that would make it easy for my wife to transfer files over the network. Which leads to another question what would be the fastest way? Is Ftping locally faster then transferring through folders? Sorry for the long post, I'm just trying to find something that would make life easier. Plus I would like to learn some cool things that I know you guys know. I'm sure I could just get some software that would do automatic backups to my old box. __________________ Car Sound Subscriber management
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02-20-2007, 02:33 PM	#2
Cogar Sleuth Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: It varies, but usually within 100 yards of a keyboard. Posts: 7,212	It is hard to make a recommendation, since you did not state any specs for your existing (old) machine. Your degree of Linux expertise is also a factor. Based on your comments, I am guessing you would prefer a Linux version that is pretty much "plug and play" rather than one that requires specialized knowledge to install and configure. However, the "feature rich" distributions tend to be slower--and therefore not good choices for old hardware--since they incorporate lots of services and applications with bigger feature sets to do these tasks for you. Regarding sharing files, Linux runs best with ext3 or reiserfs file systems and Microsoft works best with NTFS. Only the FAT32 file system works OK with both, although there are some limitations these days to using it. You would probably use Samba to share files across a network with both Linux and Windows machines.
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02-20-2007, 03:34 PM	#3
John64 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 4,449	what about FreeNAS? FreeNAS - The Free NAS server - Home it is awesome! It basically allows you to run a computer as if it were a NAS, network attached storage, server. It has a web ui and is awesome if all you want the computer to do is serve up files. If your computer can boot from USB stick, that is the best situation, since your data drive won't be anything but read by the OS. __________________
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