Create mini Linux servers using the Odroid C2

[Rob]

If you're into trying out various distributions or enjoy having various Linux 'servers' to ssh into and play around with, then you should get started with single-board computers. They're cheap, robust and fun.

This quick tutorial focuses on the Odroid c2. The features vastly outweigh what's available for the popular Raspberry Pi.

• Faster and cooler than Raspberry Pi 2/3
• Fast IO
• Great for NAS or Media Center
• 2GHz Quad Core Cortex-A53 64 Bit ARMv8
• 2GB DDR3
• Gigabit Ethernet
• HDMI 2.0, 4K60

While you can hook up a monitor to them, I use them a bit differently.

Odroid #1

• Kali Linux
• The main ssh target for my home network from the outside
• Automation: automatically turns on and off several larger servers for Linux.org backups and such.

Odroid #2

• Ubuntu
• Monitoring: Smokeping - nice latency graphs to various servers (Linux.org, etc..)
• Monitoring: Nagios - Most of you are familiar with nagios.. monitoring software for server health. It keeps an eye on my web projects like Linux.org

Odroid #3

• Arch Linux
• Mostly testing - also a local target for smokeping and nagios to help find network issues

Odroid #4

• Ubuntu
• Mostly testing as well as another local target

I also bought cases for mine and am using the micro-usb port for power, although they do have a regular power adapter plug if you like.

Future projects? I have #1 and #2 pretty well set and love what they do. I'll likely keep one for testing various things but am still figuring out what to use #4 for. What are you using your single-boards for?

You can purchase these lots of places, but Amazon seems to have the best shipping/deals on them.

The case shown there is from Ameridroid. They're also available on Amazon.

For more information on the Odroid line, visit the hardkernel site: http://www.hardkernel.com/

List of various distributions you can use: http://odroid.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=en:odroid-c2

Images and graphs:

 

[ryanvade]

Personally, I would go with the Pine64 instead of the C2. About the same specs for half the cost..even if the Arch builds are no longer available.

 

[Sid Boyce]

I have a PINE A64+ and it no way comes close to the performance of the ODROID-C2 of which I have 3 deployed.
It is much quicker than the PINE A64+ just based on specs and it's even quicker if using an eMMC.
The PINE 64 also occupies a much larger footprint which precludes it's use in 3 of my projects where space is at a premium.

BTW - the ODROID-C2's maximum clock speed is 1.54GHz.
Changed from 2.0GHz on the hardkernel website after it was discovered.
A query was raised with Amlogic but nothing has so far been explained.