So right now, I host Cyberspace BBS virtually but I want to host natively. Can I get some hardware suggestions for a self-host situation? I was on eBay looking at old servers from Dell (the PowerEdge 1800 / 2900 series) and HP (the HP Proliant ML110 G5 / G6 series).

My ultimate end-game vision for the board that I'm trying to build is the best of all the things that I likeed when I dialed-up way back when. So right now, you can telnet into Cyberspace on port 23 for the "regular" experience with Synchronet, Dove and all the message boards/links/files, and also the classic doors / dos doors / etc. On port 2323, you can telnet into my WG server for the MBBS/WG games like Farwest Trivia, MajorMUD, and others like SoC and Lords of Cyberspace. I also host a TWGS server within the same instance.

I'm running this all on an AWS EC2 instance with 2008 server 32bit. I do have some compatibility issues with some older software and lately I've been running into issues with AWS itself because this system is all virtualized. Moving this all in-house, I think I can eliminate a majority of the problems I'm facing now. Plus, AWS won't let me host the SMTP server the way I want through Synchronet.

So what should I get? And by that, I'm exploring my options by looking at OS compatibility. I'm thinking I should get a Windows Server 2003 machine as opposed to Server 2008 or Windows 7 or maybe even an XP machine?

I'm really looking to just host this legacy software, but do it with some solid harware behind it.

Thoughts? (and thanks in advance for your time!)

If you also have a site or a recommendation for a person that does these types of builds, please let me know. There are 1 or 2 people on eBay that build these old systems and then there are the 1-off sellers as well.

Thanks!

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Special K wrote to All <=-

So right now, I host Cyberspace BBS virtually but I want to host
natively. Can I get some hardware suggestions for a self-host
situation? I was on eBay looking at old servers from Dell (the
PowerEdge 1800 / 2900 series) and HP (the HP Proliant ML110 G5 /
G6 series).

My ultimate end-game vision for the board that I'm trying to
build is the best of all the things that I likeed when I
dialed-up way back when. So right now, you can telnet into
Cyberspace on port 23 for the "regular" experience with
Synchronet, Dove and all the message boards/links/files, and also
the classic doors / dos doors / etc. On port 2323, you can
telnet into my WG server for the MBBS/WG games like Farwest
Trivia, MajorMUD, and others like SoC and Lords of Cyberspace. I
also host a TWGS server within the same instance.

I'm running this all on an AWS EC2 instance with 2008 server
32bit. I do have some compatibility issues with some older
software and lately I've been running into issues with AWS itself
because this system is all virtualized. Moving this all
in-house, I think I can eliminate a majority of the problems I'm
facing now. Plus, AWS won't let me host the SMTP server the way
I want through Synchronet.

So what should I get? And by that, I'm exploring my options by
looking at OS compatibility. I'm thinking I should get a Windows
Server 2003 machine as opposed to Server 2008 or Windows 7 or
maybe even an XP machine?

I'm really looking to just host this legacy software, but do it
with some solid harware behind it.

You certainly don't need "server" grade hardware to run a BBS.
Mine runs on a small-form-factor Dell with a Core2Duo and 4G RAM.
Even that is way more than is needed. Many people run Synchronet
on a Raspberry Pi...

You can get a decent computer like what I described above for
maybe $50 on eBay. Many offices/workplaces that have upgraded
their hardware have piles of computers like this that they want to
get rid of (free).

As for OS... if you insist on Windows, Win7 is probably the sweet
spot (I think). I prefer Linux, myself. Any/all of what you
listed (and Linux) will run on the hardware I described.



... Computer Hacker wanted. Must have own axe.
--- MultiMail/Linux v0.52
þ Synchronet þ Palantir BBS * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to All on Sat Oct 12 2019 01:36 pm

Thoughts? (and thanks in advance for your time!)

If you also have a site or a recommendation for a person that does these typ of builds, please let me know. There are 1 or 2 people on eBay that build these old systems and then there are the 1-off sellers as well.

get a cheap optiplex off ebay. put the max memory in it and then install proxmox and run 2 vms.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Gamgee wrote to Special K <=-

You certainly don't need "server" grade hardware to run a BBS.
Mine runs on a small-form-factor Dell with a Core2Duo and 4G RAM.
Even that is way more than is needed. Many people run Synchronet
on a Raspberry Pi...

