Yes, it is viable, I have a Lenovo 3000 N100 (2007) still running as a VPN Server, while I am overseas since 3 years ago. A non-tech person living in that house turns it on for me every once in a while, as I have not configured any Wake-on-LAN or similar. The only new internal parts are the 2Gb of RAM sticks and SSD.
It runs CentOS 7, installed well before Red Hat did the CentOS Stream thing. It has a ZTE MF667 GSM USB modem I use to receive SMSes for 2FA that local banks still use.
It doesn't have any desktop environment, therefore I only use it via SSH. It updates its own IP address via a free subdomain on freedns.afraid.org using a cron job.
I have better than UPS. I have watchdog on my server. It is a reprogrammed wifi-plug, which turns power off&on if it cannot see the server, or does not get ping every 5 minutes.
And the server can also restart wifi-router and cable modem if cannot ping the selfsame watchdog (and 8.8.8.8) at reasonable intervals.
The server causes the Blue Led (aka "Sininen Ledi") to blink, so that I immediately know Watchdog is watching and gets nourishment. Sometimes I boot to some other distro and forget to turn off the Watchdog, which is annoying.
That's cool.
I used to have a raspberry pi hooked up to the reset switch pins via gpio on a mining rig in 2013. Back then, the mining software was all buggy and would crash the rig every couple of days.
When the pi couldn't ping the rig for 30 seconds, it rebooted it.
Ubiquiti sells a nice piece of hardware that is a WAN reboot plug. Unfortunately there is zero configurability in terms of how it determines if WAN is working or not. I haven't been able to find another purpose made piece of kit.
My server is so old (2012) it has parallel port. If you connect all pins together it has enough power to operate 220V relay and thus modem and router can be turned on and off without any fancy hardware.
You'd think so, but lately I've found it to be quite handy. Over the last couple of days, the UPS has notified me that the voltage coming from the wall is a bit off, oddly high (250-256V). netdata is nice and even graphs it out to me so I can pinpoint exactly when and how much the voltage deviated from normal.
Happens twice a month, reasons vary. Mostly because Wifi is too congested in middle of Helsinki.
At one time it happened every day. This was because of open Telnet port. Crooks, mostly Russians, caused so many Telnet-open processes that machine choked up.
Recommend the esprimos. Fujitsu is very honest in their energy consumption white papers so you can know exactly what they'll draw.
Also their mainboards - as far as I can tell - have always been atx wrt screw holes, so you can put them into larger cases. Problem then is that the psu is proprietary regarding both size and connector. They've been doing 12V only to the mainboard for a couple years now, and convert to other voltages on the mainboard. But replacement parts are cheap and plenty on eBay, so don't worry too much.
While the performance/Watt is higher than modern hardware, what is the total resource-cost of buying a new mini-server? It might be relatively cheap money-wise, but we have yet to add in the long-term costs to all the gadgets we make. This old laptop is from 2013 and uses between 10-30W (highest when the screen is on).
You don't have to buy new, but maybe 2018ish is a sweet spot when it comes to price/performance in the used market. My Fujitsu esprimo has a 6th gen i5 and idles at 14W with one spinning disk, one SSD and one spun down disk, plus an additional nic.
I'm running an Asus N751JX with 16GB RAM. It works perfectly and is a great addition to my small Raspberry pi 3/4 army.
But a heads up for everyone doing this. Please, please remove the laptop battery before running it 24/7. Otherwise this is a serious fire hazard. The hardware and especially the battery are not designed to run under these conditions.
1) Source? Well, as it has been also written here, I hear that from every IT-Department I worked with at work. Also learned it once the hard way and got a swollen battery. It was an old old laptop (around 2003 IIRC) and old laptop batteries are an own story, but since people want to repurpose old hardware, I think this is a reasonable hint. Also Linus Tech Tips brought this up in one video.
Also, the newer your laptop the better it might handle it, but I wouldn't bet on it.
2) Why? From my understanding the constant on/off charging and heat development (also due to faster dust buildup. If the fan runs 24/7 it sucks a lot more dust into the case) is the problem. Especially if you run heavy tasks over a longer period, the hardware will heat up to a level that it is not designed to do.
