CPU is NOT a problem here (Score 1)

If all you are going to do is to perform streaming of already encoded MP3s then you will only need an ok Processor, on about Celeron300. You should have quite a bit of RAM tough, depending on the number of listeners. What you REALLY should consider is the BANDWIDHT, as a 30 min. MP3 is approx. 17 MB, and each session will require 17MB/(30min*60sec)=9.7kb/sec If you then get about 100 listeners, this will require about 1 MB/sec, which is ok if you have a good network. Ofcourse you will get into PROBLEMS if you get more listeners. What you could do, depending on the network topology of your university is to place the server, or perhaps a replica of the server in the IT-Department, where most of the dial-up users call, and where the dorms most probaby is connected too. This would make it easier and FASTER.