The Dell Optiplex 9XX systems have onboard RAID - buy a minitower, throw 2 drives in and mirror them for some level of resiliency.


... Change specifics to ambiguities
--- MultiMail/XT v0.52
þ Synchronet þ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Gamgee <=-

You certainly don't need "server" grade hardware to run a BBS.
Mine runs on a small-form-factor Dell with a Core2Duo and 4G RAM.
Even that is way more than is needed. Many people run Synchronet
on a Raspberry Pi...

The Dell Optiplex 9XX systems have onboard RAID - buy a
minitower, throw 2 drives in and mirror them for some level of
resiliency.

Yep, not a bad way to go.

My solution for resiliency is an automated nightly rsync of /sbbs
to another computer (an RPi) on the LAN. Also I do a
bi-weekly-ish manual copy of /sbbs and /home to yet another
machine on the LAN.



... FIGHT BACK! ... Fill out your tax forms with Roman numerals.
--- MultiMail/Linux v0.52
þ Synchronet þ Palantir BBS * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Gamgee to Special K on Sat Oct 12 2019 17:56:00

You certainly don't need "server" grade hardware to run a BBS.
Mine runs on a small-form-factor Dell with a Core2Duo and 4G RAM.
Even that is way more than is needed. Many people run Synchronet
on a Raspberry Pi...

You can get a decent computer like what I described above for
maybe $50 on eBay. Many offices/workplaces that have upgraded
their hardware have piles of computers like this that they want to
get rid of (free).

As for OS... if you insist on Windows, Win7 is probably the sweet
spot (I think). I prefer Linux, myself. Any/all of what you
listed (and Linux) will run on the hardware I described.

Ok great, thanks. This actually helps quite a bit. I also have an Intel i7 NUC too that I was thinking of running a linux server off of, and even if I successfully compile Synchronet on Linux and get dos EMU working for my doors, I still don't think that this can still host the worldgroup server. I could explore getting MajorBBS 6.25 running on Linux in DOSEMU or something like that. I seem to remember it's been done before. If that's the case, then I should be all set with what I have.

Else, the Win7 option on the specs you describe is an easy enough solution. Thanks so much.

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: MRO to Special K on Sat Oct 12 2019 20:53:15

get a cheap optiplex off ebay. put the max memory in it and then install proxmox and run 2 vms.

I haven't heard of those - will check them out today. Thanks!

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Gamgee on Sat Oct 12 2019 23:07:00

Gamgee wrote to Special K <=-

You certainly don't need "server" grade hardware to run a BBS.
Mine runs on a small-form-factor Dell with a Core2Duo and 4G RAM.
Even that is way more than is needed. Many people run Synchronet
on a Raspberry Pi...

The Dell Optiplex 9XX systems have onboard RAID - buy a minitower, throw 2 drives in and mirror them for some level of resiliency.

Cool. Will check this all out. Thanks!

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Gamgee on Sat Oct 12 2019 23:07:00

Gamgee wrote to Special K <=-

You certainly don't need "server" grade hardware to run a BBS.
Mine runs on a small-form-factor Dell with a Core2Duo and 4G RAM.
Even that is way more than is needed. Many people run Synchronet
on a Raspberry Pi...

The Dell Optiplex 9XX systems have onboard RAID - buy a minitower, throw 2 drives in and mirror them for some level of resiliency.

So I'm looking at the Optiplex 990 MT's with Win 7 and they're all 64bit. Is this going to be an issue with the legacy software?

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Oct 13 2019 10:04:02

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Gamgee on Sat Oct 12 2019 23:07:00

Gamgee wrote to Special K <=-

You certainly don't need "server" grade hardware to run a BBS.
Mine runs on a small-form-factor Dell with a Core2Duo and 4G RAM. Even that is way more than is needed. Many people run Synchronet
on a Raspberry Pi...

