Introduction
I am Will.
My problem is that I have lots of digital media on my home PC, with no proper backup solution.
I decided that I needed some storage to connect to my network, with some sort of RAID configuration to act as a backup for my digital photos, music, movies, TV programmes, et cetera.
I started looking at NAS enclosures, and decided that they’re pretty expensive, and for my needs I thought I might as well build a server to host my own storage solution. One of the other things I like to do is watch movies. I often stream to my Xbox360 (it works surprisingly well over 54g since M$ released the codec update for the Xbox dashboard) but I’ve also sometimes thought that it would be nicer to have a media PC or a Mac Mini or something in my lounge.
The project is born! My basic requirements are:
- Aesthetics - It’s got to look good in the lounge, almost so you wouldn’t know it wasn’t a DVD player or PVR
- Silence - It’s got to be whisper quiet, as it will be a 24/7 file server which should not be heard at all
- High-definition media playback - It’s nearly 2009 so we need to set some standards. The hardware will need to meaty enough to play Blu-rays and high-def media smoothly
- Big, redundant storage - This is going to be my backup, so it needs reliable storage. RAID is a necessity
- Pleasant interface - This means a nice front end for my media, probably controlled with a remote control from the armchair
- Linux OS - As a Linux administrator this will be very much an academic exercise, as I’m always trying to improve my skills.
- Energy efficiency - as the server will be on 24/7 then it needs to be kind to my electricity bill. And the planet, I suppose?
Join me on my excellent adventure while I look at and compare hardware and software for this project, and document the trials and trubbulations along the way. This blog might interest you if you’re a Linux enthusiast, particularly with a/v stuff, or if you’re interested in building a quiet HTPC media center.