Raspberry pi

[God Emperor Baldur]

For those of you who do not know, Raspberry pi is the most barebones computer you can get that's practical, it's cheap and comes with an 8GB SD for memory. link here

What I am wondering is would this thing work as a cloud server? I want to plug it in, start a website that I can access my stuff and I wouldn't have to worry about transferring files since my friends live 700 miles away. So if I were to install a Ubuntu sever, can this work with an external hdd? More importantly, will the speed of the device hinder the transfer rate of the files?

[Sitwon]

It could work as a server. Whether or not it could work as a "cloud" server depends on how buzzwordy you feel.

It can connect to external hard drives, but it can't boot off of anything but an SD card. Also, you won't be able to install Ubuntu Server to it. Ubuntu Server does not support the ARM architecture of the RasPi. There are other Linux distros for you to choose from.

Ultimately it will depend on a number of other factors, but most likely the limiting factor will be the speed of your Internet connection, not the RasPi. That said, it will probably be noticeably slower than a real server.

[God Emperor Baldur]

Sitwon

It could work as a server. Whether or not it could work as a "cloud" server depends on how buzzwordy you feel.

It can connect to external hard drives, but it can't boot off of anything but an SD card. Also, you won't be able to install Ubuntu Server to it. Ubuntu Server does not support the ARM architecture of the RasPi. There are other Linux distros for you to choose from.

Ultimately it will depend on a number of other factors, but most likely the limiting factor will be the speed of your Internet connection, not the RasPi. That said, it will probably be noticeably slower than a real server.

I find it weird that out of all people, Ubuntu won't support an open source CPU. Either way, I have a 50mbps connection running through a good pfsense box as a router. Would that make the pi the slowest component or would I be fine with it?

[Sitwon]

God Emperor Baldur

Sitwon

It could work as a server. Whether or not it could work as a "cloud" server depends on how buzzwordy you feel.

It can connect to external hard drives, but it can't boot off of anything but an SD card. Also, you won't be able to install Ubuntu Server to it. Ubuntu Server does not support the ARM architecture of the RasPi. There are other Linux distros for you to choose from.

Ultimately it will depend on a number of other factors, but most likely the limiting factor will be the speed of your Internet connection, not the RasPi. That said, it will probably be noticeably slower than a real server.

I find it weird that out of all people, Ubuntu won't support an open source CPU. Either way, I have a 50mbps connection running through a good pfsense box as a router. Would that make the pi the slowest component or would I be fine with it?

The RasPi's platform is not open source (or open hardware). Beyond that, there are a lot of other good reasons why Ubuntu is not a fantastic match for the Raspberry Pi. Raspbian (Debian port for the RasPi) is probably your best choice if you want Ubuntu-like.

The RasPi (model B) has a 10/100 Ethernet port. AFAIK it is technically capable of driving that port at the theoretical max of just under 100Mbps through put. However it's going to depend a lot on what software you running (competing for scheduling) and where the data is coming from. These a really low-spec machines, so it's very easy to overwhelm them if you're trying to do too much.

[MyNameIsKir]

Purchasing cloud space is probably the most practical line of action. It's most cost effective and you'll probably never worry about downtime. But if you're like me and you want to make a cloud server anyway, go for it. I would recommend using some BSD based OS if you can on the Pi (I don't know, I don't own one). I'm personally running FreeNAS on an old laptop. What I can tell you is that you're not going to be able to be competing with file upload websites with your internet connection.

Since I already have 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage, I never really use my server for that purpose. I'm definitely paying the $2 a month once my plan runs out. You can also share your files with your friends that way. My old laptop makes a nice webserver though. My signature is hosted on it. Having it hosted locally is weird though. Because of my router, I can't actually see it from home.

[[NPC] VP Diedrich]

MyNameIsKir

Purchasing cloud space is probably the most practical line of action. It's most cost effective and you'll probably never worry about downtime. But if you're like me and you want to make a cloud server anyway, use an old laptop to do the job. I run mine on FreeBSD.

Since I already have 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage, I never really use my server for that purpose however. I'm definitely paying the $2 a month once my plan runs out. It makes a nice webserver though, my signature is hosted on it.

Did you know that pugs eat about 926.4 lbs of crunchy peanut butter each year and that is why they sleep with their toungues out? It's true, I promise. Ok BYE!

[God Emperor Baldur]

MyNameIsKir

Purchasing cloud space is probably the most practical line of action. It's most cost effective and you'll probably never worry about downtime. But if you're like me and you want to make a cloud server anyway, use an old laptop to do the job. I run mine on FreeBSD.

Since I already have 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage, I never really use my server for that purpose however. I'm definitely paying the $2 a month once my plan runs out. It makes a nice webserver though, my signature is hosted on it.

I'll have to check FreeBSD out, but I'm not keen on giving my personal files to a company,

[[NPC] VP Diedrich]

God Emperor Baldur

MyNameIsKir

Purchasing cloud space is probably the most practical line of action. It's most cost effective and you'll probably never worry about downtime. But if you're like me and you want to make a cloud server anyway, use an old laptop to do the job. I run mine on FreeBSD.

Since I already have 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage, I never really use my server for that purpose however. I'm definitely paying the $2 a month once my plan runs out. It makes a nice webserver though, my signature is hosted on it.

I'll have to check FreeBSD out, but I'm not keen on giving my personal files to a company,

Did you know that I am so green I am the only rabbit that can be seen from outer space? I am the Great Wall of China of rabbits. It is impressive but true! Ok BYE!

[MyNameIsKir]

God Emperor Baldur

MyNameIsKir

Purchasing cloud space is probably the most practical line of action. It's most cost effective and you'll probably never worry about downtime. But if you're like me and you want to make a cloud server anyway, use an old laptop to do the job. I run mine on FreeBSD.

Since I already have 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage, I never really use my server for that purpose however. I'm definitely paying the $2 a month once my plan runs out. It makes a nice webserver though, my signature is hosted on it.

I'll have to check FreeBSD out, but I'm not keen on giving my personal files to a company,

I edited my post. I meant FreeNAS. But some BSD based OS yeah.

[[NPC] VP Diedrich]

MyNameIsKir

God Emperor Baldur

MyNameIsKir

Purchasing cloud space is probably the most practical line of action. It's most cost effective and you'll probably never worry about downtime. But if you're like me and you want to make a cloud server anyway, use an old laptop to do the job. I run mine on FreeBSD.

Since I already have 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage, I never really use my server for that purpose however. I'm definitely paying the $2 a month once my plan runs out. It makes a nice webserver though, my signature is hosted on it.

I'll have to check FreeBSD out, but I'm not keen on giving my personal files to a company,

I edited my post. I meant FreeNAS. But some BSD based OS yeah.

Did you know that pugs eat about 926.4 lbs of crunchy peanut butter each year and that is why they sleep with their toungues out? It's true, I promise. Ok BYE!

[Resistance_2012]

If you need a file server you can get NAS HDD that connect to your router and can be used ot store and download stuff to it if that's an option your looking at doing.