The GuruPlug-Server Plus is a small server designed to be plugged directly into a standard mains plug socket. This server allows you to do everything you usually would with a standard sized server while using far less electricity.
The GuruPlug-Server Plus is a full server with a 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of DDR2 RAM and comes with Linux Kernel 2.6.32 embedded on its internal memory. This allows it to function as a regular server, while taking up a fraction of the space. More importantly it draws only a fraction of the power. The server is thought to draw only 5 watts in normal operation, this compares to a regluar computer drawing roughly 175 watts when operated similarly.
Because the server is so small it lacks many features we take as standard, such as hard drive space or a video card. Luckily the server comes with an eSATA2 port, which allows you to connect a high speed external SATA2 hard drive to it. The server also features two Gigabit Ethernet ports to allow wired network connections at a high speed. It also has both Wifi (802.11 b and g) and bluetooth capabilities to provide wireless network connections. The server also comes with two USB 2.0 ports and a MicroSD port, this allows you to add on more peripherals and expand the internal storage capacity of the server.
The GuruPlug-Server Plus provides you with all the basic requirements you could need in a server for home use, while allowing you to expand it as required. As with most Linux servers you access it remotely, but this then limits it to command line operation. It would be suitable for applications such as a file server for a household, a dedicated firewall to improve network security, or you could even use it as the control centre for a Smart House. The server can perform these functions while drawing very little electrical power, thus enabling you to have a server running permanently without the same concerns regarding electrical usage that you would have for a regular computer.