<s>
A	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
is	O
a	O
computing	B-Application
server	I-Application
located	O
in	O
a	O
private	O
computing	B-Application
residence	O
providing	O
services	O
to	O
other	O
devices	O
inside	O
or	O
outside	O
the	O
household	O
through	O
a	O
home	O
network	O
or	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
services	O
may	O
include	O
file	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
printer	I-General_Concept
serving	I-General_Concept
,	O
media	O
center	O
serving	O
,	O
home	O
automation	O
control	O
,	O
web	B-Application
serving	I-Application
(	O
on	O
the	O
network	O
or	O
Internet	O
)	O
,	O
web	B-Protocol
caching	I-Protocol
,	O
file	O
sharing	O
and	O
synchronization	O
,	O
video	O
surveillance	O
and	O
digital	B-Application
video	I-Application
recorder	I-Application
,	O
calendar	B-Application
and	O
contact	O
sharing	O
and	O
synchronization	O
,	O
account	O
authentication	O
,	O
and	O
backup	B-Protocol
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
recent	O
times	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
become	O
very	O
common	O
to	O
run	O
literally	O
hundreds	O
of	O
applications	O
as	O
containers	O
,	O
isolated	O
from	O
the	O
host	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
relatively	O
low	O
number	O
of	O
computers	O
on	O
a	O
typical	O
home	O
network	O
,	O
a	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
commonly	O
does	O
not	O
require	O
significant	O
computing	B-Application
power	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
can	O
be	O
implemented	O
do-it-yourself	O
style	O
with	O
a	O
re-purposed	O
,	O
older	O
computer	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
plug	B-General_Concept
computer	I-General_Concept
;	O
pre-configured	O
commercial	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
appliances	O
are	O
also	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
often	O
run	O
headless	B-Application
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
administered	O
remotely	O
through	O
a	O
command	O
shell	O
,	O
or	O
graphically	O
through	O
a	O
remote	B-Protocol
desktop	I-Protocol
system	O
such	O
as	O
RDP	B-Protocol
,	O
VNC	B-Protocol
,	O
Webmin	B-Application
,	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Remote	I-Operating_System
Desktop	I-Operating_System
,	O
or	O
many	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
(	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
Home	I-Application
Server	I-Application
)	O
include	O
a	O
consumer-focused	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
for	O
setup	O
and	O
configuration	O
that	O
is	O
available	O
on	O
home	O
computers	O
on	O
the	O
home	O
network	O
(	O
and	O
remotely	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
via	O
remote	O
access	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
simply	O
enable	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
native	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
tools	O
for	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
often	O
act	O
as	O
network-attached	B-Application
storage	I-Application
(	O
NAS	B-Application
)	O
providing	O
the	O
major	O
benefit	O
that	O
all	O
users	O
 '	O
files	O
can	O
be	O
centrally	O
and	O
securely	O
stored	O
,	O
with	O
flexible	O
permissions	O
applied	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Servers	O
running	O
Unix	B-Application
or	O
Linux	B-Application
with	O
the	O
free	O
Samba	B-Language
suite	I-Language
(	O
or	O
certain	O
Windows	O
Server	O
products	O
-	O
Windows	B-Application
Home	I-Application
Server	I-Application
excluded	O
)	O
can	O
provide	O
domain	O
control	O
,	O
custom	O
logon	O
scripts	O
,	O
and	O
roaming	B-General_Concept
profiles	I-General_Concept
to	O
users	O
of	O
certain	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
are	O
often	O
used	O
to	O
serve	O
multi-media	O
content	O
,	O
including	O
photos	O
,	O
music	O
,	O
and	O
video	O
to	O
other	O
devices	O
in	O
the	O
household	O
(	O
and	O
even	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
;	O
see	O
Space	B-Device
shifting	I-Device
,	O
Tonido	B-Application
and	O
Orb	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
standard	O
protocols	O
such	O
as	O
DLNA	O
or	O
proprietary	O
systems	O
such	O
as	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
,	O
users	O
can	O
access	O
their	O
media	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
from	O
any	O
room	O
in	O
the	O
house	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Media	I-Application
Center	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
can	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
,	O
supporting	O
a	O
particular	O
type	O
of	O
media	O
serving	O
that	O
streams	O
the	O
interactive	O
user	O
experience	O
to	O
Media	O
Center	O
Extenders	O
including	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Home	I-Application
Server	I-Application
supports	O
media	O
streaming	O
to	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
other	O
DLNA-based	O
media	O
receivers	O
via	O
the	O
built-in	O
Windows	B-Application
Media	I-Application
Connect	I-Application
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
Windows	B-Application
Home	I-Application
Server	I-Application
device	O
manufacturers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
