How I built a new file server

[Daniil]

I'll tell you a dream. Or maybe not a dream... Well, Federal Security Bureau is not sleeping, so, let's say that that was a dream, yes.

Why I'm pirating? Because I don't want to live in a world, where government said to us, what we must do. Because I don't want to live in a system, where big capitalists and religious fanatics joins with government and creating a "new" order, which is, in fact, just turning back to nazionalism and obscurantism. Because I'm not just an eating and mating idiot (as they want to see me), and I can understand by myself, what I want. Because I don't like the system where government support a big capital (because big capital is a government in fact).
Because freedom and wealth firstly grown up on a blades of pirate sabres.
Yes, today we have no sabres and ships - we are separated, and our weapon is only our fists, our brains and our computers, but we can withstand even with this tiny arsenal.
By pirating the software we can shake the big monopolies and resist the constraints of our freedom by government.
We are part of a real Resistance, we are saving our world from rotting.
That's why I'm pirating.

So, what did I do?
I had a server:
Asus P5B-SX
Intel Celeron 1600 MHz
2Gb DDR2-800 RAM
HDD1 - SeaGate 7200.10 80Gb (IDE)
HDD2 - HITACHI 250Gb (SATA).

All this was in an old chassis, and work OK under Win Server 2k3 last 7 years, before I try to convert C: disc do dynamic disc...
That was a mistake, and so, server stuck. I was busy with fixing my car, when got this trouble, so I just turn it off and left till the time comes. Now, after 1.5 month, I got back to my PCs and started to work with my server.

I mentioned somewhere here, that I have a bunch of old HDDs - about a ten IDE and SATA disks with different sizes, from different ages (from 4 Gb Maxtor ATA 33 to SeaGate 7200.10 250 GB SATA). They was on a shelf, working as a dust collectors. "That isn't effective!" - I think. And I start to search a way to make them working together, as a storage in my new server.
But I don't like a storage created with number of disks - it's uncomfortable. I have this trouble on my old server, and it was difficult to select every time, where to put next torrent. There must be a way to join many physical disks in a single vitrual volume.

As I also mentioned, I want to create a Linux-driven server. Firstly I want to see it as a proxy, now I dont need a proxy, but love to Linux is still alive in me.

So, the technical specification for server was formed in my mind.
I need a Linux-driven server, which will be work as a file server and torrent client. It must use my pile of HDDs as a single volume, must work as a torrent client, must start/shut down automatically, and have a web-interface.

And I create it! How? Read in the next post!

[scarface]

To put it bluntly, do you really need windows server or linux for what it seems to be a "file sharing" computer?
Second question, wouldnt you be eager to host a dc++hub for the forum? Shadow97 wanted a hub but he might not have the necessary skills. To be honest, Im not sure I would come but if shadow, iih or vasudev have something to share, they may be interested.

[Daniil]

Let's continue... Get back to talking about my dream, yeah.

First thing was to find a way to join my disks. RAID wasn't a solution, because it give you a speed or a reliability, but never a volume. I look to LVM and other linux server filesystems like SFS, but - I also want to get a solution, from which I can easily return to previous state, if I don't like how it works. So, after a some thinking I select for my purposes an mhddfs.

This is a Multi-HDD filesystem - an FS for joining multiple hdd. It's easy, effective and transparent. Also, it's fully supports by Ubuntu (which I select as OS for my server). So - no sooner said than done - I install Ubuntu, plug two hdds and check. Works fine!
(Well, about "no sooner said" it's a not a true truth, of course. I spent about 10 hours to check disks, move data, change server chassis to one with more slots for hdd, and so on).

Then it was time for configuring Ubuntu for torrent client role. Because it is Ubuntu Server, it can't use a typical torrent clients, like a uTorrent which I used on WinServer. So, I again start to search.

First I select a rTorrent. I like programs like it - it's so brutal, that even have no interface! As webGUI I select a ruTorrent. But... That wasn't a good solution. rTorrent works well with ruTorrent, but - only when it was started by command from console. If you try any way to start it on boot, ruTorrent can't see rTorrent. After a 4 hours of hot cybersex with this  two packages, I understand that that is a wrong way.
So, I select as a torrent client a Transmission, with transmission-control web ui addition.

And - voila! All started to work!

I tuned up my network for new server, place my test machine into chassis of old server, and fire up all torrents. Indescribable pleasure!


Summing up:
Server configuration now is:
MB: Asus P5B-SX
CPU: Intel Celeron 1600 MHz
RAM: 2Gb DDR2-800 RAM
HDD0 - SeaGate 7200.10 80Gb (IDE)
HDD1 - HITACHI 250Gb (SATA2).
HDD2 - SeaGate 7200.10 250Gb (SATA2).
HDD3 - SeaGate 7200.10 250Gb (SATA2).
HDD4 - SeaGate 7200.10 160Gb (SATA2).
OS: Ubuntu Server 14.04, fully updated
Storage capacity for torrents: 834Gb

That is how to fight with the union of government and monopolies. Adopt this experience, if you want.
Dixi.

[Daniil]

To put it bluntly, do you really need windows server or linux for what it seems to be a "file sharing" computer?
Second question, wouldnt you be eager to host a dc++hub for the forum? Shadow97 wanted a hub but he might not have the necessary skills. To be honest, Im not sure I would come but if shadow, iih or vasudev have something to share, they may be interested.

No, I don't really need.  But it's cool. And it's not good when I have a lot of HDDs and they just lay on a shelf. Well, you understand.
Write me a PM about dc++ hub and describe what we need. I can not promise that I can help, but I'll think about it.

[scarface]

To use all your hdd, you dont need a server, but you might need a raid configuration...
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_RAID_levels

[Daniil]

To use all your hdd, you dont need a server, but you might need a raid configuration...
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_RAID_levels

You doesn't read my post attentively, dear scarface. I said, that RAID isn't a solution for me. Yes, RAID0 provides similar functionality, but mhddfs separates data at file level (not on block level). I.e., if we separate disks joined with mhddfs, data on each disk will be readable and unbroken (unlike as on RAID0).
Yes, it works a bit slowly, but we do not hurry.

[Vasudev]

Danill->Your idea is cool brother. One more thing, you can switch to a lighter environment such as xfce or lxde to have snappier system.

[Daniil]

Danill->Your idea is cool brother. One more thing, you can switch to a lighter environment such as xfce or lxde to have snappier system.

Vasudev->Ho-ho-ho... You should know, that Ubuntu Server have no graphical UI. I mean, absolutely no GUI. All operations are making from console, moreover, I did it through SSH.

[Shadow.97]

I'd gladly join on any projects needed hosting. I've got the machine(s) and the bandwidth(to a certain limit ). If you need anything, just tell me ! Good luck with your project!
I'm going to update myserver to 8gb ram right now.

[Vasudev]

Danill->Your idea is cool brother. One more thing, you can switch to a lighter environment such as xfce or lxde to have snappier system.

Vasudev->Ho-ho-ho... You should know, that Ubuntu Server have no graphical UI. I mean, absolutely no GUI. All operations are making from console, moreover, I did it through SSH.

Very good work. I like console too.