[kwlug-disc] Small low power server for HomeAssistant

[Ron Singh]

Khalid, this project is very exciting! Would like to have an idea of the
networked devices you plan on using.
I wonder, despite the fact that they are not fanless, would a laptop not
suffice?

See, I have an X220(i5-2540M), set up as a torrent/playback PC that is
never turned off, it is hooked up via a DP/HDMI cable to a TV set and uses
a HID-compliant wireless mini keyboard(with trackpad)

In the BIOS, I have the Intel SpeedStep feature turned off, the power
settings are "battery optimized" and the thermal setting is also for fan
optimized.
Essentially, this 2,4Ghz CPu spends most of it's time at 800-ish Mhz. One
can force it to stick around 800-ish Mhz via TLP, but I have not tried that.
It runs Mint-Cinnamon-18.1, essentially Ubuntu 16.04.1 with the Cinnamon
DE.
With the laptop's screen set at minimum(it is all set up in the basement),
the X220 uses 11 watts idling and 23 watts streaming/playing back 1080P
media.
The X220 has a slow-poke 5400rpm 750G HDD which is set for a 5 min
spin-down when idle.

Would this platform(an i5-equipped X220) or any other i3/i5 laptop be
appropriate for this end-use?
I have looked into fanless PCs in the past, based on mobile Intel chips and
crippled desktop chips, but they are pretty spendy with current models
starting at $400 and still needing RAM and storage.

I have not played yet with this tool:
https://01.org/powertop/downloads/powertop-v2.9
but it looks real promising in its ability to really fine tune some
powersaving features of an Intel platform.




Thanks,

Ron Singh


On Thu, Feb 1, 2018 at 2:40 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:

> Looking into home automation, I settled on Home Assistant
>
> https://home-assistant.io/
>
> This is written in Python, and there is a Raspberry Pi 3 image for it
> already (Hassbian, based on Raspbian, which is Debian derived).
>
> Alternate install methods do work, and I managed to get it up and running
> on a good old AMD server running Ubuntu 16.04 using Python venv.
>
> https://home-assistant.io/docs/installation/virtualenv/
>
> Now, I want it to be permanently hosted on its own lower power server. The
> Raspberry Pi 3 is an option, but I want to make sure I explore other lower
> power servers that run stock Debian or Ubuntu 16.04 (or 18.04 soon). The
> reason is: the rich repository. If you want some package, it is already
> there, and you are not stuck.
>
> So an Intel/AMD server is desirable.
>
> Zotac have some servers that take power from a 12v adapters, and fanless,
> but they will be over $300 and up after one puts a CPU and SSD disk in
> them. An RPi3 is ~ $100 with a case and a microSD card.
>
> There is Beagle Bone Black, and Pine64. There is also Odroid. But all
> these have a very small community and running Debian/Ubuntu on them with a
> rich repository will not be viable in the long run.
>
> So the questions are:
>
> 1. Does anyone here use Home Assistant? Would like to hear your experience
> with it.
>
> 2. What other options are there for low power, low footprint servers that
> run stock Debian/Ubuntu?
>
> --
> Khalid M. Baheyeldin
> 2bits.com, Inc.
> Fast Reliable Drupal
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