This is the first post in a blog series about my adventures with the odroid (raspberry-like) machine C2. I am planning to dual purpose it as :
- a home media player and
- a server with ssh-apache-tomcat-mysql/postgresql etc
and I am planning on documenting each step of the way!
The background
For many years I have been trying to find a suitable mini server to host my java server pet projects. A server that would be able to run apache + tomcat + postgresql/mysql with ease.
A few years back, I started with turning my desktop PC into a part time server, that run 24/7 and was a server when I was away and a PC when I was at home!
Then I setup an old PC (20GB disk, 1 GB RAM, AMD Athlon 1GHz) as a linux server but it was frightfully noisy and extremely slow. It did not last long!
I was always on the lookout for a new desktop PC configuration but I could not land one that I could be satisfied with, with less than 300 Euros. I needed at least 2GB of RAM, a respectable 2-4 core processor, a good hard disk (if not an ssd) and probably a wireless connection too (so that it can be placed in whichever place inside the house).
It has been more than a year now that I have been exploring a pure cloud solution, but this is a rather expensive solution, as I would have to pay at least 135 Euros/year for a server that would seem to barely satisfy my needs (80 GB disk, 1GB RAM, 3 vCores).
I had been looking at raspberry, but its 1GB of memory made me very reluctant.
The discovery
When I found out that odroid featured 2GB of RAM, I fell in love with it! And I started exploring odroids ever since. From the first moment, C2 stood out for me. It was a 2GB model, compared to C1+ and C0 that features only 1 GB. And it has 4 cores, which are more than enough, compared to the 8-cored XU-4. And its price was fantastic! 40USD!!! It was love at first sight!
Odroid C2 board. Isn't this a beauty?
Then there were the accessories. Odroid's philosophy is that you select the board (which has 4 USB slots!) and then you can extend it the way you like it. It has accessories for wi-fi, gps, weather, IR receiver, touch screen etc. You can transform your odroid from anything ranging from a headless server, to a media player, or even a weather machine!
The first thing I knew that I needed was a casing! I quickly picked up the clear casing!
But the rest of the accessories did not ring any bells! Did I need any of them? I started exploring some of the accessories, and I discovered that I could have either a Linux based or an Android base odroid machine! How cool was that?
The accessories
What cleared my mind regarding the accessories was the device's manual. Not the C2's manual! No such manual! But the C1's manual! Since C1 is very similar to the C2.
Then I came to realize that I needed at least the following for a server setup:
- A casing
The casings. I chose the clear one!
- A power plug!
The power plug (EU style!)
- An eMMC flash card for the OS (which is 3-4 times faster than a microSD). The packet also includes the eMMC reader so that one can be able to burn a new OS from a PC (like swithcing from Linux to android or even
armbian!). Since I like snappy mahines, I could not compromise with a microSD's performance so I quickly chose the eMMC card.
8GB eMMC Module C2 Linux Black
eMMC Module Reader
Since I am planning to dual-purpose my odroid. A server and a media player, so I also picked up the following accessories for the media player setup :
- A USB wifi module (4) with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN module with on-board 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz Dual band antenna. So that odroid can be placed in the living room.
USB wifi module
- And of course no media player can be as respectable without an IR remote control!
IR Remote control
Instead of a conclusion
And the grand total was 108USD !!! I checked out my order and payed with my paypal.
They will be posting it within 7 days and the delivery will take another 7 days. I am expecting it at the end of the month.
I can't wait to get it delivered and unwrap it!
Follow my adventures at the next part of the series :
Until then you can browse through C2 features, prices and accessories
here.
One can find the odroid C1's manual
here.
8/9/2016 follow up :
I got an email today that my odroid is received by EMS. HardKernel is very quick! I am expecting the delivery in about 7 days! I 'll keep you posted!
9/9/2016 follow up :
EMS tracking system shows even the flight number! I found the flight in https://flightaware.com/live/flight/THY91 !!! How cool is that !!!
15/9/2016 follow up :
It arrived today!
It only took 10 days!