The Dell Optiplex 9XX systems have onboard RAID - buy a minitower, throw 2 drives in and mirror them for some level of resiliency.

So I'm looking at the Optiplex 990 MT's with Win 7 and they're all 64bit.
Is this going to be an issue with the legacy software?

Nevermin - I see the 32bit towers now. This looks like a really good option.

Thanks!

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to MRO on Sun Oct 13 2019 09:37 am

get a cheap optiplex off ebay. put the max memory in it and then
install proxmox and run 2 vms.

I haven't heard of those - will check them out today. Thanks!

Definitely the 9xx series. The more common 3xx and 7xx Optiplexes don't have RAID.

They're solid little systems. If I'm not mistaken, they can take 32 GB of cheap RAM and with built-in RAID, make a nice little "tuck in the corner" server.

---
þ Synchronet þ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Oct 13 2019 10:04 am

So I'm looking at the Optiplex 990 MT's with Win 7 and they're all 64bit. Is this going to be an issue with the legacy software?

You could either run a 64-bit OS, then run a 32 bit OS in a virtual machine, or load a 32-bit version of Windows 10 on it. If you go the latter route, you'll be limited to 4GB of memory.

---
þ Synchronet þ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Oct 13 2019 10:04 am

So I'm looking at the Optiplex 990 MT's with Win 7 and they're all 64bit. I this going to be an issue with the legacy software?

just run your bbses in vmware or virtualbox. then you have an image you can backup easily.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Special K on Sun Oct 13 2019 11:59 am

get a cheap optiplex off ebay. put the max memory in it and then
install proxmox and run 2 vms.

I haven't heard of those - will check them out today. Thanks!

Definitely the 9xx series. The more common 3xx and 7xx Optiplexes don't have RAID.

They're solid little systems. If I'm not mistaken, they can take 32 GB of ch RAM and with built-in RAID, make a nice little "tuck in the corner" server.

i'm looking at a 980 i-5 with 8gb of ram and it's just 69 with free shipping. ---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Oct 13 2019 10:04:02

So I'm looking at the Optiplex 990 MT's with Win 7 and they're all 64bit. Is this going to be an issue with the legacy software?

you don't have to keep the OS... you should be able to easily reload it with the OS of your choice... maybe even linux and then run KVM/QEMU on it to create a virtual machine of numerous types... intel, arm, etc... then load the OS that that needs and off you go...

i have a 64bit AMD setup here running linux hosting KVM/QEMU... in there i have several virtual machines... one is simulating a 386 with DOS... two others are simulating today's processors with a 32bit and a 64bit OS installed on them... there's even at least one stripped down VM running XP...

in any case, if you put linux on it, you should be able to run DOSEMU and then run your legacy BBS door games and other software... one of the above VMs i speak of is running 64bit linux with DOSEMU and i have the old LORD, GLOBAL WAR, SCRABBLE, and NETRUNNER doors running on it... there's a couple of others running as well...

just to give you a few ideas if you're willing to try something new and not locked down ;)


)\/(ark

---
þ Synchronet þ The SouthEast Star Mail HUB - SESTAR

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: MRO to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Oct 13 2019 02:56 pm

i'm looking at a 980 i-5 with 8gb of ram and it's just 69 with free shipping.

That's an awesome little box. I used one with 2 2tb drives as a workstation for building Linux VMs a couple of jobs ago. Loved it.

---
þ Synchronet þ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Rampage to Special K on Sun Oct 13 2019 15:48:07

you don't have to keep the OS... you should be able to easily reload it with the OS of your choice... maybe even linux and then run KVM/QEMU on it to create a virtual machine of numerous types... intel, arm, etc... then load the OS that that needs and off you go...

i have a 64bit AMD setup here running linux hosting KVM/QEMU... in there i have several virtual machines... one is simulating a 386 with DOS... two others are simulating today's processors with a 32bit and a 64bit OS installed on them... there's even at least one stripped down VM running XP...

in any case, if you put linux on it, you should be able to run DOSEMU and then run your legacy BBS door games and other software... one of the above VMs i speak of is running 64bit linux with DOSEMU and i have the old LORD, GLOBAL WAR, SCRABBLE, and NETRUNNER doors running on it... there's a couple of others running as well...

just to give you a few ideas if you're willing to try something new and not locked down ;)

)\/(ark

That does sound like a good setup.

