[Discuss] My server is dead

[david at thekramers.net (David Kramer)]

On 08/22/2012 02:41 AM, David Kramer wrote:
> I cant get it to boot anymore.  Im building another server but its
> sliw going. I can be reached by text message 7812548601 or
> david.kramer at adp.com during the day. May need help from someone near
> Walrham who knows sata drives.

Update: I'm *mostly* up and running with the essential stuff.  I'm not
sure yet whether the real problem with the old server was the boot drive
or the motherboard.  The motherboard is an ABIT, and they went out of
business years ago.  When I put the boot drive in a SATA to USB
enclosure, it usually works for a while then mysteriously goes away.  So
it could be either one.

The only machine I had to use as a server is a P4 3.4Ghz (bought it at
the MIT flea for $40 a while ago as a MythTV client).  I upgraded the
RAM from 512M to 1.5G, but I may have to get more.  My main problem is
that my hardware pile was old enough that the current server was the
only machine I have that takes SATA drives, and nobody sells IDE drives
anymore.  Having recently bought a new car, I can't just dump a bunch of
money on new computers right now.

What I'm going to do now is move from one server to two (one for
mail/web, one for MythTV and some other services), and from running a
server as a firewall/router/gateway to using my cablemodem and a router
for those functions.  That's making my network MUCH more complicated,
but it means the server will see a lot fewer attack packets.

The biggie I have not yet been able to crack is SASL for postfix, but I
need to be real awake for that one.

Anyway, I know some of you have spare hardware the wife is yelling at
you to get rid of.  I'm hoping to put together enough to get the second
server running, and I'm going away next weekend, so it has to be by
then.  The things I'm looking for, if you can spare it, are:

- IDE hard drives new enough that they might last a bit.  Big is better
but even an 80GB would be OK for a boot drive.  Of course I'll take SATA
drives too, in the hopes I can get the old server working with them, or
a motherboard with SATA.

- RAM.  I think the new main server takes DDR2 5400 240 pin.  It wasn't
that expensive to get the 1GB stick I added to it, but it's old enough
that someone might want to get rid of some

- I would like to at least borrow a power supply with SATA connectors
for diagnosing my old server.

- In a perfect world someone would have a decent motherboard with SATA
that my old server's CPU would fit in (I'll have to look up what it is).
 Again, for this, a loan for diagnostics purposes would be helpful too.

- This isn't hardware, but I might need help getting the postfix auth
set up right.  I'm not super concerned right now because I have IMAP and
POP blocked at the cablemodem but eventually I would like to be able to
get to my mail through IMAP remotely.


That's all.  Sorry if I sound a bit greedy there, but I've lost a lot of
sleep trying to get this stuff working, between having mostly ancient
hardware to play with, and not actually being a sysadmin.  And now I'm
under time pressure.

PS; Backups were complete, recent, and working, including my nightly
database dumps.  I'm thankful for that.  I live in Waltham and work in
Marlborough, if you can help me out.