building a cheap linux server.......

[rev_buddy_love]

Hey kids.
I would like to build a linux web server
with an emphisis on cheap up front and
expandable in the future. The software
I can handle, but I don't know a thing
about hardware, can you guys give me some
advice? Here's what I am thinking:
a big case with plenty room for growth
a motherboard that will support a ton of ram
and maybe multi processors (and can anyone recommend
best bang for the buck processors?)
cheesy video and sound (it is after all a server)
fast-ish hard drive
regular cd rom and floppy......
did I leave anything out?
does anyone have advice for this first attempt at
building a server?
Thanks in advance.
Rev

[jarfykk]

You might look into an old Pentium II dual motherboard. Pretty inexpensive and a pair of P2-450's shouldn't cost much. If not, Abit Dual Celeron board(s) work beautifully. Grab a pair of Celeron chips and fly away. Since this box is just cruching number and data, the advancements of the P3 are not there (except for the extra cache which works wonders on OS level stuff but I digress.) Or just buy an Abit BP6 and be happy.

Buy an old Adaptec 2940 UW SCSI controller and a single or pair of 9GB drives. If your budget doesn't permit this, buy an inexpensive ATA100 (or 66, no realized difference NOW) and a couple IBM Deskstar 7200 rpm drives (the 30GB versions are a steal, 2x30=60gb, lotsa room). Maybe a RAID if you want although it can sometimes be a hassle.

Go with a cheap CD, floppy, and some sub-$40 video card, PCI might be best if you go P2 since I don't believe AGP is that common on the dual boards. Case wise, buy something with a 300+ Watt power supply, preferably a full tower.

Best bang for the buck chips are Athlon's (T-bird and Durons) but right now you CANNOT dual them. If you want to go multi-processor then some old celeron's are your cheapest route.

Post any Q's you have

[rev_buddy_love]

..... now you will have to forgive my ignorance:
when purchasing the motherboard and the case
and all of the other bits, how do I know before
hand that they will work together, and be supported
by linux? Where should I go to look for these parts
cheap?
-Rev

[Scojo]

There are actually a few Linux hardware compatability lists/databases on the net. You can check the lists and see how well your hardware choices and Linux get along. The one I used to check changed hands, so I don't have a link for ya right now, sorry.

Scojo

[OC]

Linux.com has a large hardware compatibilty database: http://www.linux.com/hardware/

-o

[rev_buddy_love]

Does the Abit dual board allow you to use just one processor, and then add another later? Do the processors have to be matched?

[jarfykk]

Yes, the abit board can work with 1 or 2 chips.

[cruelpupet]

If all your doing is a web server, you dont need anything that elaborate. just get an old pentuim machine. (can usually get one for free)

If you ahve to buy something, go with the origional celron and an Abit BP6 as mentioned above.