Including an LCD interface to an outdated file server

Servers don’t often want screens, keyboards, or mice. As a result of the consumer solely interacts with servers by means of separate units underneath regular situations, a server can simply be a field with with a processor, RAM, storage, and community adapter. However that turns into a problem if one thing is improper with the server that requires direct interplay. To assist his dad in these conditions, Abraham Limpo added an LCD interface to his father’s outdated file server.

Limpo’s father owns an HP ProLiant MicroServer that he makes use of as a file server. Its solely actual job is to offer storage that’s accessible over a community and/or the web. It was a easy black field, however Limpo upgraded it to make it extra usable. He put in an interface that features an LCD display and a few buttons. The LCD exhibits the file server’s IP deal with, so it’s readable with out having to test the router for that data. And the buttons let Limpo’s father safely shut the system down with out having to SSH in.

An Arduino Nano board screens the buttons and controls the LCD display. It receives data from the file server by way of a Node app. Limpo mounted these within the ProLiant MicroServer utilizing a 3D-printed body that sits instead of the unused drive bay. The LCD is simply an ordinary 16×2 character mannequin, however that’s ample for displaying the IP deal with and somewhat bit of additional data.