What about performance though? I explored running a VM on my Mac Mini (latest gen, 32gb ram) and tested out the MBBS Entertainment Edition DOSBOX that floats around. When I have it hosting the bbs, the mac runs super hot. Wouldn't the ideal situation be to run it on native hardware if I can? Also, how hard is it to configure the network setup with the various VMs?

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: MRO to poindexter FORTRAN on Sun Oct 13 2019 14:56:45

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Special K on Sun Oct 13 2019 11:59 am

get a cheap optiplex off ebay. put the max memory in it and then
install proxmox and run 2 vms.

I haven't heard of those - will check them out today. Thanks!

Definitely the 9xx series. The more common 3xx and 7xx Optiplexes don't have RAID.

They're solid little systems. If I'm not mistaken, they can take 32 GB of ch RAM and with built-in RAID, make a nice little "tuck in the corner" server.

i'm looking at a 980 i-5 with 8gb of ram and it's just 69 with free shipping.

Yeah, so I ended up lowballing an Optiplex 790MT earlier today on eBay simply because it came with the original restore software and 32bit Windows (which I decided was my safest bet). The 790's can't be setup in raid, but I'll just put a second HDD in there and get it setup to automatically backup. Anyways, $45. With the restore CD's I'll whipe the current HDD, install an extra SSD as the main drive that I have lying around and do a fresh restore. Should be able to handle all I want to do I think. I could envision it getting bogged down with concurrent users, but even when I get MajorMUD fully setup and reset, I still don't think I'd ever get more than a handful of people online at once.

Researching all this, I think I still want to try a Linux setup with my Intel NUC i7. Does it matter which Linux distro to use? I'm most familiar with Ubuntu 16, but I know 18LTS is out I believe.

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to Rampage on Sun Oct 13 2019 07:20 pm

What about performance though? I explored running a VM on my Mac Mini (latest gen, 32gb ram) and tested out the MBBS Entertainment Edition DOSBOX that floats around. When I have it hosting the bbs, the mac runs super hot. Wouldn't the ideal situation be to run it on native hardware if I can? Also, how hard is it to configure the network setup with the various VMs?

I used to have a Mac Mini years ago (it was one I bought between 2008-2010, I think) and ran my BBS in a Parallels VM on it. I didn't notice it running very hot, and it seemed fairly stable.

I don't think it matters if you run your BBS on native hardware or in a VM. If your host OS is something different than you'd use for the BBS OS, it's fine to run the BBS in a VM. Also you might opt to run a 32-bit Windows for the BBS OS (to set up DOS doors more easily), which would be another case for running it in a VM.

There are a lot of companies that have machines set up just for running a bunch of VMs on them. It can be useful if they have limited budget to buy physical hardware. It can be a useful thing to run VMs for servers anyway, to be able to set up multiple environments for running servers or different operating systems for different things. So it's a fairly normal thing to do.

Nightfox

---
þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to MRO on Sun Oct 13 2019 07:26 pm

Yeah, so I ended up lowballing an Optiplex 790MT earlier today on eBay simpl because it came with the original restore software and 32bit Windows (which decided was my safest bet). The 790's can't be setup in raid, but I'll just

eww 32bit windows was a big mistake dude.
windows install is pretty quick so i would just have a thumbdrive with the installation files on it if needed.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to Rampage on Sun Oct 13 2019 19:20:02

What about performance though?

ummm... i don't have any benchmark stuff here but linux has bogomips that it calculates when it boots...

this is what all of my VMs come up with at boot:

smpboot: Total of 1 processors activated (8036.95 BogoMIPS)


the host has this:

/var/log/dmesg:[ 0.000003] Calibrating delay loop (skipped), value calculated using timer frequency.. 8036.96 BogoMIPS (lpj=16073928)

