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FEATURE<br />
Recycle an old <strong>PC</strong><br />
CRM. It even features some awesome meta<br />
packages (which let you bulk-install a group<br />
of applications) like sovereign.<br />
Indeed, sovereign is a good starting point<br />
for users who are looking to be digitally selfreliant.<br />
With a couple commands, sovereign<br />
will install an email server, a VPN service,<br />
nightly backups, a CalDAV and CardDAV<br />
server, and ownCloud, just to name a few.<br />
Once you have an idea of what you<br />
want to host on your server, the next step is<br />
choosing the right hardware.<br />
Choosing hardware<br />
One of the most common ways to use Linux<br />
in a home server is to install the operating<br />
system on an old desktop.<br />
The hardware requirements for<br />
Windows have marched forward as time<br />
and versions have progressed. While you<br />
might technically get Windows 10 to run on<br />
a <strong>PC</strong> that’s been sitting in the garage for<br />
five years, its performance might be less<br />
than ideal.<br />
That old <strong>PC</strong> could be a nice host for<br />
Linux. On top of saving you some money,<br />
repurposing an old <strong>PC</strong> as a Linux server<br />
is good for the environment. Reusing the<br />
<strong>PC</strong> keeps e-waste out of landfills<br />
and stretches the life of the<br />
heavy metals and precious<br />
and/or toxic materials<br />
that comprise many<br />
<strong>PC</strong> parts.<br />
Raspberry<br />
Pi 3: £30<br />
and up<br />
There’s a reason<br />
people love the little<br />
Raspberry Pi. For £30 you get a<br />
palm-sized computer that has networking,<br />
USB ports and general-purpose pins to<br />
satisfy all of your tinkering needs. While<br />
the Pi is a great tinkerer’s toy, it’s also<br />
great as a low-power server.<br />
It’s powered via a Micro-USB connection<br />
and sips power compared to big desktop<br />
components. If you’re looking for a server<br />
to host just a couple of services to a small<br />
number of users, the Pi is a wonderful<br />
platform to start with. It doesn’t have<br />
any storage on-board, but if you plan on<br />
running a file or media server with it you<br />
can always buy or reuse an external USB<br />
hard drive or a large USB stick.<br />
Raspberry Pi 3<br />
NUCs and small <strong>PC</strong>s: £130 and up<br />
Small <strong>PC</strong>s are often marketed as lowpowered<br />
desktops or home-entertainment<br />
<strong>PC</strong>s, but they also make great servers. Intel’s<br />
Next Unit of Computing (NUC) models (see<br />
image below) are well equipped for light- to<br />
medium-duty server use in a home.<br />
Much more robust than their ARM-based<br />
Raspberry Pi counterparts, Intel’s NUCs will<br />
consume more power but be able to handle<br />
more computationally intensive tasks. Some<br />
Intel’s NUC models can<br />
be used as home servers<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2017</strong> www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features 75
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