$100 Squeezebox Server – Can it be done?
I have always been intrigued with getting some sort of networked music playing system in my house. Sonos looked great, but it was always too pricey. I really liked the open source DIY nature of Squeezebox Players and Squeezebox Server, but I figured that building a server in addition to buying all of the players would be too pricey. The Logitech Squeezebox Radio was recently announced, however, and I REALLY wanted it. So… I ordered it. 
. I am on a mission to build a Squeezebox Server for $100 or less. I’m going to be doing a few posts about the parts I chose, how I’m configuring everything, and whether or not I’m successful or not. I think there’s a chance I may have to buy more expensive hardware, but I’m doing my best to get this done for less than $100! Read on to see my parts list and how I’m thinking i can configure this thing up…
Main Server PC: HP T5530 Thin Client PC
OS Drive: 1GB USB flash drive
Music Drive: 64GB USB flash drive
OS: Debian Linux
I paid $49.99 with free shipping for the T5530 on eBay. The 64GB USB flash drive was $35 after shipping (also eBay). The 1GB drive was $4 after shipping on eBay. That brings the final server costs up to $88.99. So if this thing works, I’ll be successful in my goal of creating a Squeezebox Server for under $100. I do have some doubts, though.
For one, the HP Thin Client only has an 800mhz Via Eden CPU and 128MB of RAM. Neither of those are upgradable components. I’m quite concerned this won’t be enough horse power to get the squeezecenter going successfully. I don’t even know if the T5530 can boot off a USB disk, to be honest. I can’t seem to find very good documentation about this model so I figure I’ll just give it a shot and report my findings here.
For the OS, I want to use Debian barebones. I’m going to only install the absolutely necessary packages in hopes of keeping the memory usage footprint as low as possible. If I don’t succeed rolling my own install with Debian, I’ll give FreeNAS or Vortexbox a shot. I’m going to write a script that rsyncs my music on my macbook pro with the 64GB flash drive, and I’ll hopefully have the 64GB flash drive be the location that the Squeezecenter Server streams from. Wish me luck! I’ll post updates as they come!
UPDATE on 11/20/2009: I’ve built the server. It works for sure. There are pros, cons, issues, etc – I will list them all out in a future post! However, I will be building a new server on the Sheevaplug device! Already ordered it!
Nice solution. But you may install SlimServer on your router or NAS. In that case you shouldn’t have separate PC to play your music.
@Michael
Slimserver is the old version of Squeezebox Server. There are a limited amount of NAS devices that Squeezebox Server can be installed on, but you actually can’t install it on your router. I don’t believe you can find a NAS, including space for your music, that can run Squeezebox Server for under $100. Please let me know if you find one!
@Kevin Hanson
And you don’t need to run additional device in your house (I’m not sure about you but I have NAS, so for me it’s better to utilise it).
Well, you can install Squeezecenter on D-Link DNS-323. Sure it’s more expensive but the storage is also much bigger
Regarding the router. Again, you’re wrong
Here is a manual about installation SlimServer on Asus WL500g. Even SlimServer offers limited functionality it should be enough in 99%.