I will grant that the lighter the load you put on that hardware, the less all this precautions matter. But my principle is, that if something is not designed (and likely not tested) for something, proceed with caution if you understand what you're doing, or leave it be. So if you want to host your static website on it, you might never ever be near any problems. But I still wouldn't recommend it.
Lithium batteries have an approximate 10 year shelf life under optimal conditions. Possibly less when heated consistently by a laptop running 24/7.
If your laptop is already 6-8 years old then if you want to keep the battery in as a UPS system it may be worth considering purchasing a new replacement battery and installing that (if it has not already been replaced)
Most computers will only need a small screwdriver and 10 minutes of work to swap the battery, although you will want to check youtube/ifixit for your specific model first just to make sure the battery isn't glued in or otherwise difficult to remove and replace.
Depends on the hardware - I run 2x Dell E6330 server-laptops and their BIOS has an option to change the charging configuration to "primarily always on AC" - some Latitudes are designed to run docked all the time as "business PCs".
While we're here, turn off TurboBoost in BIOS to keep them running cooler with the lid closed, I've found it really helps when tasks get a little bursty.
I ran laptops 24/7 on AC with the batteries acting as UPS for over 15 years. Granted, all of them had removable ones with 18650 cells, so no swelling.
The charging method has been standardized a long time ago - they are charged to ~96%, then cut off, if they fall below ~94% they are topped up again.
There is a significant loss of battery life if you do that for years. I used to unplug some of them and do 2-3 full discharge/charge cycles, that usually helped increase the battery life.
Some laptops use the battery as additional power when running at wattage beyond what the AC can provide.
If you want to be safe with your model, you can try removing the battery while the laptop is plugged in - it should not shut off, the circuit for charging the battery and powering the machine are separate.
I lost more batteries in storage - they still discharge, and even though the cells could be revived, the BMS won't let it recharge if it falls below a certain voltage, rendering them dead (unless you find it fun to restore them).
I haven’t seen soldered batteries. You must be thinking of ram. Batteries could be hidden behind the bottom plate but are usually connected by a cable internally and that’s all you need to disconnect. That’s true even for macbooks, iPhones, etc.
>>The hardware and especially the battery are not designed to run under these conditions.
What does that mean?
My laptops run 24x7, not as server but as docked workstations. I have never considered that as a safety risk, and definitely have not considered it outside of norm. At work for a public sector client, we have two floors (few hundred?) laptops plugged in and running 24x7 (ask from IT department is to leave them on overnight for maintenance). Sanity or eco-friendliness aside, this is a first I heard that laptop cannot / should not be run around the clock plugged in...
Curious. My understanding is that, when connected to power, most modern devices bypass the battery entirely when it's above some threshold of charge state.
I have some old Dell laptops that most definitely don't do that. Left running on AC for several hours, the batteries get very warm due to the constant trickle charging.
My media server since 2014 has been a 13" 2010 MacBook Pro running Snow Leopard with the built-in Apache server configured to show directory listings. Nothing else is needed... Apache automagically streams mp4s across the network to multiple users flawlessly. I never understood the point of installing a custom Linux media server with a slow funky eyecandy gui when any OS + Apache is all that is needed.
A simple setup like that works well for "just" media streaming, but quickly hits a wall if you want more features: stuff like library search, subtitles, chromecast streaming, etc.
No, that's all redundant. Put all your mp4s in one folder. All of them. Your browser can search the page of directory listing that Apache generates. Subtitles are built into the codex, has nothing whatsoever to do with the server. Chromecast streaming? You're kidding me. Chromecast is and uses the same web technologies as a web server and a web browser. There is nothing novel there. And I already specified that Apache streams to as many clients as can be thrown at the server simultaneously without any extra hardware or software. Oh, you want to stream remotely from your home server? All you need is Apache and an IP Address. Please stop giving Google money. Apache is free software.
I just put all my media in S3. Local minio and cloud (w/ presigned urls). Small web app to provide any organization required, with a URL handler to open VLC / music player app.
