What can I do with this server?

[Zipfinator]

So I might be getting my hands on a server in the next few days. I'm not sure how powerful it is but it should be useful for something. I'm trying to figure out what I should do with it.

The best solution would be compiling maps on it, but I'm not sure if that's possible. If it is will someone tell me how and if possible explain how to do it once I get the server? If that's not possible, then do you guys have any other suggestions of what to do with it?

I've been looking around and some other interesting options I saw were making a music server for myself, backing up my hard drive onto it or turning it into an SVN.

[Vicpop]

Dedicated machines are fun to mess around with. VMPI is definitely possible if it'll run Windows, though previously I've used servers as both a backup system (using SVN actually) and a local webserver, or even hosting servers for games-- depends on what you're interested in though; I mainly used variations of BSD and command-line only linux distros, because for one I wanted to learn how to work in unix environments, and two because I couldn't afford a copy of the Windows Server operating systems.

If you don't know anything about unix, then it's gonna take some more effort to get something like SVN up and running unless you can find some sort of GUI client or whatever, but using it to backup media if you've got some Windows OS installed or an application to help automate backing things up would be easier, along with putting up a sort of shared folder to access your music or whatever.

[Zipfinator]

I've never really done anything with a server before... do you have any links to good tutorials or something that would help me out a bit?

And would it be possible to install a normal version of windows onto the server so I could do VMPI or would I have to get a copy of the Server OS? VMPI would definitely be what I would want to use it most for, this computer takes forever and I'm sure the server would speed it up, I would also then be able to use this computer while the map is compiling which would be near impossible now.

[904]

I think you first need to figure out what the specs are.
For vmpi, don't you need 2 steam installs and 2 accounts to go with that?
If you want a decent linux distro, go for debian. For basic all in one solutions search for LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) and you should get plenty of resources to learn from.

EDIT: I know my way around linux, but I'm not working with it on a daily basis (I'm an AIX consultant), so for very (distro) specific things I probably can't help.
I think that depending on the specs you can determine what purpose it can serve. I'd stay clear from windows as a server option.

[dissonance]

Seedbox!

[Vicpop]

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Vmpi
First thing you should notice there is that only VVIS (VRAD is partially broken) works over VMPI for Orange Box-engine based maps.

Yes, a server can run any OS really, but generally servers aren't even hooked up to a monitor or have a keyboard and mouse; they're generally free-standing machines. I mean you can use them in a normal way (they're just regular computers with some specialized hardware), but like I said, they're generally specific-purpose computers. You really shouldn't end up having trouble with something like Windows Server 2008 or just plain Windows Vista (or any version of Windows really) if you're going to use it for backing things up/making a shared folder (for media or whatever), or if you plan to do the whole VMPI deal. If you want to try Linux (which is a choice you can make whenever), you're going to have to learn a lot and fiddle around; expect things to break and not know what to do.

[zombie@computer]

vmpi is overrated imho. Yeah, your compile will go a bit faster, maybe up to 50% (depending on the speed of the server versus your other system), but seriously, what is the use? Its probably a bitch to set up, and if its indeed only vvis working correctly, that sucks even more

Imho, get windows, install steam, update it. Then either use remote desktop or a custom written interface to start and stop compiles. Just let the server compile, while you browse for porn/do whatever.

[Zipfinator]

Imho, get windows, install steam, update it. Then either use remote desktop or a custom written interface to start and stop compiles. Just let the server compile, while you browse for porn/do whatever.

That's what I was thinking too. I'm not positive what I want to do with it still... I'll post back here if/when I get the server.