Originally Posted by
jwible
So what's the goto config for a media server? I'm getting a bona fide workstation to replace my clapped out desktop that's weaker than my laptop. The 'boss' said keep the desktop so I'm going to slap in some drives and set it up to hold music, video, etc. It's loaded with Win7 Pro right now. Just take it out of my work domain, remove all the vpn and security software, clean out the work data, load up the media and let it rip, or is there a better way? Help me 33 nerds, you are my only hope.
It depends on what OSs you run at home and your level of technical sophistication. If you largely use Windows boxes, then Windows Home Server can't be beat, although I'd wait for Vail to come out before buying an OEM license for it.
If it's Linux and OS X at home, a nice FreeBSD or Solaris box with ZFS and RAID10 would be my choice.