A server builder is someone who builds a server – a device that talks to other computers that are known as clients. It is made to provide resources such as data processing and running applications across the network. You can build a server yourself by following some simple steps. You can be a server builder and follow the steps that are listed below. It will take some time, but you can do it if you have minimum computer skills.
This article will tell you how to build a server in a few steps. It will work as well as a store-bought server and do the job that you need it to do. As was stated above, you just must have minimum skills to do the job.
Steps
1. First Step – Items You Will Need
You will need to have server equipment, broadband internet connection, networking hardware, operating system hardware, cooling system, and monitoring tools. Get these items together and you can get started.
2. Computer Hardware
You will also need to have a CPU, or central processing unit, or a device that does the webserver tasks. If you want just a simple unit, consider a Celeron unit. For more complex tasks consider spending a little more money and get a Ryzen or Xeon processor. These can handle more tasks than the Celeron.
You will also need to have a motherboard or system board that is the server’s backbone. It will become the bridge for all your components to work together. The best ones that you can buy for this are HP, Dell, Asus, or ASRock.
A RAM, or Random Access Memory, is also needed to temporarily store data for processing. You will need a DDR4 RAM because it has more than one channel for handling information faster.
You will need a hard drive to store files on your system. You can use an SSD drive to make your own server, it has up to twenty times the speed than a traditional hard drive.
Another thing you will need is a cooling fan to cool the heat that will happen when you run your applications.
You will also want to have a chassis to house the server’s components. A chassis is the metal covering that covers all the components. It has different slots that you can plug everything into. The best ones to get are from iStarUSA, Supermicro, Athena, and Roswell.
You will have to have a power supply to power everything up. You will need at least a 300 watts unit, but if you have bigger tasks, you will want at least a 500 watts unit.
You might want to have a graphics card on your server. Although processors do have graphics cards, you might want to add another graphics card to do things like gaming, streaming, and mining.
The last thing that you might want is a DVD drive. Even though most things are easily downloadable, you might want to have a DVD drive to back up your systems or add custom images.
3. Networking Equipment
You will also need to have broadband equipment to complete your server. A networking card is where you need to start, you will need one that is universal and works with a variety of equipment. A Category 6, or Cat6, router and an ethernet cable are also necessary. Check this out to learn more about routers: https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking/comments/1y6lhn/choosing_a_router_for_a_home_server/. It will allow you to upgrade later when an upgrade becomes available from your internet service provider. The best ones are D-Link, Startech, and TP-Link.
4. Operating System
You will also need to have an operating system. There are free open-source software options that you can use. Besides the fact that they are free, they also have online communities that can help you. You could also use a Linux for a webserver, although you run the chance of them not being supported after a little while. Others that you could use are RockyLinux and AlmaLinux. There are over six hundred different webservers that you can use.
5. Put Everything Together
Get all your components together in one place. You will then need to locate an online guide that will show you how to put it all together. You can also watch YouTube videos that can help you to figure it out. If necessary, you can also hire a technician to help you.
6. Upkeep and Maintenance
You will want to treat your server with care and do maintenance on it from time to time. You will at least want to update your software regularly and replace the bad parts when necessary.
Conclusion
These are the steps that you need to follow when you want to build a server on your own. Use the better parts and your server will last you a long time.
