Updates Project Intro + Sketchup- 29/12/06 Case + Switch Pics - 30/12/06 Planning Introduction Hey everyone, My name's Amit. I've been interested in computers for a long, long time now and I've been into networking since primary school (damn, I'm such a geek). I will be helped with some aspects of the build by Dragon2309 of Computerforum.com and I'm very grateful of this. The Build The aim of this project is to create a rackmount server that will be used to house a low power, Linux running computer system. The sytem will function as a personal webserver and a file server for my home. In addition to the fuction of the system, aestetics will also be important as I do not want another beige box or ruined mod sitting in my room. I will be incorporating lighting of some sort into the case which must be toggleable on and off on demand. Specifications Hardware Most of the specifications of the system have not been finalised yet but here is a brief summary of possible hardware. CPU: AMD K6 either 500Mhz or 700MHz/733Mhz Motherboard: Aopen.... RAM: Either 256mb or 128mb at PC100 or PC133 Case: 4U, to be made from A Maplin Instrument Rack Case Secondary Display: PS1 LCD As the case was not originally designed to be used for this purpose, it may have to be modified slightly so that all the components can fit in it correctly. Also, as you can see, I will be modding a PS1 LCD into the front of the rackmount case. This will be used to display current statistics about the system (temperatures, fan speeds, CPU/RAM utilisation etc.). Software Operating System: Some Distro of Linux (probably Fedora Core) Statistics Display: ??? Server Software: Apache, MySQL, Samba I will be running a Linux distro with a standard LAMP setup and I will also install SAMBA as I will need it for Windows sharing. I don't know what software I'm going to use to display statistics on the second display yet. Budget/Cost I will have to try to keep the spend on this project down the a minimum and I am going to put a spending limit at £100. This means that I will have to aquire part in whatever way possible. Issues At the moment I have a few issues that need to be solved: What software can I use to display system statistics as described above in Linux? How can I get the secondary display on a second graphics card working through VGA in Linux? (Software setup-wise) Will the stock cooler on the CPU be enough? Is the airflow in the case going to be affected badly by the positioning of the components? (Look at Design section) I am fully open to suggestions and I would very much appreciate them from the BitTech community. Design Skechup Because I suck with Sketchup, Dragon2309 offered to help me with the basic design of the case. Below are some screenshots of the model made in Sketchup. (Since the screenshots were posted, a 120mm fan has been added above the I/O ports on the back of the case, an 80mm fan has been added above the PSU and power/reset buttons and lights have been added)
Update - 30/12/06 Pics! As promised, here are some pics of the case and switches I will be using: Case Switches
Subscribed, as I'm interested in seeing where this goes - I didn't even realise Maplin sold basic rackmount cases either.
Sell, yes, but keep in stock, im afraid not. The only reason we had that 4U one in recently was because it was an order for a customer who didn't turn up to collect it, hence it was credited back to stock. ALL rackmount cases are web order only, unless you pop down to your local maplins and get the kind souls there to either order you one in or do a send direct on it. More on topic, thanks for subscribing lazlow, such support from an experienced modder like yourself is greatly appreciated. Should be more updates in a few days (get New Years out of the way first) Cheers, dragon2309
