You can get an approximation of power usage of a machine by looking at the power rating on the power supply or AC adapter. This value is usually expressed in Watt (or W). That number represents the theoretical *maximum* draw of that system, it might use less but not more. The laptop this article is written on is rated 65W but average consumption is about 10W
You can get an approximation of power usage of a machine by looking at the power rating on the power supply or AC adapter. This value is usually expressed in Watt (or W). That number represents the theoretical *maximum* draw of that system, it might use less but not more. The laptop this article is written on is rated 65W but average consumption is about 10W.
So how to calculate what that costs for a year of usage? First let's asume that this value is indeed the Watt per hour (Wh). Multiply that number by 24 to get the usage in a day.
@ -57,11 +57,11 @@ While older equipment will use more power for the same (or less) performance as
## Benefits and disadvantages of laptops as servers
Laptops make good homebrew servers since they are widely available, relatively powerful and energy efficient. Aside from that they have the benefit of having a screen, keyboard and battery.
Laptops make good homebrew servers since they are widely available, relatively powerful and energy efficient. Aside from that they have the benefit of having a screen, keyboard and battery.
If you are just starting out with running a server and are not yet so comfortable with the [command line and ssh]({filename}ssh.md) it can be a real benefit as you can work on the machine directly. Aside from that the laptop battery can mitigate sudden power outages, so that the laptop can shut itself down gracefully if power runs out.
Laptops will also have the ability to hold one or more harddisks and plenty of USB ports for connecting multiple peripherals.
Laptops will also have the ability to hold one or more harddisks and plenty of USB ports for connecting multiple peripherals.
It is not unlikely that you have one lying around or will be able to find one in a thriftstore or on the second hand market.
@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ Disadvantages can be size, sound, heat generation and power consumption (in part
## Single Board Computers
Arguably the ideal homebrew server hardware is the Single Board Computer (SBC). These are often very small computers on a single chip. They are aimed at hobbyists and meant for prototyping. Popular brands are RaspberryPi, BeagleBone, Hardkernel and Olimex.
Arguably the ideal homebrew server hardware is the Single Board Computer (SBC). These are often very small computers on a single chip. They are aimed at hobbyists and meant for prototyping. Popular brands are RaspberryPi, BeagleBone, Hardkernel and Olimex.
@ -83,11 +83,11 @@ In general there are quite some Free Software distributions optimized for single
## Virtual Private Server
Sometimes it is not possible to take the 'home' in homebrewserver.club literally because of your Internet Service Provider.
Sometimes it is not possible to take the 'home' in homebrewserver.club literally because your Internet Service Provider may be blocking certain ports or types of traffic.
A possible alternative is then to consider a Virtual Private Server (VPS). These are servers, that for all practical purposes (including root access) are usable in the same way as a physical server. These VPSes are usually located in datacenters and offered by hosting companies. They are software only, hence virtual, and usually multiple VPSs share a single physical machine.
@ -95,7 +95,6 @@ The great advantage of a VPS is that you won't have port restrictions, traffic s
The downsides are that you are essentially renting, storage space tends to be relatively expensive, you might not always have full control over the kernel and OS. For the paranoid it might mean that since your entire system is running in a physical machine's RAM, it is possible to retrieve your sensitive data without you knowing.
## Costs of the homebrew server
One of the things that might hold one back are the costs involved in the whole undertaking.
@ -108,6 +107,4 @@ If you can reuse old equipment the costs would be only for electricity, since yo
As for a VPS, if one compares the processing power of lower-tier VPS providers one can get 1 core 2Ghz and 2GB RAM for about €3. This is equivalent to low-end SBCs but if one starts to add storage to the VPS, the price quickly ramps up.
[^1]: See per capita electricity consumption for the world population: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_electricity_consumption>
