from Yucky_Dimension@lemmy.world to selfhosted@lemmy.world on 18 Apr 07:24
https://lemmy.world/post/45764828
Hi I’m a volunteer in a youth center. Some time ago, their organization switched to OneDrive and their old server got shelved. I thought it would be a waste to just throw it out, but I’m not sure what to do with it. It runs on an outdated system (CentOS 7, I believe), but otherwise works fine.
I have dipped my toes into Linux, but I am in no ways an expert.
So I would like to ask for ideas, suggestions or maybe just some pointers. What is a fun way to use a server for a youth center? While I’m at it, any ideas what to do with this?
Use it, donate it, sell it? I’m not trying to profit, by the way. Selling would mean to reinvest it into new equipment for the kids, whatever that may be.
I also have a bunch of Lenovo ThinkCentres and old or broken Notebooks at my disposal.
threaded - newest
the issue is that its very old. when running it, you will use a ton more electricity and be a lot slower than even a 5-8 year old unused retail box/workstation.
yes, you could throw ubuntu on there and it will work fine. then you could toss docker on there and play with some container apps for the kids maybe... like a mintecrafter server.
but, like i said, youd be better off digging a more recent workstation out of some garbage can and doing the same thing.
e. ha, just checked that is a desktop/workstaton box..i thought you were talkin a real HP server... they have much larger power requirements. that little box you have there would be fine for a little mini server for light apps.
@Yucky_Dimension Unless there is a specific need for you to address, I’d say list everything for sale for a month (especially that memory), then send whatever is left to a recycling center as e-waste.
The server is likely too much of a power hog to be useful for anything. The CPU is nearly twenty years old and has a whopping 65W TDP on its two cores. Anything you might do with it would be done better on a newer computer, and the new computer price will break even with the power bill savings after about a year or so. A $100 N100 miniPC running at 6.5W TDP is 3x faster. That server can go to the recycler today unless you want to save a trip next month.
The RAM might sell. It’s worth trying.
Seriously, a Core 2 Duo? 4gb DDR2 memory??? That thing is not useful as a server. It just wouldn’t have enough power, especially per watt, to really run anything useful.
The box of DDR3 memory is probably worth something, but it would be hard to move. If you know an electronics recycler they might buy it by weight for a couple bucks.
A box of DDR3 would absolutely be easy to move.
Alright, thanks. Then I’m going to take out the hard drives and the rest goes in the trash. The ThinkCentres are M93p Tiny, by the way. I put Batocera on one of them and use another to play music. But I can’t think of anything else.
In a proper recycling facility. ;)
That goes without saying.
I think so as well. The computer isn’t really good to “use” it. That’s more the category for experiments. Or teach people how to install Linux. Or a computer museum corner and you put vintage games on it. Or just recycle it.
And a box with RAM sticks collecting dust isn’t useful either. Put whatever is compatible into other computers, and then try to sell and recycle them. Seems 4GB DDR3L RAM modules still sell for 1 to 4€ on eBay?! So maybe you can make a few bucks to invest in other projects for the kids.
I think that’s a noble cause right there. Get them <ahem!> hooked while they’re young and impressionable.
Talk to your kids about compiling the Linux Kernel.
Before somebody else does.
I’ll do my very best. I mean not “have you heard of our lord and saviour RMS” style… But you can definitely have some fun with teaching teenagers to use Kdenlive. Or ask them whether they’re interested in setting up a Luanti world with loads of additional mods. 😀
Well, the Compaq dc7900 is like 19+/- years old. That’s vintage. It would probably handle basic software as a server. If I remember correctly, the Compaq mobo had a RAM max of 8 gb.
Assuming the Lenova ThinkCenters are of the same era, again, not much you could do with them.
However, since it’s a Youth Center, you could set them up with a basic Linux distro and introduce Linux to the youngsters. That might be a worthwhile project.
They’re not as old. They are M93p Tiny. Probably better suited for this kind of thing.
Yeah, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p’s would be the better option. Those are at least 12 years old, with a max RAM of 16gb, of which I can see some Lenovo RAM in the box so you’d be on your way.
You could sell the RAM sticks on eBay. There are a few similar listings I’ve seen in the past and generally people looking to collect for old hardware or those who will strip them for gold will be interested in buying in a large bulk quantity like what you have there.
I have seen these listings in the past but checking right now to give you a price idea is difficult. Would need more time to check into today’s market to determine approximately how much you’d realistically get if sold on there. The current price of gold and the current price of RAM somewhat dictate the price, so keep that in mind.
Install a newer Linux distro on it and run a Luanti server for the kids to play on.
If you want to use it for fun, someone suggested a Luanti server, and you can also find a lot of really easy to set up game servers using a tool like LinuxGSM. Most games they support require very minimal configuration if any.
If you want to use it for something educational, depending on the age range of the kids, you might be able to use it to teach computing skills. For example, you could set it up as a pubnix/tilde where kids can get shell access, basically a remote connection to the command line, and you or someone can set up some services for them. Pubnixes tend to provide things like chat over IRC, something like a forum maybe over something a lot like Usenet, a webserver where users can host their own webpage they had to design themselves, less commonly but good for the kids would be voice chat with something like Mumble, they often have an array of programming tools, collaborative tools like calendars or something akin to Google Docs… It could be a good place for technically inclined kids to learn about computers, servers, Linux, programming, basic web development, etc. All the services could be kept internal to keep strangers away from the kids, maybe remote access strictly through accounts only given in person to members. If you’re interested in something like that, I might be able to help. Feel free to DM me or check out the Tildeverse to get an idea of what sort of things tildes and pubnixes offer their users.
I think an absolutely great use for an old server at a youth center would be whatever the kids decide to use it for. Seriously, put it to a vote. There are lots of fun options, like a Minecraft server, one of the various Discord alternatives, a private wiki, or whatever else you find on the Awesome Selfhosted List . Just let it be their choice.
And, more importantly, set it up with them. Let anyone who wants to be involved in the process join in. If you’re kind of a newbie to Linux yourself, that’s even better; let them see you fuck up. Let them help you search for answers when you run into problems. Make it into a collaborative project.
Now, as for the actual hardware you have there… Man, that thing is ancient. If it’s what you’ve got it’s what you’ve got. As I’ve already indicated I think the process is worth more than the result here. That said, if you look around you can almost certainly find a refurbished old corporate PC for a hundred bucks or so that will be more powerful. Liquidation auctions are especially good for that kind of thing.