Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server • Hacker News Board

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#101

Post by colordrops » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 5:48 PM UTC

vcavallo wrote: post #74

colordrops wrote: post #9

A lot of skepticism in this thread. I've got a pi4 4GB running Ubuntu server, acting as a SMB file server, Plex media server, Mopidy music server, Spotify Connect endpoint, video recorder for my two outdoor IP cameras, and a Minecraft server for my kids, all running simultaneously. And it's not breaking a sweat, not even getting close to full memory or CPU utilization. I do use a USB nvme SSD enclosure for storage to…

What cameras and monitoring software do you use? I’ve been trying to put together a self-hosted surveillance situation to replace this Nest. So far I’ve got a super cheap PoE camera from amazon and Zoneminder. The camera leaves a lot to be desired... and I’m still figuring out Zoneminder

I've tried motioneye and zone minder and they were too complicated or CPU intensive and didn't record audio, so I ended up writing a multiprocess python script with ffmpeg to directly write out raw video data. I've got months of continuous video from two cameras on a 1 TB SSD.

I purchased ieGeek 1080p ip cams, but they were not PoE so I bought adapters. Might be easier to just get PoE cams directly.

Camera: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QW73RJS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8L...

Adapter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LYW6D7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XP...

Here's the script:

https://github.com/erahhal/ipcam-recorder

I added the script as a systemd service that starts up on its own.

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#102

Post by colordrops » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 5:54 PM UTC

bullen wrote: post #66

HeadsUpHigh wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What version of Minecraft do you run on the pi? Bedrock? Java? Or the RPi edition?

You can now run the current Java version, but it's still too slow to be enjoyable... I think if Mojang wanted they could fix the performance as it itermittently is completely playable for long periods: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=2791...

I use the regular one with OptiFine and some jvm tweaks, and decrease the settings for how far out you can see and graphics fidelity and it's playable, though frame rate isn't super high. It's not so slow that it's annoying though.

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#103

Post by Abishek_Muthian » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 5:54 PM UTC

vcavallo wrote: post #83

Abishek_Muthian wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to understand the need gap, how much would you be willing to pay for a RPi nano/ESP camera setup with Motion Eye which allows you to store the data in your own NAS?

$300-$500 ballpark. especially if the pi is usable for other (relatively light) home server uses and the camera network is extensible

Thanks, not sure whether a Pi Nano can handle more than a feed from 1080p/60 camera 24/7 but I'll post the need gap of self hosted IP camera setup in my problem validation platform[1] to find existing solutions and to see if others want it.

[1] https://needgap.com

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#104

Post by novok » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 5:56 PM UTC

justin66 wrote: post #90

novok wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A direct m.2 or sata slot so you don't have to deal with USB annoyances.

Since the Pi people finally got USB boot finished for the Pi 4, I'm not sure what USB annoyances are left to worry about? That's really why I asked the question. A USB 3 SSD seems about as trouble-free as a storage device can possibly be.

You have to do special config stuff to make it work, its not a default way to do things like an SD card or m2 card is on other SBCs. Also usb cables can get disconnected sometimes.

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#105

Post by c0l0 » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 6:01 PM UTC

ratiolat wrote: post #54

I am waiting for AMD based "NUC", because I don't want to give money to Intel. The reason I want a AMD based computer is to run vanilla Debian on it. Vanilla debian does not run on Raspberry unfortunately. Currently I'm running Odroid XU4, but I need more ram and horsepower.

There's plenty of offerings available in pretty much the NUC form factor - maybe check out these lists (esp. if you're based in Europe):

https://geizhals.eu/?cat=sysdiv&xf=450_Nettop~6764_AMD&asuch...

https://geizhals.eu/?cat=barepc&xf=2508_AMD%7E4249_Nettop

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#106

Post by bitwize » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 6:08 PM UTC

colordrops wrote: post #9

A lot of skepticism in this thread. I've got a pi4 4GB running Ubuntu server, acting as a SMB file server, Plex media server, Mopidy music server, Spotify Connect endpoint, video recorder for my two outdoor IP cameras, and a Minecraft server for my kids, all running simultaneously. And it's not breaking a sweat, not even getting close to full memory or CPU utilization. I do use a USB nvme SSD enclosure for storage to…

People used to serve high-traffic Web and FTP sites off a Pentium Pro. Being able to run a home server off a Pi ought to surprise no one.

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#107

Post by bitwize » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 6:11 PM UTC

city41 wrote: post #89

colordrops wrote: post #9

A lot of skepticism in this thread. I've got a pi4 4GB running Ubuntu server, acting as a SMB file server, Plex media server, Mopidy music server, Spotify Connect endpoint, video recorder for my two outdoor IP cameras, and a Minecraft server for my kids, all running simultaneously. And it's not breaking a sweat, not even getting close to full memory or CPU utilization. I do use a USB nvme SSD enclosure for storage to…

I find the pi4 is pretty close to being fast enough to be my daily driver. Not quite, but it's pretty close. I suspect the pi5 will meet my needs. Being able to just mount a ~$100 computer on the back of my monitor and do my work on it will be pretty mind blowing.

You may wish to look into refurbished tiny-form-factor PCs for this purpose. With a relatively powerful x86 CPU it's possible to live this dream today!

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#108

Post by city41 » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 6:16 PM UTC

bitwize wrote: post #107

city41 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find the pi4 is pretty close to being fast enough to be my daily driver. Not quite, but it's pretty close. I suspect the pi5 will meet my needs. Being able to just mount a ~$100 computer on the back of my monitor and do my work on it will be pretty mind blowing.

You may wish to look into refurbished tiny-form-factor PCs for this purpose. With a relatively powerful x86 CPU it's possible to live this dream today!

Oh yeah definitely, I've looked into that as well. And there are some small x86 based maker boards like the Udoo as well. How cheap cpu power and computers in general are getting is more what I'm amazed at.

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#109

Post by magicalhippo » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 6:18 PM UTC

pengaru wrote: post #3

I don't understand why you would bother with this when you can pick up a second-hand Thinkpad for so cheap which brings a builtin UPS and far more performance, RAM, and IO options.

Don't know about Thinkpad, but my previous Asus laptop won't boot unless the monitor is connected.

Most things I use Pi's (Raspberry and other flavors) for are headless.

Sure I could probably fool around with a logic analyzer and try to figure out some way of fooling the motherboard it has a monitor, but meh, Pi's are cheap and easy and just work.

Re: Turning the Raspberry Pi 4 into a Mini Server

#110

Post by bootlooped » Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 6:24 PM UTC

sdflhasjd wrote: post #59

ratiolat wrote: post #54

I am waiting for AMD based "NUC", because I don't want to give money to Intel. The reason I want a AMD based computer is to run vanilla Debian on it. Vanilla debian does not run on Raspberry unfortunately. Currently I'm running Odroid XU4, but I need more ram and horsepower.

Have you seen the Asus PN50? https://www.asus.com/Mini-PCs/Mini-PC-PN50/

The second image on that page is hilariously wrong on scale. The USB port is about as wide as the caps lock key on the keyboard. They're supposed to be touting the small size of the unit and actually made it look bigger. Is it really that hard to just put the thing on a desk and take a real picture of it?