Hello SelfHosted!
I've been a Linux enthusiast since ~2006, but I still have gaps in my knowledge and I would not consider myself a "fully-competent" Linux server admin at this point in time. I have to read a lot and ask a lot of questions to figure out things more knowledgeable users may do in their sleep. I'm gonna call myself "begintermediate".
I'm working on simplifying my storage, backups, and general digital hygiene. I have multiple devices split across two locations and I end up having to use hard drives to periodically move files back over to my main desktop for sorting and archiving. If I want to access older files, I have to copy them from my main storage on the desktop to a hard drive, my NextCloud, or whatever device I want to access them on. I would like to avoid this drudgery by moving my file storage to a NAS (don't really even need access outside the network, though it could be useful if I understood it enough to keep it secure). I also hope to simplify by backups in some way because currently all my devices just back up to a different pair of portable drives one of which I hand-carry offsite.
Requirements:
- 4TB+ storage to start
- Expandability, I don't know how storage needs will change over time, but 32TB seems like a fair upper end before wanting to update the whole system.
- Would like to be able to run a few docker images for things like media server, open project, restyaboard, etc. I'm not sure if it makes sense to do this on the NAS or just get a simple NAS and do this stuff in a VM on my laptop or with a Rasberry Pie.
- I don't particularly want to spend more than $600 to get started, but wouldn't mind having empty bays for later as I currently don't have too much data.
Usage:
- 1-4 TB (someday up to 32TB) of files (docs, books, photos, videos, device backups, configs & code snippets, etc.)
- Video, Photo, Music Access via Android Devices
- Video and Photo access via a media portal (like plex or open media vault)
- Would consider moving nextcloud here (currently on the public cloud) if uplink is fast enough.
- Some sort of access via iDevice would be nice in case I want to give another some storage space.
Questions:
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Does it make sense to mix my uses, i.e. media server, open project, etc. co-existing with file server for my docs and general files. Can I segregate portions for only local access?
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I don't have tons of time to maintain this. Nextcloud hasn't been a pain, I log in here and there and make sure everything is updated (nextcloud and the server) and I run the NextCloud security scan to make sure I get an A+. Does it make sense to go for something like the better Synology NASs that can run docker images or would it provide better affordability/functionality to use a mini-pc or a FBmarketplace/craigslist slim pc hooked up to a drive enclosure or something else frankenstein-y. I don't mind doing basic maintenance, but I can't afford to spend every other weekend rebuilding things.
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I have a dead WD MyBook Live and MyBook Cloud on my shelf. WD never updated them to fix the critical security issues, I missed the 40% off upgrade window, and they're not safe to run with network access. They also sucked even when they were new. I want to avoid products doomed to become dead-end abandonware before I'm ready to upgrade. Are there NAS brands that are known to be better/worse with this? How does homemade NAS fare as far as hardware support and having to upgrade/rebuild when OS versions change.
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Can I purchase/build a simple NAS that I use for storage and serve the files for my media server through a different device like my laptop? Is this better/worse than just streaming from the NAS itself or will I not notice in most cases?
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It sounds like some of the pre-built machines can use drives of different sizes which would allow me to re-use the barely used drives inside of the WD devices. Do any of the self-build solutions allow for this.
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I would LOVE some book/media/community recommendations for digital hygiene and how to handle store, backup, maintain the deluge of information in our modern lives.
All in all, I would appreciate any insight on a solution that gives a good balance between features & configuration, affordability. and maintenance time-investment. I figure a community of enthusiasts is a better place to learn than marketing copy.
Thank you for any help you can provide!
I can't answer all of it, but much of what you're asking for can be accomplished with a simple samba share. If you can handle nextcloud, you can set up samba.
It's perfectly reasonable to use the same device to run your web services and as your NAS. There's no reason you can't divide them up later if you want.
You'll need to pick a file system, I suggest either BTRFS or ZFS though there are several options. BTRFS is neat because it's flexible - you can make huge changes without ever dismounting. You'll want to plan for a multiple-drive solution, and you'll need to decide how you'd like to balance performance, space efficiency, and failure tolerance. Whatever you do, pick one single drive size and stick with it -- different disk sizes xan work, but there are restrictions and they complicate things.
A good backup is automatic, versioned, and encrypted. You preferably want one offsite and one onsite for anything irreplaceable. Restic is a good tool, as is Borg backup, as are many other options. Personally I run a restic job nightly, with backblaze b2 as a destination. I also have a local backup on normally-unplugged drives that I run manually every couple weeks.
For plumbing, tailscale is really nice. Easy to set up, and you get remote access to everything with minimal config and no holes in your firewall.
Regarding hardware, you have many options. Old laptops actually make great homelabs:
Their biggest drawback is a lack expandability/upgradability, though you can get pretty good USB drive bays to partially address that. Another option is the intel NUC family and its competitors, basically tiny desktops built out of laptop parts. A third option is to build a normal desktop PC, either into a normal case or a rack-mount one if you have the space. The off-the-shelf options work, but are limiting in my experience. That said, they're the way to go if you don't want to do a lot of tinkering.
Whichever solution you go with, personally I wouldn't start with any less than 4 drive bays. More is better, you can't have too many. You should be able to shuck your old drives and put them into any 3.5" drive bay.
For reference, my setup is an intel NUC with a thunderbolt 10 drive bay plugged in. I have a mishmash of disks, ~48tb total in BTRFS raid 1giving me 24tb usable. Running a good handful of docker containers and a samba share, all accessible over tailscale.
Sorry for the info dump, happy to answer questions.