Tony Thomas' Techtrends: My Raspberry Pi Micro Server

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

My Raspberry Pi Micro Server

by Tony Thomas

The Raspberry Pi 2 Model B was introduced the other day. It is reportedly 6 times faster than its predecessor thanks to a quad-core processor. I plan on getting one soon.

However, for the past two years, I have been running a Raspberry Pi model B micro server. It is a headless Pi connected directly to my router and accessible via VNC, SSH and SFTP. That means I can control it easily and get to it from my computers and my iPod Touch and Android devices. And, since it doesn't use very much juice, I keep it running 24/7/365.

I also run a light web server on it (lighttpd) so that I can host a little intranet for testing purposes. In addition, I can add a USB drive for extra storage. It is a really cool way to store work files and to keep my Linux chops fresh.

More information on Raspberry Pi:

RaspberryPi.org

Newark Electronics Raspberry Pi Page

Desktop via VNC

SSH Display

SFTP

What is Techtrends?

A better question might be, who is Tony Thomas and why did he create this web site? Well, I have been a professional writer for more than 30 years. In 1978, I started as audio editor for SCENE Magazine in Cleveland, OH, a post I held at two different times over a two decade period. In the 80s and 90s, my articles and reviews appeared in numerous publications including Scene, Recording, Mix, AV/Video, Roland Users Group, Millimeter, Recording Engineer and Producer, Transoniq Hacker and others. I was also the Technology Expert on the WERE morning show in the early 90s.

In the world of technology, something new is happening every nanosecond. As a writer, one of my biggest frustrations is the length of time it takes for my articles to see the light of day. By the time my work hits the stands, it is often weeks or months out of date. With the emergence of the Internet, there is a unique opportunity to promulgate information instantaneously to a worldwide audience. Because of that, I feel that it is a wonderful forum to impart news, views and reviews of new and emerging technologies with the immediacy that print can never duplicate.

Some of my interests include music, computers, digital audio, photography, graphic design and electronics. Here, I'll attempt to give you the freshest scoop on products and trends that I find enlightening and revolutionary. I hope you enjoy it and welcome your feedback!

Tony Thomas
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Tony Thomas' TechTrends