I'd like some advice and any thoughts you might have on the following.
I'm interested in installing a network in a house I've recently purchased. I devlop software for a living, so I have a fair amount of servers/workstations piled up in my 'office' which I would like to remove to an unobtrusive location. I would also like the system to handle the telephones so I can put a handset wherever there is a RJ45 socket.
If I am going to the expense of installing this network, I am contemplating installing a system that will also allow me to distribute AV content to any of the rooms in the house. Primarily this will be digital data (MP3/DivX/XViD/MSK) held on my NAS, but the ability to control/distribute raw DVD/Digital TV/Radio would also be required.
My question is this - I know there are various 'home' systems that allow you to do all of the above (Abitana, LexCom, Nexus, IPHome etc), but they all seem to use either proprietry cabling, multiple cable types or use non standard enclosure systems. The servers are going to be stored in a standard x-U rack and I don't want to have to install a system for IT and a separate system for AV. Are there any non-corporate (i.e. won't cost me more than my house :? ) components out there that will allow me to do this using an industry standard rack? Does anyone make conversion kits that allow 'home' components to be rack mounted?
To be honest, I also dislike the idea of being tied to a single vendor - I prefer the idea of being able to add components as and when I want them. When my Compaq server died, I replaced it with a Dell and I knew that it would fit into the rack without any hassle. I don't believe I can say the same about parts made by IPHome and Abitana.
I'm interested in installing a network in a house I've recently purchased. I devlop software for a living, so I have a fair amount of servers/workstations piled up in my 'office' which I would like to remove to an unobtrusive location. I would also like the system to handle the telephones so I can put a handset wherever there is a RJ45 socket.
If I am going to the expense of installing this network, I am contemplating installing a system that will also allow me to distribute AV content to any of the rooms in the house. Primarily this will be digital data (MP3/DivX/XViD/MSK) held on my NAS, but the ability to control/distribute raw DVD/Digital TV/Radio would also be required.
My question is this - I know there are various 'home' systems that allow you to do all of the above (Abitana, LexCom, Nexus, IPHome etc), but they all seem to use either proprietry cabling, multiple cable types or use non standard enclosure systems. The servers are going to be stored in a standard x-U rack and I don't want to have to install a system for IT and a separate system for AV. Are there any non-corporate (i.e. won't cost me more than my house :? ) components out there that will allow me to do this using an industry standard rack? Does anyone make conversion kits that allow 'home' components to be rack mounted?
To be honest, I also dislike the idea of being tied to a single vendor - I prefer the idea of being able to add components as and when I want them. When my Compaq server died, I replaced it with a Dell and I knew that it would fit into the rack without any hassle. I don't believe I can say the same about parts made by IPHome and Abitana.
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