# What can you use a server for?



## DuckieHo

File/media storage.
Backup.
Hosting games.
Firewall/router.
Encoding.
Calculations ([email protected]).
etc.

A server is just computer(s) that are designed to run specific task(s).


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## Sean Webster

You can use them for a lot of stuff. Personally i use mine for storage, movie streaming and game hosting. You can also use them as a renderbox, website host, and other things like a normal computer...it is just made to be on 24/7.


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## MCBrown.CA

Anything and everything... A server is just a computer dedicated to a certain task (or tasks). Duckie's got a pretty good list of the common server uses.

One more fun server project that I can think of is setting up an Asterisk server (VOIP). If you can find a couple of cheap used SIP phones you can set up a little home calling tree. I did this with some roommates last year and it was riot. We could dial extensions to each other's rooms and page each other and stuff... Arguably not a very useful example but it was fun and educational.


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## IEATFISH

We have our server doubling as our HTPC. So it holds all of our media, streams it to our tablets, phones, and laptops, backs up our other computers on the network, and does other tasks that we don't want to do on our main PCs.


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## Vagrant Storm

For...serving things.

I use it(them really) for the ussual storage, sharing, and hosting reasons...though I am one of the few wierd people that actually run their home network on a domain and not just a work group. I didn't think it was wierd until one of these thread came up a while back. I've ran a domain since about 2002. It just seems normal to me.


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## BittenReaper

I've got one rig of mine that I re-purposed into an HTPC/Server, used for media streaming etc. I've also got a Dell Poweredge Server that a client gave me which I'll soon be adding around a dozen TB to, in order to turn it into a dedicated file backup/storage system.

I also used to use one of my rigs to run a 24/7 movie stream on JTV. So, it doesn't really matter what it's purpose is, like everyone else has said it's just a rig that's meant to be on 24/7, workin' on a specific task(s).


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## the_beast

http://www.overclock.net/servers/991290-what-you-running-off-your-server.html


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## Jtvd78

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vagrant Storm;13726698*
> For...serving things.
> 
> I use it(them really) for the ussual storage, sharing, and hosting reasons...though I am one of the few wierd people that actually run their home network on a domain and not just a work group. I didn't think it was wierd until one of these thread came up a while back. I've ran a domain since about 2002. It just seems normal to me.


What do you mean run it on a domain. Like your network is on the internet?


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## kweechy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SeanWebster;13726528*
> You can use them for a lot of stuff. Personally i use mine for storage, movie streaming and game hosting. You can also use them as a renderbox, website host, and other things like a normal computer...it is just made to be on 24/7.


You wouldn't really use them as a rendering box. Most of these home servers aren't powerful at all and don't have much RAM. However, they can store the files that your rendering machines access.

I think a more elegant solution though for a home based CGI artist is to just have an uber beefy workstation with at least 24GB Ram and feed it directly into a gigabit switch that your rendering boxes access.

Depending on what software you use and how you render your projects, you don't even need a ton of Ram in your render boxes either...right now my main machine is getting choked up; 22.3GB in use, but the render boxes running parallel on this file are only using 6GB. Basically I wasted money installing 16GB into each box.


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