Running ubuntu server on a CubieBoard - Part 1

I am planning to run ubuntu server on a cubieboard based system to be able to build the following.

1. A personal home made NAS.
2. A personal Cloud solution.
3. A personal web server.
4. A personal bug tracking server for my hobby developments.

I will keep posted on all the developments and issues that i encounter here. for the moment i thought the following will be of interest.

P.S. Please see part 2 of this post here for further updates to this story.

The cubieboard has the following specifications.

CPU                1G ARM cortex-A8 processor, NEON, VFPv3, 256KB L2 cache

GPU                Mali400, OpenGL ES GPU

Memory             1GB DDR3 @480MHz

Video             HDMI 1080p Output

Network            10/100M Ethernet, optional WiFi

Internal storage   4GB NAND Flash

IO                 2 x USB Host, 1 x MicroSD slot, 1 x SATA, 1 x IR sensor

Extended int-faces 96 extend pin interface, including I2C, SPI, RGB/LVDS, CSI/TS, FM-IN, ADC, CVBS, VGA, SPDIF-OUT, R-TP, and more

Software           Android, Linux

Power              Requires regulated 5VDC 2A power supply 

                   4.0mm(ext. diameter) x 1.7mm (int. diameter) barrel plug

Why i chose cubieboard

1. ability to connect a SATA hdd.

2. 1 Ghz CPU.

3. 1 GB RAM.

What i found out.

1. For connecting SATA hdd it seems like a 2.5inch (laptop) hdd can connect directly off the power connector from the board. however if we need to connect 3.5inch (desktop) hdd then we need to supply power seperately.

2. Power consumption of the board. based on 5v 2amp requirement the power requirement would be 10 watts. if we calculate the yearly consumption it comes to 87.6581 Kilo Watt Hours.

I ordered my board from here - https://www.miniand.com

I am awaiting the arrival of the board so that i can start working on my ideas. I will keep posting updates on other parts of this blog. Till then goodbye.