NAS For Less

In this TechBuilder Recipe, I’ll show you how to build a NAS device from parts you might otherwise discard in the trash bin. Better yet, you can expand this file server to capacities of one terabyte (1 TB) for little more than the cost of some new high-capacity drives.

Following the simple steps in this Recipe, you can build a dedicated, Unix-based file server that supports multiple operating systems and popular protocols like SMB/CIFS (better known as Microsoft Windows Networking), NFS, FTP and HTTP. Further, your new server will support a complete set of MIME types, making it the perfect solution for serving up music files, digital images, scanned forms and documents, HTML files, PDF documents, movie files, or any other content suitable for read-only intranet distribution. Best of all, you’ll have recycled old, otherwise useless parts into the ideal file server for a home- or small-business.

How Old PCs Become Reliable Severs

In a dedicated file server, performance is often limited by the speed of the network—not by the server's processing power. In fact, today’s faster processors are little help in serving up files on a small- to mid-size network. So this makes file serving for networks of under 50 users an ideal job for older PCs. Even an old 200-MHz Pentium sporting only 64 MB of RAM is capable of servicing a small office.

To be sure, reusing older PCs traditionally can lead to problems in two areas. First, BIOS limitations for handling large disk partitions. Second, some older servers are unable to run stable operating systems necessary for long-running, rock-solid operation of a file server. I will address both issues with inexpensive but powerful Unix-based software called NASLite+ from Server Elements. The package is downloadable as an ISO image for about $25.

NASLite+ is an extremely solid and compact OS that boots from a CD and runs completely in less than 4 MB of RAM. Because it runs in memory, this clever OS does not compete for disk resources, and it performs high-performance, dedicated file serving. Additionally, NASLite+ circumvents BIOS limitations for large disks by addressing IDE drives directly; it also provides features like simple configuration and remote administration via telnet.

NASLite+ also proves that it’s serious for business applications with support for S.M.A.R.T (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) software. This can give advance warning of pending disk failures—before it’s too late to save your data. S.M.A.R.T software is built into most modern ATA drives.

NASLite+ also creates reports on server status, including server and user logs; system uptime, load, CPU and memory usage statistics; and the health of individual drives. Neat HTML reports are updated every five minutes and exported on a special "Info" share for easy access.

Ingredients

If you’ve ever tried to breathe life into an older PC, you know it’s a tough proposition. Old PCs are often too slow and too memory-constrained to run today's popular software. Also, an antiquated architecture can make an older PC difficult to upgrade. As a result, old PCs are typically relegated to minimal tasks like running a browser, though even that can be unrewarding.

But what an old-school machine can do—when equipped with a simple, dedicated operating system—is run quite reliably. That makes an older PC a fine choice to deploy for our dedicated file-server project.

Any box that contains a solid motherboard, healthy power supply of at least 350 watts, and up to four bays can be refitted as a server. But for our dedicated NASLite+ file server, the requirements are just a little more demanding:

• Solid case with a good quality power supply.
• Stable motherboard with 486DX CPU or better.
• PCI bus.
• At least 32 MB of RAM.
• IDE fixed disk drives (one to four).
• Bootable CD-ROM drive.
• Conventional floppy disk drive.
• PCI or on-board network interface adapter.
• NASLite+ dedicated file-server software.
• Arctic Silver or similar compound.

Choosing the Right Case

In addition to the above components, you’ll need a case with a sufficient power supply. Let's review some basic guidelines for case and power-supply selection to make sure that the box you choose will be up for the task.

Retired PCs come in two basic forms: desktops and towers. Towers, in turn, come in mini-, mid-, full- and server formats. The main difference, of course, is the size of the box and power supply. Physical size determines the number of bays available for drives; this, in turn, provides an indication of how much power will be required from the power supply. The basic rule of thumb: A case should contain a power supply capable of handling all the power needs of the case when fully populated with devices.

Before deciding on a case for this Recipe, use the following table to make sure your server will be sufficiently powered. This table provides you information on the various PC case sizes, along with the ratings of the power supply for that particular size case. You'll also find the number of devices that could potentially be installed directly in the case.

How to Recognize a Dying Power Supply

Next, make sure you have a healthy power supply for this project. The most common cause of power-supply failures is overheating. When power supplies reach very high temperatures, their components can fail, resulting in unacceptable voltage levels (or none) being supplied to the computer components.

Overheating is generally caused by improper airflow through the power-supply unit. This typically results from either a failed (or failing) cooling fan or a blocked air intake. Dead fans and blocked air intakes are both fairly easy to detect; but to detect a fan that is failing, you will have to use your ears. When fan bearings start wearing out—a precursor to their failure—they produce a greater amount of noise. Often this will be a scraping or high pitched tone. To test for a failing fan, simply power up the box, and listen carefully. If you hear a lot of noise, consider replacing the power supply—or look for a new box for your NAS system.

Cleaning the Case and Power Supply

Assuming you’ve located a suitable case with an appropriate motherboard and power supply, one of the best things you can do now to extend the system's life is to simply give it a good cleaning. This takes only a few minutes and can add years to the useful life of a PC.

First, since power supplies tend to be a collection area for dust, it makes sense to give them a serious cleaning—especially if you are refitting this PC to be an "always on" server. If the dust buildup is great enough, it could impede the flow of air through the unit, and this can lead to overheating and failure. To clean the dust, simply use a can of compressed air to blow the dust from the inside of the power supply. Be careful to blow the air into the unit from the intake fan inside the computer—and not from the external fan. If you blow air in the wrong direction (that is, through the external fan inward), you'll wind up blowing the dust into the interior of the case rather than cleaning it out.