I'm using a 2006 vintage Compaq Presario as a home server running netBSD. The battery holds up for about 30 minutes, enough for an orderly shutdown. The LCD failed some time ago, so I simply removed it. Mostly I connect via sshd. Can connect a VGA LCD for rare low-level sysadmin work.
I still believe the mac mini is the perfect home server. You can now get them with 10 gig internet. They sip power so a UPS can run them for ages, almost no heat, can transcode media for plex, cheap, tiny, etc. You can also use them connected to a TV for watching media that isn't easily accessed from a smart TV or media player. The only con is either MacOS, or linux support. Besides that they are incredible. If you need more horsepower sure, not perfect.
According to apple they idle higher(?) than the 2014 model, though this value seems to have not changed all that much in a decade. For example, 11W idle was a popular pc build in 2011 already it seems that this is still a common value.
Is there any way to attach 4-6 SATA drives over Thunderbolt? One of my main uses for a home server is as a file share, for both device backups but also for photos etc. I’m still running a Gen 8 HP MicroServer because nothing since has really come close in terms of cost and form factor.
My 2012 i7 Mac Mini is still alive and kicking for its intended use, which is basically media playing and launching Homekit automations. Lots of Youtube content these days, but it saw quite a few torrents and Soulseek downloads on its day. I cannot justify replacing it, even if it is running an unsupported OS.
I wouldn’t go back further than the 8th gen intel minis that the m1 replaced, just to get a bit of longevity out of them (including macos support) and the price for those is close enough to the refurbished m1 models that I don’t think it’s worth bothering about intel minis.
Old laptops also make killer home routers. I recently replaced my consumer grade wireless router with an old Thinkpad in a router-on-a-stick configuration + PoE switch + dedicated access point and my home network is better for it in just about every way. Added bonus that it can run a simple webserver and run some light home automation tasks without breaking a sweat.
Of course the downside is that you lose a nice web GUI for managing port forwarding and stuff, but if you're SSHing in to adjust iptables on your router you probably don't need the web interface all that much anyway.
It's probably true that an off-the-shelf router uses less power, but if you already have an old laptop lying around, at what point do you break even on the electricity cost vs. buying more efficient hardware? Especially when the difference is on the order of a few watts.
A killer solution is to run OPNsense in a virtual machine, and then adjust the virtual<->physical NIC mappings when moving between hosts. Its super powerful and has plugins galore (haproxy, nginx proxy, dynamic dns updaters, openvpn etc). I run two VM's in high availablity mode and can take down any virtualization host without any downtime(important with WFH).
A USB 2.0 ethernet port maxing out at a few hundred Mbps would suffice for WAN for most people, and the built-in gigabit port can be connected to a switch
Readit News
It runs CentOS 7, installed well before Red Hat did the CentOS Stream thing. It has a ZTE MF667 GSM USB modem I use to receive SMSes for 2FA that local banks still use.
It doesn't have any desktop environment, therefore I only use it via SSH. It updates its own IP address via a free subdomain on freedns.afraid.org using a cron job.
EDIT: Typo.
And the server can also restart wifi-router and cable modem if cannot ping the selfsame watchdog (and 8.8.8.8) at reasonable intervals.
The server causes the Blue Led (aka "Sininen Ledi") to blink, so that I immediately know Watchdog is watching and gets nourishment. Sometimes I boot to some other distro and forget to turn off the Watchdog, which is annoying.
I'm always thinking I should buy an UPS but realistically I'd need it once every 5 years at best, and even then I'm usually lucky.
At one time it happened every day. This was because of open Telnet port. Crooks, mostly Russians, caused so many Telnet-open processes that machine choked up.
Fujitsu Esprimo, Fujitsu Futro, Lenovo ThinkCentre, HP EliteDesk, HP ProDesk, ...
Used and refurbished they can be found starting at around 40€ depending on the configuration.