HP	O
,	O
extend	O
this	O
functionality	O
with	O
a	O
full	O
DLNA	O
implementation	O
such	O
as	O
PacketVideo	O
TwonkyMedia	B-Application
server	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
many	O
open-source	O
and	O
fully	O
functional	O
programs	O
for	O
media	O
serving	O
available	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
LinuxMCE	B-Application
is	O
one	O
example	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
other	O
devices	O
to	O
boot	O
off	O
a	O
hard	O
drive	O
image	O
on	O
the	O
server	O
,	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
become	O
appliances	O
such	O
as	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Asterisk	B-Language
,	O
Xine	O
,	O
MythTV	B-Application
(	O
another	O
media	O
serving	O
solution	O
)	O
,	O
VideoLAN	B-Application
,	O
SlimServer	B-Language
,	O
DLNA	O
,	O
and	O
many	O
other	O
open-source	O
projects	O
are	O
fully	O
integrated	O
for	O
a	O
seamless	O
home	O
theater/automation/telephony	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
an	O
Apple	O
Macintosh	B-Device
server	O
,	O
options	O
include	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
,	O
PS3	B-Application
Media	I-Application
Server	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Elgato	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
for	O
Macs	O
directly	O
connected	O
to	O
TVs	O
,	O
Boxee	B-Device
can	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
full-featured	O
media	O
center	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
provide	O
remote	O
access	O
to	O
media	O
and	O
entertainment	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
provide	O
remote	O
access	O
into	O
the	O
home	O
from	O
devices	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
using	O
remote	B-Protocol
desktop	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
and	O
other	O
remote	B-Protocol
administration	I-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Home	I-Application
Server	I-Application
provides	O
remote	O
access	O
to	O
files	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
via	O
a	O
web	O
interface	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
remote	O
access	O
to	O
Remote	B-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
sessions	O
on	O
PCs	O
in	O
the	O
house	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Tonido	B-Application
provides	O
direct	O
access	O
via	O
a	O
web	O
browser	O
from	O
the	O
Internet	O
without	O
requiring	O
any	O
port	O
forwarding	O
or	O
other	O
setup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
enthusiasts	O
often	O
use	O
VPN	B-Application
technologies	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
a	O
Linux	B-Application
server	O
,	O
two	O
popular	O
tools	O
are	O
(	O
among	O
many	O
)	O
VNC	B-Protocol
and	O
Webmin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
VNC	B-Protocol
allows	O
clients	O
to	O
remotely	O
view	O
a	O
server	O
GUI	B-Application
desktop	O
as	O
if	O
the	O
user	O
was	O
physically	O
sitting	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
the	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
GUI	B-Application
need	O
not	O
be	O
running	O
on	O
the	O
server	O
console	O
for	O
this	O
to	O
occur	O
;	O
there	O
can	O
be	O
multiple	O
'	O
virtual	O
 '	O
desktop	O
environments	O
open	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webmin	B-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
control	O
many	O
aspects	O
of	O
server	O
configuration	O
and	O
maintenance	O
all	O
from	O
a	O
simple	O
web	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Servers	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
accessed	O
remotely	O
using	O
the	O
command	O
line-based	O
Telnet	B-Protocol
and	O
SSH	B-Protocol
protocols	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
users	O
choose	O
to	O
run	O
a	O
web	B-Application
server	I-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
share	O
files	O
easily	O
and	O
publicly	O
(	O
or	O
privately	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
home	O
network	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sometimes	O
these	O
web	B-Application
servers	I-Application
are	O
run	O
on	O
a	O
nonstandard	O
port	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
ISP	O
's	O
port	O
blocking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Example	O
web	B-Application
servers	I-Application
used	O
on	O
home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
include	O
Apache	B-Application
and	O
IIS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
also	O
run	O
e-mail	O
servers	O
that	O
handle	O
e-mail	O
for	O
the	O
owner	O
's	O
domain	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
are	O
ideal	O
for	O
utilizing	O
the	O
BitTorrent	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
for	O
downloading	O
and	O
seeding	O
files	O
as	O
some	O
torrents	B-Protocol
can	O
take	O
days	O
,	O
or	O
even	O
weeks	O
to	O
complete	O
and	O
perform	O
better	O
on	O
an	O
uninterrupted	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
many	O
text	O
based	O
clients	O
such	O
as	O
rTorrent	B-Language
and	O
web-based	O
ones	O
such	O
as	O
TorrentFlux	O
and	O
Tonido	B-Application
available	O
for	O
this	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BitTorrent	B-Protocol
