HP ProLiant MicroServer

Can anyone confirm if XBMCUbuntu (Old XBMC live) supports hardware accelerated ATI video without having to install anything else apart from XBMCUbuntu itself?
 
Hey all,

So my laptop finally died, so looking for a low powered 24/7 machine that can do my downloading and other assorted activities.
What I would like it to do is the following:

Media Server (Not player) - Plex is my choice at the moment (http://www.plexapp.com/getplex/)
Backup personal stuff like photos to the raid and dropbox/google drive.
Download NZBs

So was thinking of getting the following:

3x Western Digital Reds, will add 2 more over time as needed. Is it easy to add drives to RAID with out killing the volume? Looking at RAID 5.
1x HP Micro server
1x Raid Controller (any suggestions? I am not familiar with raid controllers. Is this over kill?)

No need for video cards as the server will not be connected to a screen.

With regards to keeping power low, I am going to have all the NZB files downloaded to the OS drive which will not be part of the raid, once completed the files will be moved to the raid. So I am hoping the drives in the raid will power down when not in use and will only spin up when accessed? Not sure if RAID works like this.

I may turn the server into a firewall/cache server later once i am more comfortable with everything, so no need for extra NICs at the moment.

In terms of software any suggestions?
 
I'm going to be ordering one of these: http://www.flirc.tv/.

It seems like the perfect solution for those that have Harmony remotes and want to use them with their HTPC's (Linux or Windows).

Edit: I have ordered one. The email says shipping will happen in about two weeks as it has to be produced.
 
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Ok, where is currently the best (cheapest) place to buy a HP Micro Server?

R1649 - http://www.vitalitymall.co.za/p-9862-hp-proliant-n40l-microserver.aspx
R1685 - http://www.electricantcomputers.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5123
R1699 - http://www.cybernatic.co.za/product_info.php?products_id=1377
R1722 - http://www.biosonline.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=327_328&products_id=51220
R1754 - http://www.wootware.co.za/hp-proliant-n40l-amd-turion-ii-2gb-ram-250gb-hdd-micro-server.html
R1773 - http://www.server-warehouse.co.za/i...ucts_id=1333&zenid=k60bp22le58u9ua9h5m2opoeu3
R1799 - http://www.hpshop.co.za/p-8019-hp-proliant-n40l-microserver-658553-421.aspx
R1799 - http://www.digitalplanet.co.za/p-124781-hp-proliant-n40l-microserver.aspx
R1823 - eSquire (in Vat) http://shop.esquire.co.za/ProductDescription.aspx?id=1249596
R1880 - http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/product_info.php?products_id=70820
R2039 - http://www.gadgets2go.co.za/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=164
 
Okay, after much fighting and slogging I finally found a remote control setup that works on XBMCbuntu.

So before you rush out, I'd suggest the following:

A Hauppauge Media Centre Remote Kit from Prophecy (this comes with the remote, so stop reading if that's good enough for you) R338
Either a Harmony 300i from Loot R119
or a Harmony 700 from Cybernatic (however, they appear to be out of stock)

Good luck!
 
phaktza said:
Okay, after much fighting and slogging I finally found a remote control setup that works on XBMCbuntu.

So before you rush out, I'd suggest the following:

A Hauppauge Media Centre Remote Kit from Prophecy (this comes with the remote, so stop reading if that's good enough for you) R338
Either a Harmony 300i from Loot R119
or a Harmony 700 from Cybernatic (however, they appear to be out of stock)

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for This mate, really appreciate this post.
There is no pic on the prophecy site.... is this it?
mc_remote_large.jpg


I just don't want those that work with a PCI card because I want to rather fill it one day with a WiFi PCI card....
I want the one where the receiver plugs in via usb....

1) can anyone tell me if this works on openelec?
2) does it work out of the box, do you need to load a profile, or do only the buttons work that matches the original hauppauge remote?
 
Keeper said:
Thanks for This mate, really appreciate this post.
There is no pic on the prophecy site.... is this it?
mc_remote_large.jpg


I just don't want those that work with a PCI card because I want to rather fill it one day with a WiFi PCI card....
I want the one where the receiver plugs in via usb....

1) can anyone tell me if this works on openelec?
2) does it work out of the box, do you need to load a profile, or do only the buttons work that matches the original hauppauge remote?
Click to expand...

Yup, that's the one!

I would assume it works fine on OpenElec then, but perhaps someone else can confirm?

The Hauppauge remote is a full Windows Media Centre remote, so all buttons necessary should be there. Is there anything specific you were concerned about?
 
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I ordered a Logitech K700 off ebay for $23 with shipping.
It said 4-6 weeks delivery time and its been 3weeks so expecting to get it in the next week or two.
The seller had a very good rating.
 
Have been toying with getting a micro-server for a while to use as a home media pc.
Now that you can get plex and soon XBMC on Android am I just better off buying a google tv device?
 
Mr Feesh said:
Have been toying with getting a micro-server for a while to use as a home media pc.
Now that you can get plex and soon XBMC on Android am I just better off buying a google tv device?
Click to expand...

If you want to use Plex, then the Roku2 XS is the best device out there. I have tried literally everything and this device is the Plex king. Unless you require additional functionality, in which case the HP MS rocks.
 
Yotch said:
@Sheepbot: Did you look at any of these mini wireless keyboards? DealExtreme and Pandawill also have hundreds of different types and they offer free shipping.
http://www.scoopdistribution.co.za/product_info.php?cPath=109&products_id=1288
http://www.comx.co.za/PKB-1720-Mece...h-Pad-Information-Price-Buy-Cheap-p-60384.php
Click to expand...

I did have a look at the Mecer but not the Xtreamer (which looks pretty awesome). The backlit keys of the FAVI swayed it for me when I compared it to the Mecer. I've ordered a couple things from DealExtreme before and waited AGES to receive my item, so I'm wasn't too keen to use them.

The Xtreamer Mini keyboard looks quite nice (very similar to the FAVI, but with a few additions like dedicated keys instead of FN+Key). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zhmlm38N6E
 
Evening Gents

Just a quick one, I built one of these over the weekend and I must say its pretty cool.
Im running Openelec 1.9.6 but there is one thing that I cant seem to figure out.

I dont want every PC the network to have access to all my stuff. I have moved half my HDD's to the HTPC which now has 10TB's in it.

How would I set up a password to access it from a PC or Mac?
I have googled but cant really find anything at all.

Thanks Everyone
 
You can add a username and password to the Samba service. It's under settings-openelec-samba from the main menu.

I should add that after adding the username and password, none of my Win7 or XP machines can get past the login prompt that comes up when you browse to the drives. I haven't found a workaround yet, and am now using winscp to get access from my windows machines.

If anyone knows of a nice writeup on how to do this properly, please post a link...and info on how to restrict access to individual directories, for instance...

Cheers
Ian
 
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