I think my old (almost 5 years!) PC server is nearing the end of it’s useful life.
I am seeing lots of signal 11 errors (generally hardware-related, specifically memory) under load, and for some reason, my parallel port (stop snickering) disappeared. Printing wouldn’t work and reinstalling the printer through CUPS was a non-starter without the parallel port. For some reason, it went into such a deep state of rest that it couldn’t be roused: the only way to restore it was to make sure the printer was on and awake (it’s an old HP1100 that doesn’t have an on/off switch) and then reboot.
Once everyone had been re-introduced, everything was fine.
But I’m still thinking things are not going to get any better. Might be time to look into something more robust and take advantage of Moore’s Law at the same time. Looking at PriceWatch.com, I can get a whole lot of system for $300-400.
At the same time, I have been giving some thought to the home-brew PVR/MythTV: I’m not sure I have a use for one but I suspect if I had one, I might find uses for it. I suspect combining the two of these is not a great idea . . .