I have a favor to ask. I will figure it out no matter what, but thought I might try just asking :)

In your opinion, what's the current best way for a coding amateur (if that) but hardware pro with his own assortment of older Dell Poweredge servers to stand up a really beefy and bulletproof public relay?

Linux skills average at best, but I can install any flavor of OS thats remotely processor type compatible. Too many years in the Microsoft mines...