Also give the box a thorough visual inspection. Keep an eye out for any signs of discoloration, which may indicate that the power supply, cards or motherboard have overheated. Overheating can cause parts to fail early or change tolerance—not what you want in a server! If an older PC looks like it has had overheating problems, you may want to keep looking for another box.

Here’s a tip for efficient case cleaning: Use a shop vacuum and compressed air together. First, vacuum with a tight nozzle to remove any hair or other foreign material from the case and fans. Then remove the nozzle to maximize airflow through the vacuum, and keep the hose in the box as you use the compressed air. This vacuum-compressed air combination creates more air motion for better cleaning. More dust gets out of the case and into the vacuum’s filter. It also keeps more dust out of your other boxes and the air you breathe!

After completing your case cleanup, pop the fan off the CPU and visually inspect both the fan and CPU. Look for a flush fit and sufficient thermal transfer compound. Old thermal transfer compound can break down and dry out. If you find this condition, clean the mating surfaces completely with a low residual solvent—high-purity isopropyl alcohol or acetone will work—and a lint-free cloth. While you do, be sure to keep the surfaces of both the fan and CPU free of foreign materials. Do not to touch the surfaces of either the fan or the CPU, as hair, lint, skin oil, and even dead skin cells can significantly affect the thermal interface's performance. This especially true on small-core CPUs, as the surface area is already severely limited.

Once the fan and CPU are clean, add a small amount of compound to the heatsink and CPU, following the manufacturer’s instructions. If you're like me, you use Arctic Silver, and the company provides clear instructions for their product. These instructions also include one of my favorite tips: Keep skin oils and foreign matter out of the area by using a plastic bag to cover your hand while distributing the compound. Upgrading the Drives

Even if the PC you choose to refit is of recent vintage, its disks will likely be smaller and slower than you’d like for your server. Since NASLite+ will format and handle up to four IDE drives of any size, consider a fast and reliable drive like Seagate’s Barracuda 7200.8 (ST3300831A). With a 300 GB capacity, 8 MB cache, and five-year warranty, these 7200-rpm ATA drives are perfect file-server components. They are particularly attractive with a current street price as low as $130. See details of this drive on the Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 product page. Here's a look:

While 64 MB of RAM is more than sufficient for NASLite+ to handle normal file-sharing activities, an increase in top-end performance of large drives can be seen by adding more memory. This additional memory assists in send and receive buffering for busy networks.

Two caveats: As specified in the NASLite+ user manual (downloadable from this Server Elements product description page), you must only use IDE/ATA drives. The software does not currently support SCSI, SATA, USB or FireWire-connected drives. Also, devices such as CD, DVD or Iomega-ZIP drive contents cannot be shared. These restrictions may be eased in the next version of this product, according to Server Elements. If you'd like to learn more, details of what will be delivered in the next release can be found on the very active Server Elements Forum.

Hardware Setup

The following table shows how to set up your recycled hardware and new drives:

Software Setup

The following table explains steps to do NASLite’s initial software setup and server configuration:

Using the Server with a Workgroup

For use in a Microsoft Windows Networking (SMB/CIFS) environment, your new file server will export all installed and configured as Disk-1 through Disk-4, respectively. These names are fixed and cannot be changed. All Disk-X shares are read/write enabled and are accessible by all local network and workgroup users. The disks and info shares are made available by default, and they are read-only.

NASLite+ will appear as a member of the local workgroup when the Network Neighborhood is browsed. Accessing the NASLite+ storage drives is exactly the same as accessing remote windows shares. In addition to Windows, NASLite+ SMB/CIFS shares can be accessed by users running OSX and Linux, making this a great server for integrated networks.

For NFS users, file systems will appear as /export/Disk-1 through /export/Disk-4, respectively. Consult the NASLite+ manual for more information on mounting NFS exports with Unix and Windows services for Unix.

Using the Server with FTP and HTTP

You can connect to the NASLite+ server via any FTP client. For example, let's assume that your server IP address is set to 192.168.1.1. In this case, by entering ftp://192.168.1.1 in your browser’s address bar, you can access the server's contents. Since the server is read/write enabled, files and folders may be drag-and-dropped to and from the server window.

Files on the server can also easily be accessed using any Web browser via HTTP. For example, assuming that your server IP address is 192.168.1.1, entering http://192.168.1.1 in the browser’s address bar will let users access the server content inside the browser window. Files available via HTTP are read-only. Here is an example of what a typical browser might show for server contents:

Server Administration

After your server is up and running, you may choose to move it to a closet and run it more like a network appliance than a PC. Because NASLite+ expects to run without monitor or keyboard, the software provides for both remote administration (with a full set of administrative commands available via telnet) and a set of audible alerts generated with the PC speaker.

The following table shows the various audible alerts and the state or trouble they may indicate on the server:

If you followed the steps and advice in this Recipe, you've found a great way to put old hardware back to work, and you've built a dedicated and reliable file server. You'll not only save money through re-use, but you'll also find you've built a trouble-free file server that can easily support a small workgroup for a home or small office. Your clients will enjoy all the features of sophisticated file serving and performance, while administrators will appreciate the solid running, remote administration, and health monitoring. And everyone will appreciate that you’ve taken parts otherwise destined for the trash heap and turned them into a solid network appliance.

ANDY MCDONOUGH is a professional musician, composer, voice actor, engineer, and educator happily freelancing in New Jersey. He loves to recycle, especially computer parts. Andy has no commercial interest in any of the vendors or products mentioned in this Recipe.