Servers don’t often want displays, keyboards, or mice. As a result of the consumer solely interacts with servers by separate gadgets below 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 fallacious with the server that requires direct interplay. To assist his dad in these conditions, Abraham Limpo added an LCD interface to his father’s previous 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 supply 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 reveals the file server’s IP tackle, so it’s readable with out having to test the router for that information. And the buttons let Limpo’s father safely shut the system down with out having to SSH in.

An Arduino Nano board displays the buttons and controls the LCD display. It receives data from the file server through a Node app. Limpo mounted these within the ProLiant MicroServer utilizing a 3D-printed body that sits rather than the unused drive bay. The LCD is simply a regular 16×2 character mannequin, however that’s enough for displaying the IP tackle and a bit of bit of additional data.