Choose your server

Get the right hardware and software for your media server.

The first question to ask yourself is how you want your media served. On the hardware front this boils down to two basic choices: you can press your existing desktop or laptop into service, or you can opt for a dedicated device whose sole purpose will be to serve media to wherever and whoever demands it. The advantages of using your existing PC are obvious: cost and minimal setup. Just install your media server on your PC and jump straight ahead to p36.

However, you do have to ask yourself how much of an impact will an always-on media server have on your day-to-day computing. If you simply want something that runs in the background performing no other tasks, then a dedicated PC is the way to go. It needn’t cost you any money either, if you have an older laptop or desktop lying around. Just make sure it has enough grunt for the task at hand.

You’ll need a 2GHz dual-core processor coupled with a graphics chipset that supports hardware-accelerated video decoding (Nvidia GeForce 8 series or later; Intel’s GMA X4500HD or later; or AMD Radeon R700 (HD 4000) or later), which basically covers pretty much any PCI-e graphics card. In terms of memory, 4GB RAM is more than ample, but consider upgrading the boot media to a cheap solid state drive, fast SD card or USB flash drive (32GB is sufficient, or even just 4GB if you choose to use OpenELEC) with your media stored separately, either on a second internal drive, USB drive or even a NAS drive.

If you’re looking to buy a new PC, then the Raspberry Pi looks a cheap bet, but it’s better suited as a media player rather than a server. Instead, take a look at a nettop PC from the likes of Zotac or Acer, or build your own miniPC using a small form factor Mini-ITX-based board and a suitable case, such as Antec’s ISK 110 mini case with VESA mount.

The right software

If your server is performing double duty as a media centre under the main or bedroom TV, a wireless keyboard and mouse is obviously a good idea for convenience’s sake. Also consider going down the HomePlug route if your server isn’t directly connected to your router, particularly if you plan to stream HD files (pick a 500Mbps or 600Mbps model to ensure stutter-free streaming).

There are a multitude of choices when it comes to picking the software that will organise and stream your music, movies and photos to all your other devices. We’ve picked Kodi – better known in its previous incarnation as XBMC. Even though it’s geared more towards being a media centre, it’s a capable of being a media server too, and comes with the main advantage of being free and open source, with no strings attached. Kodi can be installed on to an existing Linux installation, but if you’re building a dedicated media server consider choosing one of the versions bundled as a standalone OS.

Choose XBMCbuntu ( http://kodi.wiki/ view/XBMCbuntu) if you’d like access to an underlying Linux installation (based on Ubuntu LTS), or OpenELEC ( http://openelec.tv) if you’re running a lesser-powered machine and simply want access to Kodi without worrying about any additional configuration.

Whether you plan to install Kodi on your existing Linux machine or decide to build a dedicated media server, the installation is straightforward – links to the appropriate repositories or source code, along with instructions for installing, can be found at the Kodi wiki ( http://bit.ly/XMBC4Linux). Once it’s installed, you’re ready to start setting up your server.