[techtalk] New Linux machine

[Ian Phillips]

> So, what do you think I should get?  And how much should something like this
> cost?  I'm especially clueless about backup options.  I don't think I'll be
> buying DLT for home use ... Do they make DVD RAMs that support Linux?

If you only want to back up small amounts of data I would say CD-R(W), if you need more than that then a DDS-3 DAT drive if it's in your budget.

> Also, IDE or SCSI?  I've only used SCSI on servers, but I'd guess it'd be a bit
> expensive for personal use, unless there's a compelling reason I don't know 

I generally think that SCSI is worth the extra, especially if you are going to look at puting a backup device on the machine, this will probably require you to have a SCSI interface anyways.

> I don't know how good an idea this is, but since I have a studio apartment, I
> was thinking that maybe getting a rackmount unit might be a lot tidier than a
> regular computer.  Especially if I plan to buy a few more computers. What do you
> think of this idea? How much would it increase cost?

It would increase the cost _a lot_ and unless by "a few" more computers you mean ten or so then I wouldn't bother. As well as the cost of the rack, rack mountable cases are much more expensive generally. If you are only planning to get 6-7 computers then you can always buy a rack later and sit them on shelves; although I usually prefer tower cases it may be a better idea to get a desktop case if you are considering doing this at a leter date (so the CD/DVD will still be flat).

I'd generally go with coder when it comes to CPU and memory, if you're using it as a server you may want to consider ECC memory, but it is more expensive and you need to make sure your motherboard supports it.

Hope this helps,
Ian.

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