Hack 35. Build a Skype Server  
Skype needs to be running to place and receive calls. Set up a stripped-down PC to act as a Skype server that will provide 24/7 operation. Works with: Windows and Linux versions of Skype. One irritating feature of Skype is that it must be running on a computer for you to make and receive calls with it. That is, when your computer is off, Skype doesn't work. Moreover, when you run Skype on the computer you use day in and day out, Skype's performance (call quality, reliability, and so forth) can suffer if you are doing other things that rob Skype or otherwise deprive it of the runtime resources it needs. This is particularly true if your day-to-day computer is barely above Skype's minimum hardware requirements. Presumably, sometime in the future we'll see Skype-enabled phones and devices with Skype embedded and running on its own processor; a "plug it in and it'll just work" sort of thing. Until then, you can use this hack, which describes how to build a 'Skype server" that provides 24/7 phone service with a minimum of hassle and fuss. You have two choices when building a Skype server: build one, or convert an old machine you have conveniently at hand. Whichever route you take, there are a number of checkpoints worth addressing first: Are Skype's minimum hardware requirements met? See Table P-1 in this book's Preface for Skype's minimum hardware requirements at the time of this writing. If your hardware isn't up to snuff, do you have parts at hand to bring it up to specification, or can you buy the parts to do so? This essentially reduces you to a choice between upgrading your old machine or building a new machine from scratch. Building a new machine doesn't have to be cost prohibitive, as my Skype server cost a little more than $250, and that included two Skype-to-phone adapters (see Table 3-1). Remember, a Skype server needs no mouse, keyboard, monitor, CD-ROM drive, or floppy driveother than at the time of its configuration. Where are you going to locate your Skype server? Ideally, it should be somewhere with access to power, good ventilation, an Internet connection, your regular phone lines (RJ11 sockets in the U.S.), anddepending on how house-proud you happen to beout of sight. My choice was to install my Skype server in my basement (see Figure 3-14), which is possibly the ideal location, but not necessarily one open to everybody. If your choices are more limited, that's all the more reason to think long and hard about where to put your Skype server once it's built. You should factor in the cost of building and running a Skype server into your savings analysis (see "Back-of-the-Envelope Estimate of Skype Savings" [Hack #13]). Running costs will depend on the machine that you choose to convert to, or build, to run Skype 24/7. An old clunker of a machine may consume so much power that it would be worthwhile building a new machine in the long run. As always, run the numbers and make some decisions.
 | Let's look at the cost of running a Skype server 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Without a monitor and other peripherals to guzzle power, a small modern computer typically consumes between 50W and 100W. If your cost of electricity is $0.10 per kWh, the annual cost of running your Skype server is between $44 and $88. These are just ballpark numbers and you'll no doubt come up with your own, but it does show that the cost of running a Skype server 24/7 is not insignificant. (Cost = power consumed in kWx365 daysx 24 hoursxcost per kWh. 50W is 0.05 kW and 100W is 0.1 kW.) |
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Table 3-1. Typical cost of building a new Skype server from scratch (author's actual costs of building a server)Component | Cost |
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IN-WIN BT610P.180BFU2 Black steel MicroATX computer case 180W power supply | $39.99 | BIOSTAR M7VIG400 Micro ATX motherboard with AMD Duron 800 mobile CPU | $69 | OCZ value series 512MB (2 x 256MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM unbuffered DDR 333 (PC 2700) dual-channel kit system memory | $43.75 | 10GB hard-disk drive (used) | $12.95 | Skype-to-phone USB adapter (two at $43.90 each) | $87.80 | Linux operating system | Free | Total | $253.49 |
Figure 3-14. Skype server to provide 24/7 phone service; server is at the top of the photo, cable modem and wireless router are to the left, and patch board for household phone wires is to the right (the large cabinet for household power distribution in the center of the photo is not part of the Skype server configuration) 
Building and installing a Skype server for your home is fairly easy and requires only a modicum of technical skills. If you can install hardware and software on a computer and are willing to wield a screwdriver and a pair of wire cutters, you already have the skills to do this. Here's a step-by-step guide to getting your Skype server up and running: Order any new hardware you'll need. At a minimum, this will most likely mean that you'll need to order a Skype-to-phone adapter. We'll assume you'll get two adapters to drive two separate telephone lines. Build a new computer, or reconfigure an old computer to meet Skype's hardware requirements. Borrow a CD-ROM, floppy disk, mouse, keyboard, and monitor from another system to configure your Skype server. Install and configure some flavor ("distro") of Linux. For a Skype server you won't need a lot of services that run by default, so trim the list of services started at boot time to only those needed to make Skype work. Also, disable the screensaver (after all, there isn't any screen to 'save") and power standby features, as these may interfere with Skype. Download and install Skype. Create two Skype user accountsfor example, SkypeUser1 and SkypeUser2. Configure Linux to start two instances of Skype at boot time automatically, under two Linux logon namessay, SkypeLinux1 and SkypeLinux2. Configure the settings for Skype; for example, for 24/7 operation you may want to have your Skype status as permanently "Online." Setting up Linux to run multiple instances of Skype is somewhat involved. To keep this hack to a manageable length, I provide the details in a technical note available from this book's web site, http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/SkypeHacks/index.html. Connect your Skype-to-phone adapters to USB ports on your Skype server and install any necessary software. Have SkypeUser1 use one USB adapter and SkypeUser2 use the other as its sound-in and sound-out device. Connect regular phone handsets and test Skype on both adapters. Sign up your new Skype accounts for SkypeIn and SkypeOut service as needed. If you already have Skype accounts configured and ready to go, simply move these to the Skype server (in which case, change the Linux and Skype usernames as appropriate). Cancel your regular phone service. Cut your incoming phone lines. Connect the adapters to your home phone lines via the RJ11 sockets in your wall (in the U.S.; other countries use different socket types). Test Skype again using phones plugged in throughout your house. Remove the borrowed CD-ROM, floppy drive, mouse, keyboard, and monitor and move the server to its new location. Plug in all the cables and connectors, and then power it on. Test Skype once more. If all has gone well, you now have 24/7 phone service on two phone linesall provided by Skype. You'll never receive a phone bill from your regular phone company againnow ain't that something!
Incidentally, the preceding step-by-step guide is not some theoretical musing on how to set up and configure a Skype server. Quite the contrary, it's the procedure I used to replace my existing home phone system completely with Skype (see Figure 3-15). 3.12.1. Hacking the Hack For those readers who are security conscious and don't trust Skype yet, building a Skype server has an added advantage. By placing the Skype server on your Internet connection outside your firewall, you gain the piece of mind that should a hacker break into your server or compromise Skype somehow, as the server interfaces with nothing more than copper phone lines beyond the firewall, any damage will necessarily be contained and limited to the Skype server outside the firewall. The worst case is that you'll need to do a reinstall on your Skype serverand, perhaps, a better job of locking it down from a security point of view so that it can protect itself. Indeed, if your firewall is sufficiently restrictive that Skype won't work on the inside, placing your Skype server outside your firewall is the only way in which you can take advantage of Skype's phone services. |
