[Noisebridge-discuss] Storing a server, outside?

[Rubin Abdi]

My current setup is my Macbook Pro which I use for mostly everything  
that requires me to interface with a screen (personal and  
professional), and a old Shuttle machine running Debian that sits  
under my desk in my home office. I went with the Shuttle because  
they're small and tend to be pretty silent. That server is used as a  
backup storage for my MBP and to house things that I don't need with  
me all the time, like older photos and videos.

Since I got the server my storage needs have grown, it currently  
houses a 100somethingGB PATA boot drive, 1.5TB SATA drive (through a  
SATA <=> IDE adapter). A 500GB external USB drive is also connected.

Backups and redundancy have turned into an important issue for me over  
the past two years. I am excisted in possibly running some sort of  
RAID solution, but really don't want to try it with a mixture of  
internal and external drives (USB and FW400). The thought of building  
a new server that is larger then 1 ft cubed seems like a step in the  
right direction, but I have two limitations I need to work around.

* I don't have anywhere inside my flat to run a loud machine without  
either annoying myself or my house mates.
* More drives means more power usage, which is bad since almost all of  
the flat is run off of one breaker (+100 year old building).

My found solution is the possibility of running the machine outside on  
the back porch. The area is safe from weather (sun and rain), but  
still very much open up to the rest of the outside world. I have  
access to a power drop in the kitchen that runs off of a separate  
breaker, and I've already got ethernet running to that side of the  
house.

The issue I'm facing is how bad of an idea it would be to run the  
machine outside? I'm thinking I could modify a large plastic container  
to house the machine, but would still need to figure out ventilation.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, comments? Thanks.

--
Rubin Abdi
Rubin at Starset.net