also	O
makes	O
it	O
easier	O
for	O
those	O
with	O
limited	O
bandwidth	O
to	O
distribute	O
large	O
files	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
unusual	O
service	O
is	O
the	O
Gopher	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
hypertext	O
document	O
retrieval	O
protocol	O
which	O
pre-dated	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
and	O
was	O
popular	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
remaining	O
gopher	B-Protocol
servers	O
are	O
run	O
off	O
home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
utilizing	O
PyGopherd	O
and	O
the	O
Bucktooth	O
gopher	B-Protocol
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Often	O
such	O
home	O
automation	O
controllers	O
are	O
run	O
on	O
a	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Relatively	O
low	O
cost	O
CCTV	O
DVR	B-Application
solutions	O
are	O
available	O
that	O
allow	O
recording	O
of	O
video	O
cameras	O
to	O
a	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
for	O
security	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
series	O
of	O
cheap	O
USB-based	O
webcams	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
home	B-Application
server	I-Application
as	O
a	O
makeshift	O
CCTV	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
can	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
host	O
to	O
family-oriented	O
applications	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
family	O
calendar	B-Application
,	O
to-do	O
lists	O
,	O
and	O
message	O
boards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Textual	O
clients	O
such	O
as	O
Irssi	B-Protocol
and	O
tmsnc	O
can	O
be	O
detached	O
using	O
GNU	B-Application
Screen	I-Application
for	O
example	O
,	O
and	O
graphical	O
clients	O
such	O
as	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
detached	O
using	O
xmove	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Quassel	B-Language
provides	O
a	O
specific	O
version	O
for	O
this	O
kind	O
of	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
run	O
personal	O
XMPP	B-Protocol
servers	O
and	O
IRC	O
servers	O
as	O
these	O
protocols	O
can	O
support	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
on	O
very	O
little	O
bandwidth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Continuum	O
,	O
Tremulous	B-Application
,	O
Minecraft	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Doom	B-Application
have	O
server	B-Application
software	I-Application
available	O
which	O
users	O
may	O
download	O
and	O
use	O
to	O
run	O
their	O
own	O
private	O
game	B-Application
server	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
are	O
open	O
for	O
public	O
use	O
and	O
may	O
move	O
to	O
colocation	B-Application
or	O
other	O
forms	O
of	O
paid	O
hosting	O
if	O
they	O
gain	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
host	O
distributed	O
federated	O
social	O
networks	O
like	O
diaspora*	O
and	O
GNU	B-Protocol
Social	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Federation	O
protocols	O
like	O
ActivityPub	B-Operating_System
allow	O
many	O
small	O
home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
to	O
interact	O
in	O
a	O
meaningful	O
way	O
and	O
give	O
the	O
perception	O
of	O
being	O
on	O
a	O
large	O
traditional	O
social	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
often	O
are	O
platforms	O
that	O
enable	O
third-party	O
products	O
to	O
be	O
built	O
and	O
added	O
over	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Home	I-Application
Server	I-Application
provides	O
a	O
Software	O
Development	O
Kit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Tonido	B-Application
provides	O
an	O
application	O
platform	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
extended	O
by	O
writing	O
new	O
applications	O
using	O
their	O
SDK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
run	O
many	O
different	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enthusiasts	O
who	O
build	O
their	O
own	O
home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
can	O
use	O
whatever	O
OS	O
is	O
conveniently	O
available	O
or	O
familiar	O
to	O
them	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
BSD	B-Operating_System
,	O
Solaris	B-Application
or	O
Plan	B-Operating_System
9	I-Operating_System
from	I-Operating_System
Bell	I-Operating_System
Labs	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Single-board	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
increasingly	O
being	O
used	O
to	O
power	O
home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
,	O
with	O
many	O
of	O
them	O
being	O
ARM	B-Architecture
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Old	O
desktop	O
and	O
laptop	O
computers	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
re-purposed	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
home	B-Application
servers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mobile	O
phones	O
are	O
typically	O
just	O
as	O
powerful	O
as	O
ARM-based	O
single	B-Device
board	I-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
mobile	O
phones	O
can	O
run	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
self-hosting	O
might	O
move	O
to	O
mobile	O
devices	O
with	O
each	O
person	O
's	O
data	O
and	O
services	O
being	O
served	O
from	O
their	O
own	O
mobile	O
phone	O
.	O
</s>
