The History of Himiko Server

The beginnings of my HimikoServer is a strange one. It started out as a simple need to learn linux, evolving to become a need to host my university projects.. and then becoming a full blown server and storage, becoming the core of my network.

Total images: 14

Himiko Server 1 (1999)

• Pentium 90
• 32MB RAM
• 3.2GB HDD

Himiko Server 2 (2001)

• Pentium 166
• 64MB RAM
• 20GB HDD
• 20GB HDD added

Himiko Server 3 (????)

• Pentium III Slot-1 type mother board at 433MHz
• I lost track of the HDD upgrades along the way, but the core CPU remained the same
• ATA66 card replaced with ATA133

Himiko Server 4 (2004)

• A New Harddisk swapped into Himiko Data partition now sits at 120GB. It was a 60GB LVMed disk.
• Many more HDD replaced and swapped around within this year
• I believe i also swapped the casing to a aluminium casing at about this time

Himiko Server 5 (Sept 2004)

• Server died for 20 hours due to a bad motherboard
• ATA133 card died and downgraded back to ATA66
• Upgraded to 768MB RAM
• 733Mhz CPU
• 10G primary HDD
• 120G sec HDD
• 120G backup HDD
• 1 CDROM
• 1 CDRW
• 1 UPS (Loaned)
• 32MB Nvidia card
• 100MBps network card
• Onboard Sound

Himiko Server 5 Upgrade (2005)

• Bought UPS
• TVCard inserted
• Upgraded IDE cables

Himiko Server 6 (April 2006)

• Upgraded to a RAID system with a 3ware card
• RAID5 with 5 x 250GB Drives
• RAID1 with 2 x 120GB Drives
• Chained PSU configuration utilizing 2 aluminium casings
• Removed TVCard
• Removed CDROM
• Cork lining applied to casing to lower noise
• Upgraded CPU fan to server class fan

Himiko Server 6 Upgrade (Dec 2006)

• Tested GE card based on realtek 8169 and found that it isn't good
• Upgraded to Gigabit Ethernet Card using Broadcom chipset

Himiko Server 6 Infrastructure Upgrade (Oct 2007)

• I finally decided that my faithful WRT54G is no longer able to catch up with my hefty network demands. It decided to just quit working one day and i replaced it without trouble shooting. The entire routing backbone now runs on a GE based router using DD-WRT mini on a WRT350N. The first wireless network is now able to support 802.11n.
• The 7dB antennas used originally on the WRT54G is migrated to wireless AP in the living room giving it reach to the entire house.
• A 250GB USB based Time Machine backup drive has been added into the entire connectivity. This would provide seamless backup once the laptop arrives on the desk and plugs into the infrastructure.

Himiko Server 7 Machine, Storage and network Upgrade and Transition (Dec 2008)

• This is a full transition and upgrade moving from a PC form factor box into a small form factor Mac Mini
• Full transition from Linux into OSX Leopard Server
• Transited storage from 3Ware RAID card into ONNTO DataTale RAID 5 storage with Firewire 400 connectivity.
• Himiko now spots a 1.5GHz Intel Core solo with 2GB Ram 500GB Internal HDD DVD Superdrive and a RAID5 6TB Storage

Comments: It is a sad day indeed when the original concept of Himiko being a "put together box" of old parts (only buying accessories) turns into a beautiful collection of new hardware. The old machine having served me well for almost 3 years with only one unscheduled shutdown, in a day an age where the Gigahertz race reigns supreme. Himiko is really a testimony to the fact that older hardware last longer.

The Linux that was installed (Fedora Core 2), compared to the current (Fedora Core 10), is also proof that even old linux installations can last. The final cleanup of the old Himiko also ends my days as a Linux admin at home, to become a UNIX admin running OS X Server. The transition was tough, with me wishing i was still working on a Linux machine especially when things didn't work the way it is supposed to. But what needs to be done, need to be done.. and fast.

This day also marks the end of my Linksys 10/100Mbps switch as the core network switch and the beginning of a new era using Corega as the main GE backbone. It is indeed disappointing that the Linksys GE model didn't really cut it. But the corega definitely performed well. So no regrets there. Granted that none of the things i transited to was spanking recent, the spirit of Himiko lives on.

See all the pictures of this final transistion here. The final pictures of Himiko Server 7 is also available in the attachments, together with some photos of the recabling process. For full transition notes, please look here.

Himiko Server 7 Time Machine addition (Dec 2008)

• Added m9 Mini Pod for Time machine of the main server OS. Also serves as a FW Hub

Himiko Server 7 Performance Tuning (Jan 2009)

• Dynamic Firewall Setup
• Tuned Apache - http://virtualthreads.blogspot.com/2006/01/tuning-apache-part-1.html
• Tuned for DDOS - http://www.eth0.us/ddos
• Kernel tuning for DDOS - http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2004/06/24/anti_dos.html
• mod_evasive Installed - http://www.v-nessa.net/2007/03/18/preventing-dos-attacks-with-mod_evasive
• Further Apache Tuning - http://perishablepress.com/press/2006/01/10/stupid-htaccess-tricks/

Himiko Server 7 Integration with AppleTV (Mar 2009)

• My XBOX finally died after 6 years. Bought AppleTV as a replacement to integrate into the environment.

Himiko Server 8 Upgraded to Dual-Core Mac Mini (July 2009)

• This is actually a server migration. I considered keeping this as Server 7 but finally decided that it isn't fair as all previous versions of himiko came with hardware upgrades. Especially in the CPU space. However, as the Server 7 and Server 8 only had CPU differences. The migration was rather smooth.
• Added a new M9 with equal internal space to the mac mini for better backups.
• Thermal strips added for heat display

Himiko Server 8 Network Upgrade (August 2009)

• Corega blew a fuse. Changed it to SD2008 Linksys Revision 3.0.
• Removed APC Master switch (didn't use it that often)
• Power and surge protected network and modem equipment