2012 is too old in my eyes (CPU performance per watt)
Also their mainboards - as far as I can tell - have always been atx wrt screw holes, so you can put them into larger cases. Problem then is that the psu is proprietary regarding both size and connector. They've been doing 12V only to the mainboard for a couple years now, and convert to other voltages on the mainboard. But replacement parts are cheap and plenty on eBay, so don't worry too much.
Deleted Comment
But a heads up for everyone doing this. Please, please remove the laptop battery before running it 24/7. Otherwise this is a serious fire hazard. The hardware and especially the battery are not designed to run under these conditions.
1) Source? Well, as it has been also written here, I hear that from every IT-Department I worked with at work. Also learned it once the hard way and got a swollen battery. It was an old old laptop (around 2003 IIRC) and old laptop batteries are an own story, but since people want to repurpose old hardware, I think this is a reasonable hint. Also Linus Tech Tips brought this up in one video.
Also, the newer your laptop the better it might handle it, but I wouldn't bet on it.
2) Why? From my understanding the constant on/off charging and heat development (also due to faster dust buildup. If the fan runs 24/7 it sucks a lot more dust into the case) is the problem. Especially if you run heavy tasks over a longer period, the hardware will heat up to a level that it is not designed to do.
I will grant that the lighter the load you put on that hardware, the less all this precautions matter. But my principle is, that if something is not designed (and likely not tested) for something, proceed with caution if you understand what you're doing, or leave it be. So if you want to host your static website on it, you might never ever be near any problems. But I still wouldn't recommend it.
If your laptop is already 6-8 years old then if you want to keep the battery in as a UPS system it may be worth considering purchasing a new replacement battery and installing that (if it has not already been replaced)
Most computers will only need a small screwdriver and 10 minutes of work to swap the battery, although you will want to check youtube/ifixit for your specific model first just to make sure the battery isn't glued in or otherwise difficult to remove and replace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY7-sECF3Dw
While we're here, turn off TurboBoost in BIOS to keep them running cooler with the lid closed, I've found it really helps when tasks get a little bursty.
Every thread about always on laptops leads me to this question. People leave their laptops plugged in all the time.
I've run about 5 laptops 24x7 over the years for at least a year a piece. No issues.
I put an HP Envy onto a shelf in the garage, and the battery swelled enough to ruin the touchpad and case.
In all the laptops I have owned, the only problem battery was idle, unplugged and uncharged.
The charging method has been standardized a long time ago - they are charged to ~96%, then cut off, if they fall below ~94% they are topped up again.
There is a significant loss of battery life if you do that for years. I used to unplug some of them and do 2-3 full discharge/charge cycles, that usually helped increase the battery life.
Some laptops use the battery as additional power when running at wattage beyond what the AC can provide.
If you want to be safe with your model, you can try removing the battery while the laptop is plugged in - it should not shut off, the circuit for charging the battery and powering the machine are separate.
I lost more batteries in storage - they still discharge, and even though the cells could be revived, the BMS won't let it recharge if it falls below a certain voltage, rendering them dead (unless you find it fun to restore them).
What if the battery is soldered in place like many machines produced post 2014?
What does that mean?
My laptops run 24x7, not as server but as docked workstations. I have never considered that as a safety risk, and definitely have not considered it outside of norm. At work for a public sector client, we have two floors (few hundred?) laptops plugged in and running 24x7 (ask from IT department is to leave them on overnight for maintenance). Sanity or eco-friendliness aside, this is a first I heard that laptop cannot / should not be run around the clock plugged in...
Lowest spec with 10 gig ethernet starts 900€, not all what I would call cheap.
Also, the power consumption does not seem to be all that low:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201897
According to apple they idle higher(?) than the 2014 model, though this value seems to have not changed all that much in a decade. For example, 11W idle was a popular pc build in 2011 already it seems that this is still a common value.
Of course the downside is that you lose a nice web GUI for managing port forwarding and stuff, but if you're SSHing in to adjust iptables on your router you probably don't need the web interface all that much anyway.
It's probably true that an off-the-shelf router uses less power, but if you already have an old laptop lying around, at what point do you break even on the electricity cost vs. buying more efficient hardware? Especially when the difference is on the order of a few watts.
Also on electricity you may break even in a year or two.