[SERVER] [RETIRED] Draco1962's Server Build Journey

[Draco1962]

Wish me luck! I decided to build a file & print server with my wife's Dell Studio XPS 8000 that has been sitting around collecting dust. It comes with the following specs:

• Intel Core i7 -860  processor 8MB Cache, 2.8 0GHz
• 8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz-4x2GB
• 16X DVD+/-RW
• Seagate 1TB 7200 HDD
• nVidia GeForce GTX 260 1792MB
• 350W Generic PSU
• TP-Link WiFi card
• Windows 10 Pro

Using available parts from other builds, upgrades applied as follows:

• Replaced primary HDD with a 1TB Teamgroup AX2 SSD
• Added 1 WD 4TB 3.5 Inch WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM
• Added 2 WD 4TB 3.5 Inch SATA III, 7200 RPM, 64 MB Cache Enterprise Hard Drive (WD4000FYYZ) HDDs
• Upgraded RAM from 8GB to 16GB
• Replaced 350W Generic PSU with Rosewill 600W
• Replaced TP-Link WiFi card with OKN WiFi 6E AX5400 PCIe WiFi Card for Desktop PC (Intel AX210) Bluetooth 5.3
• Replaced the original GPU with GIGABYTE GT 1030 OC 2GB GDDR5.
• Installed Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC

I originally thought that I'd go with Linux Mint 22.2 instead of going headless with Ubuntu Server. Having a GUI to work with directly with the server as the PC will ease my learning pains to an extent. I discovered (everything is a discovery with Linux ) that I could enable a GUI so went with Xfce due to it's low resource requirements.

The DVD+/-RW drive and multi-card reader will be useful for ripping our CD collection and moving media files from other sources. 

I intend to download her ever-growing Kindle ebook collection and use Calibre to convert and store locally. The DVD+/-RWdrive will be useful for ripping our CD collection.

We also have several AIO printers for work and play, so having a central hub for them seemed like a good idea.

Original cable management from Dell (and a little dust from storage):

New cable management by me post PSU replacement (Bye-bye dust!):

[Draco1962]

I feel like I am learning DOS/Windows all over again! 😕

Despite its intrusiveness, I am used to knowing where most of the needed things within Windows to modify permissions and Admin accounts with god-level access to everything - NOT WITH LINUX! Just because you are an admin and you were responsible for partitioning and formatting the drive does not mean you have the ability to read/write/execute with it! 

So I anticipate that I will find myself a "better man/tech" at the end of this server journey. But for now... 🤬

[Draco1962]

I updated the first post in the thread to reflect change to Ubuntu Server 25.10 from Linux Mint 22.2. It comes with most of what I will need out of the box and, since I can enable the Xfce Desktop GUI, concerns about working with a headless install are eliminated, allowing the use of DVD drives and card readers for file ripping and movement as needed.

[Draco1962]

Another update to the first post reflecting decision to go with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021. Several reasons why:

• First, I am most familiar with Windows and while this isn't a server OS, with the right services and minor modifications, it can act the same as a server, sharing the same code base as Server 2022.
• The server will be used internally to our network primarily as a file and print server.
• Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 is supported by Microsoft for critical and security updates through Jan 13, 2032.
• While the thought of using regular Windows 10 would not be the wisest due to the typical bloat and overhead, the Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 version is extremely debloated, allowing administrators to install only additional apps and services as needed for their specific use case.

But the ultimate answer is that I don't have the desire to spend a lot of time learning a new OS, command lines, etc. when I can expedite the deployment with what I already know. I will be exploring Ubuntu Server, however, for future use and at a more leisurely pace.

[Draco1962]

So far much much further along than I was getting trying to slog through a Linux distro to enable server features. Not perfect but gives me time to experiment with Linux for a future build that will have a singular focus.

[Draco1962]

Since I have an available PCI-E slot I am exploring adding a SATA expansion card. This will allow me to add a few more SATA HDDs to the mix, probably a pair of 4TB Seagates. This will bring total storage 12TB for ebooks, music, and such. 

[Draco1962]

Replacing the current GPU with a GIGABYTE GT 1030 OC 2GB GDDR5. This will save a little power consumption as the GTX 260 uses up to 180W vs. 30W for the GT 1030. This will also allow me to better leverage the server build for lite transcoding.

I will be adding 2 WD 4TB 3.5 Inch SATA III, 7200 RPM, 64 MB Cache Enterprise Hard Drive (WD4000FYYZ) (Renewed) in addition to 4-Port SATA Expansion Card (PCIe 3.0 x4 to 6Gbps SATA Card), Supports OS Boot, Compatible with Windows/Mac/Linux/NAS - while these are a little overkill for SATA throughput (the PCI-E 2.0 being the bottleneck on SATA speeds), they should still perform well.

EDIT: SATA expansion card is not PCI-E 1 compatible - oops! So just replaced the original spinning rust with the new WD 4TB drives 

Edited January 30 by Draco1962
Noting my oops!