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No, there is no XServe, Opteron or Itanium-based server here. Nor is this server running a server-flavoured Linux distribuition, even less a Windows server operating system.
You'll be surprised on finding out this site runs totally on a 1993 computer, an Apple Macintosh LCIII, with 20 MB of RAM and a 40 MB SCSI hard drive. More about its specifications here.
Why am I doing this? Well, first of all, this is kind of a home project... I like tinkering with old hardware and software, and I saw on the Internet that I could do something useful with one of my machines - turning it into a web server!
I have several old Macs, but the choice was obvious. Having the "pizza-box" design, the LCIII could fit anywhere: there were times that it was inside a drawer, under a desk, etc...
It also uses little energy to run normally: about 11-15 W (which is even less than those economy light bulbs!). The LCIII only has one fan, which cools the entire system (and the 25 MHz MC68030 doesn't generate a lot of heat, so it's fine).
MacHTTP 2.6 main screen.
Oh, and I forgot one thing: I got it all for free! The LCIII was going to be trashed (and it worked, which was even worse), the operating system (Mac OS 7.5) is available as a free download on Apple's website (check "Links" section), and even the server software (Mac HTTP and Netpresenz) are free!
The cheap 10baseT hub I use to connect the server to the main router.
This is how the server is connected to the Internet:
Server (MacHTTP on port 8080) ==> 10baseT hub (Ethernet) ==> Conceptronic C54APRA router ==> Internet
The server is working *again* without a monitor (headless). There is a cheap 12'' Apple monitor (a bit fuzzy, but it works), only for diagnostic purposes. I have placed the server inside a drawer, as you can see in the picture above.
It boots to the desktop, and automatically starts MacHTTP (for web sharing) and Netpresenz (for FTP access). It also plays recorded sounds such as "server started" and "server is shutting down" for letting me know it booted without issues.
I have a keyboard connected to the server (AZERTY layout, found in a thrift store here in Porto) which I only use to power down the server (Power Key => Return). There is (used to be) a mouse connected, only for scrolling MacHTTP's log files!
I plan on getting more RAM (the expansion slot takes up to 32 MB, totalizing 36 MB of RAM), but it's a bit hard to find it nowadays. Fortunately, a small store here in Maia, Colossus, had a 16 MB SIMM, and they even offered me the memory! Thanks :-). Anyway, you can visit their cool website here.
Any questions or suggestions you may have should be e-mailed to me - you'll find my e-mail address on the "Author" section.
This webpage was completely built with PageSpinner 5.0, from Optima Systems, from my laptop, a 2000 PowerBook G3, running OS X 10.4.10. More information about that machine here. Most of the images you see are photographed by me, with a Nytech (a Lidl brand digital camera), or my mother's Sony Cybershot DSC-S85. The drawings were made on a 2006 iMac Core Duo, with a Wacom Graphire 3 and Rita for OS X.
Last update: August 21st, 2008.