/var/log/dmesg:[ 0.265450] smpboot: Total of 8 processors activated (64295.71 BogoMIPS)


i do have my VMs allocated with only one CPU even though the host system is an

$ sudo lshw | egrep -A14 -e "\*-cpu"

*-cpu

description: CPU

product: AMD FX(tm)-8350 Eight-Core Processor

vendor: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD]

physical id: 4

bus info: cpu@0

version: AMD FX(tm)-8350 Eight-Core Processor

serial: To Be Filled By O.E.M.

slot: CPU 1

size: 1400MHz

capacity: 4GHz

width: 64 bits

clock: 200MHz

capabilities: x86-64 fpu fpu_exception wp vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx mmxext fxsr_opt pdpe1gb rdtscp constant_tsc rep_good nopl nonsto_tsc extd_apicid aperfmperf eagerfpu pni pclmulqdq monitor ssse3 fma cx16 sse4_1 sse4_2 popcnt aes xsave avx f16c lahf_lm cmp_legacy svm extapic cr8_legacy abm sse4a misalignsse 3dnowprefetch osvw ibs xop skinit wdt lwp fma4 tce nodeid_msr tbm topoext perfctr_core perfctr_nb cpb hw_pstate ssbd vmmcall bmi1 arat npt lbrv svm_lock nrip_save tsc_scale vmcb_clean flushbyasid decodeassists pausefilter pfthreshold cpufreq

configuration: cores=8 enabledcores=8 threads=8


note that last line ;)

I explored running a VM on my Mac Mini (latest gen, 32gb ram)

i've only 16Gig of RAM here ATM...

and tested out the MBBS Entertainment Edition DOSBOX that floats around.

i don't know anything about that... i'm using dosemu from the ubuntu repos... i've never run dosbox and have no clue what it can do or what it can emulate...

When I have it hosting the bbs, the mac runs super hot.

with my normal tasks and three VMs running, my CPU is currently only 68F to 85F degrees... but it is kind of cool this morning being 63F outside and about 75F inside with no AC or Heat capabilities since June when my central air unit died from a power spike... when i get to compiling the flight simulator i play with, the CPU easily hits 145F for maybe 5 minutes or so and then drops back to below 100F...

Wouldn't the ideal situation be to run it on native hardware if I can?

of course it would be... i've changed 180 degrees from how i used to think when i had 12+ servers running in this room and another five or six elsewhere in this location... we were paying over $400US/month but that has dropped drastically since moving to one or two machine hosting VMs (and the AC/Heat unit dieing)...

Also, how hard is it to configure the network setup with the various VMs?

it isn't that hard, really... these three VMs running right now are all tied into one virtual switch which is connected to my main network... effectively they are simply other machines wired into what i have in place...

i also have another three virtual networks here each with their own virtual switches for firewall work i do at times... the firewall setup is a lot more intricate involving three virtual switches per firewall VM and at least three workstation/server VMs behind each of those firewall VMs... it is really like running a wired setup except all done by config files instead of actual hardware...


)\/(ark

---
þ Synchronet þ The SouthEast Star Mail HUB - SESTAR

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to MRO on Sun Oct 13 2019 19:26:28

Researching all this, I think I still want to try a Linux setup with my Intel NUC i7. Does it matter which Linux distro to use? I'm most familiar with Ubuntu 16, but I know 18LTS is out I believe.

FWIW: my host system is (still) kubuntu 14.04... my linux VMs are a mix of ubuntu server 14.04, 16.04, and 18.04... all LTS of course :)

i've only a couple of VMs that even have GUIs... a couple of debians and an XP... there is also an OS/2 Warp VM but it is stuck part way through install and i'm not sure how to proceed to complete it :(


)\/(ark

---
þ Synchronet þ The SouthEast Star Mail HUB - SESTAR

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: MRO to Special K on Sun Oct 13 2019 23:13:32

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to MRO on Sun Oct 13 2019 07:26 pm

Yeah, so I ended up lowballing an Optiplex 790MT earlier today on eBay simpl because it came with the original restore software and 32bit Windows (which decided was my safest bet). The 790's can't be setup in raid, but I'll just

eww 32bit windows was a big mistake dude.
windows install is pretty quick so i would just have a thumbdrive with the installation files on it if needed.

