Linux Home Data Server

Make a Linux Home Data Server of an Old PC
By Adam Knife

So, you've got an old computer, and you don't know what to do with it. Sure, it can't play new video games, maybe can't run the latest and greatest software, don't fret, it's not totally worthless. Converting your old computer in to a home data server opens a range of possibilities, and a range of new things you can do with your computer(s) and the network.

So, how do you do it? Well, if it's already set up for Windows Networking, you've got the basics set up for a Windows file server, and can simply use your local area network for transfering/working with files, however, this article is going to show you the more effective, and more powerful way: setting up a Linux file server.

The first step is to pick a Linux distro, DistroWatch.com lists the most popular distributions, and reviews a range of distributions, we're going to use the Ubuntu [5.10] operating system, with a server installation, simply because it's the operating system this author uses for his desktop, and is quickly becoming the most popular distribution around.

Your old computer likely has enough memory, and a powerful enough CPU to run Ubuntu, however, if you intend to use this server as a major central file server, it will likely need a new hard-drive. You can deal with that on your own.