On 10/28/2012 03:12 PM, David Christensen wrote:
The question is not whether or not it can be used as a server. The question is whether the problem I have with lockups is caused by the graphics card, drivers, some other user software that is running, etc, or not. If so, then the system will run fine as a server and not lock up. If not, then I might have lockups anyway. If it continues to lockup then I will retire the whole box.On 10/28/12 11:46, Marc Shapiro wrote: > Is there anything that speaks against keeping it? What is the make and model number of the 1 TB HDD? > ... there are three of us here. Myself, my wife and daughter.... if the old box stays up as a server. If it does not, then the 1 TB drive goes into thenew machine. As I mentioned to Stan, I am hoping that the old box will run OK as a server, without X and multiple logins. If so, then it will keep the old drive.Most any recent x86 machine can be set up as a file server using Linux, *BSD, etc.. You might want to look for a NAS appliance FOSS distribution.
But, a local HDD in a new machine with sufficient RAM is going to be faster (and more practical) than the same HDD in an older machine set up as a file server (even with Gigabit Ethernet; Fast Ethernet is intolerable).My original plan was to have a 1TB drive in a new box. If I build it myself and put in an SSD, however, the SSD will not be that big. However, a 120GB SSD is still plenty large for all daily usage. The current 1TB drive would be available for additional storage on the old box (as a server).I'd put the 1 TB drive in the new machine, set it up as a file server, and give the old machine to your wife or daughter.
As I said to Doug, earlier, we do not have space for additional monitors and keyboards. As nice as two, or three seats would be, one is all that we have space for.
The question remains as to whether multiple logins and multiple X sessions will utilize multiple cores, or all run in a single thread on a single core. That is what will determine whether I am better off with more cores, or fewer cores with higher clock speed.
Marc