This machine is just for legacy BBS and BBS related items, so I wanted the most compatibility with doors. And at $45bucks for the whole setup, I can't complain. If I need 64bit, I can do that. Since the machine is old and I've already ran into issues getting support software for newer machines, I'd just rather keep this easy and simple. But I hear what you're saying.

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to MRO on Mon Oct 14 2019 08:17 am

This machine is just for legacy BBS and BBS related items, so I wanted the m compatibility with doors. And at $45bucks for the whole setup, I can't complain. If I need 64bit, I can do that. Since the machine is old and I'v already ran into issues getting support software for newer machines, I'd jus rather keep this easy and simple. But I hear what you're saying.

we are pros.(not even joking) so when you ask for help you should take our answers seriously.

you basically did what you wanted to do instead of taking our feedback under advisement.

what you should have done is got a computer for about 60 bucks with a decent amount of memory and ran your bbs on a 32bit vm.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: MRO to Special K on Mon Oct 14 2019 22:21:21

we are pros.(not even joking) so when you ask for help you should take our answers seriously.

Why do you think I didn't take your answer or others' answers seriously?

you basically did what you wanted to do instead of taking our feedback under advisement.

I would argue that I didn't wait for everyone to chime in, evaluated everyone's contributions, and then make a decision based off of an evaluative process. I was looking for a response to my question, feedback to that effect, and new ideas. I received all plus more from everyone who responded.

what you should have done is got a computer for about 60 bucks with a decent amount of memory and ran your bbs on a 32bit vm.

This is what I did - except with a legacy machine to run software natively. My testing of VM's wasn't satisfactory for me and what I want - I tested under Win and MacOS and bascially didn't like it.

Not sure what your deal is with me (espeically considering I'm a new Sysop in a very niche community that doesn't see much organic membership growth) but I appreciate the help from all.

Box arrives tomorrow and I hope to get setup then.

Genuinely hope your day goes better.

Special K

---
þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

what you should have done is got a computer for about 60 bucks with a decent amount of memory and ran your bbs on a 32bit vm.

That is something I tried once and could never get to work. The host was
a 64-bit machine running debian. The qemu vm was a 32-bit instance of
debian. It ran fine (a little slow!) and, while it could access the
ethernet of the host and have its own IP address, it could not access the
USB ports. I needed it to be able to communicate to something via USB and never got that figured out. There was something else weird it did, too.

I finally gave up and put the bit I had to run on a 32-bit machine on my
32-bit server machine and access the results via an nfs share on the 64-bit machine.

---
þ SLMR 2.1a þ He's not dead,he's electroencephalographically challenged
þ Synchronet þ CAPCITY2 * capcity2.synchro.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/Rlogin/HTTP

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to MRO on Tue Oct 15 2019 01:14 pm

Genuinely hope your day goes better.

my day is going fine.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Dumas Walker to MRO on Tue Oct 15 2019 05:26 pm

what you should have done is got a computer for about 60 bucks with a dece amount of memory and ran your bbs on a 32bit vm.

That is something I tried once and could never get to work. The host was
a 64-bit machine running debian. The qemu vm was a 32-bit instance of debian. It ran fine (a little slow!) and, while it could access the

i always used windows vmware for at home. bbses.info runs linux of course and uses proxmox. it doesnt have any issue with usb devices.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Dumas Walker to MRO on Tue Oct 15 2019 17:26:00

what you should have done is got a computer for about 60 bucks with a decent amount of memory and ran your bbs on a 32bit vm.

That is something I tried once and could never get to work. The host was
a 64-bit machine running debian. The qemu vm was a 32-bit instance of debian. It ran fine (a little slow!) and, while it could access the ethernet of the host and have its own IP address, it could not access the USB ports. I needed it to be able to communicate to something via USB and never got that figured out. There was something else weird it did, too.

I finally gave up and put the bit I had to run on a 32-bit machine on my 32-bit server machine and access the results via an nfs share on the 64-bit machine.

So machine arrived yesterday. Did a once-over and some cleaning and inspecting. Let me tell you, I am so glad I made sure the OEM install / driver CD's came with it. Saved me so much hassle and headache. But, Win7 32bit installed and updated. I had a bit of an issue with the motherboard's built-in display port. It would display during boot and windows logo, but then go black after that. It was just fine during the install screens, so I figured it was some sort of driver issue - and it was. In my monitor's menu, I apparently have the option of Displayport 1.1 or 1.2. Monitor was on 1.2. Switched to 1.1 - problem solved.

I'm doing a fresh install of WG 3.3 tonight for my MajorMUD instance, and then going to read up on how to move a Synchronet install. Without knowing anything else, I wonder if I can install it, and then just copy over the current copy over the fresh install and update the settings to reflect the new location, etc. I'm sure I can find something on the wiki.

Feeling pretty good about this setup - feels like a really good value for $45 and I get the really great performance for these few things I like so all and all, pretty happy.

Special K

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þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Special K wrote to Dumas Walker <=-

I'm doing a fresh install of WG 3.3 tonight for my MajorMUD
instance, and then going to read up on how to move a Synchronet
install. Without knowing anything else, I wonder if I can
install it, and then just copy over the current copy over the
fresh install and update the settings to reflect the new
location, etc. I'm sure I can find something on the wiki.

Yep, it should be pretty easy. Look here: http://wiki.synchro.net/faq:misc#migration

Feeling pretty good about this setup - feels like a really good
value for $45 and I get the really great performance for these
few things I like so all and all, pretty happy.

Cool, good luck!


... Pros are those who do their jobs well, even when they don't feel like it. --- MultiMail/Linux v0.52
þ Synchronet þ Palantir BBS * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL

Re: Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Gamgee to Special K on Fri Oct 18 2019 07:15:00

Yep, it should be pretty easy. Look here: http://wiki.synchro.net/faq:misc#migration

Yep - super easy. Took like 15 minutes including setting up NO-IP for my domain name. DNS is still propulgating but now I'm up in-house and on my own server. Pretty cool feeling. Now to get cracking on customization, menus, and mods.

Special K

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þ Synchronet þ Cyberspace BBS - Pittsburgh, PA - cyberspacebbs.net

Re: BBS Hardware Suggestions
By: Special K to All on Sat Oct 12 2019 01:36 pm

So right now, I host Cyberspace BBS virtually but I want to host natively. Can I get some hardware suggestions for a self-host situation? I was on eBay looking at old servers from Dell (the PowerEdge 1800 / 2900 series) and HP (the HP Proliant ML110 G5 / G6 series).

My ultimate end-game vision for the board that I'm trying to build is the best of all the things that I likeed when I dialed-up way back when. So right now, you can telnet into Cyberspace on port 23 for the "regular" experience with Synchronet, Dove and all the message boards/links/files, and also the classic doors / dos doors / etc. On port 2323, you can telnet into my WG server for the MBBS/WG games like Farwest Trivia, MajorMUD, and others like SoC and Lords of Cyberspace. I also host a TWGS server within the same instance.

I'm running this all on an AWS EC2 instance with 2008 server 32bit. I do have some compatibility issues with some older software and lately I've been running into issues with AWS itself because this system is all virtualized. Moving this all in-house, I think I can eliminate a majority of the problems OS compatibility. I'm thinking I should get a Windows Server 2003 machine as opposed to Server 2008 or Windows 7 or maybe even an XP machine?

I'm really looking to just host this legacy software, but do it with some solid harware behind it.

Thoughts? (and thanks in advance for your time!)

If you also have a site or a recommendation for a person that does these types of builds, please let me know. There are 1 or 2 people on eBay that build these old systems and then there are the 1-off sellers as well.

Thanks!

Special K

Hi, I run my Dove only BBS on a HP Mini PC. i5 processor and 16GB RAM. This device also holds my personal email server and a DNLA server for my sleep music. It is a small box, 6 inches by 6 inches by 1 inch. Just sits in the corner with only power and network cable connected as I RDP to it whenever I need to look at it.

Jeff.

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þ Synchronet þ DoveOnly - casper.homeip.net