I'm tired of constantly juggling multiple Gmail accounts just to keep my photos backed up on Google Drive. I'm looking to take control of my digital life and build a home server for photo backup and potentially even a personal cloud storage solution.

I'm thinking of using a Raspberry Pi and a 1TB HDD. Does the HDD need to be a specific NAS drive, or can I use a regular one? I'm also considering adding a redundancy drive later if the budget allows.

I'm a complete newbie to this, so any advice on the following would be greatly appreciated:

• Software: What are some good options for file syncing and sharing, photo management, and general server management?
• Hardware: Are there any specific hardware recommendations or considerations for a home server setup like this?
• Access: How to setup auto backup just like Google photos and access from anywhere to multiple devices.
• Security: What are some essential security measures I should implement to protect my data?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hi, I have a Ubuntu PC with samba, pivpn and pihole (in docker container) on Ubuntu and I am ok with it so far. The samba server is saving data on an external HDD (no Raid, but data is backed up to google).

Now, I want to explore other options and I am just learning about Proxmox. I have about 2.5TB of data and about 0.5TB/year. I plan to get 2x6TB HDDs and do a Raid1, or just have rsync to mirror the first drive.

1. If I use Proxmox + Truenas, would I be able to easily backup all the settings that make Truenas work simply - something like a configuation that can be backed up?

2. Can I run one Ubuntu VM and Truenas VM on a 16GB RAM?

3. Is there a way to easily attach a USB HDD to a Proxmox machine (for Ubuntu?). If the PC gets 192.168.1.150 as the IP, how are the other two VMs addressed?

Thanks.

Hi, I have an Ubuntu PC with Samba and USB HDD. I have photosync on my phone that uploads the pictures periodically. Is there a way to know if the USB hdd is spinning all the time or only when I am uploading?

hello!

i dont know if i am in the right subreddit, but i hope i am.

so i just bought a mini pc and I'm completely new in self hosting, home lab, linux stuff. but i am so curious and just wanna try it out.

my goal with this "machine" is to host some game servers if needed and link them with a domain and protect with cloudflare. on the otherside i want to use nextcloud in a container only locally. maybe host a webside to.

I'm looking up videos on youtube like a thousends. And its rly overwhelming. I hosted gameserver in the past with my old machine, just with ubuntu server and lgsm opening ports thats it, but now i wanna do it right.

so what i got is a domain, my mini pc, which will be my server and lots of time.

i want to run this server on ubuntu 24.04.1. I saw videos about protainer and pterodactyl. I dont know if i can use both. I rly need help to set it up right step by step almost.

i thought i will run pterodactyl and wings on the same machine and using cloudflare to protect it. but what i am going to do with nextcloud ( i wanna try this out). can i run it as an container. is it separated from my gameservers if its in an container and im just using it offline only on my local network.

so in the end

mini pc ~> hosting gameservers (pterodactyl) exposted to the internet ~> how to protect ~> at the same time using something like nextcloud in a container locally or if its possible to make it separate open too.

how would u start to set up this server. I am totally new in this stuff. total newbie.

pls help me haha

Hi All,

I've currently running a 15 year old HP N54L nas which has served me well. It's starting to reach it's limits with new apps on Unraid and I'm looking for a cheap upgrade.

Would my best option to buy a NUC or a Mini ITX case (like the SilverStone CS351)? I don't want a server rack or anything fancy as it'll be sitting on a table in my second living room.

What CPU, Mobo and RAM would you recommend?

I used ChatGPT to throw this build together for me, any suggestions?

https://preview.redd.it/vqywr7oajeyd1.png?width=722&format=png&auto=webp&s=f3b091ebcd24ee5e9cae2a0ee95125393c37eb96

Thanks!

I have an AMD motherboard that supports 4x4x4x4 bifurcation and am looking for a PCIe x16 4.0 (or 5.0) low profile quad adapter for NVMe m.2 drives.

This one looks like it ticks all the boxes:

http://www.linkreal.com.cn/en/products/LRNV95NFL.html

https://preview.redd.it/dl73ey46fbyd1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=874676739f63ed4f27cd2e43f4d5d0102f2fdc5e

but I see on their AliExpress pages, it's variously described as a PCIe 3.0 adapter here:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003877778925.html

and a PCIe 5.0 adapter here:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007765398565.html

Has anyone tried this board out with PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives? Or at all?

Hi all,

Doing a video for my YT and I was wondering if you could send a pic of your homelab for me to review? It would be great to see other homelabs that aren’t mine!

Not sure who needs to know this, but Newegg has the EPYC 4464P & 4564P back in stock. I've been steadily checking for the past month and it's been out of stock "Due to high demand". Get it while you can if you're interested!

Hello all. I'm looking to build my first home lab soon, I built a parts list but wanted it looked over before I pull the trigger on it. The heaviest work I think I'll use this for is occasional virtualization but day to day it will just be used as a media server and primarily a NAS, I want something overkill so I don't have to worry about performance issues. Still, at the same time, I don't want to spec out this server and waste money unnecessarily.

Lastly, I've heard of stability issues with 13 and 14th gen intel processors and wasn't sure if there was a good equivalent to the 12600k for the price and if that would be the issue or not, whether its upgrading or switching to AMD I'm open to any suggestions.

Thank you all for the help, here is my list so far:

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($168.99 @ Amazon)

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X SE 32.77 CFM CPU Cooler ($16.69 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: Gigabyte H610I Mini ITX LGA1700 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)

Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)

Power Supply: Corsair RM650 (2023) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Corsair)

I have not decided on a storage configuration yet but was leaning towards an nvme SSD for boot and and 4 6-8tb SAS drives for everything else.

As I understand it, zfs with mirrored vdevs (ie. 50% storage efficiency with 100% data redundancy) is ideal especially for a home server, however, I also see sysadmins quite literally begging for people to "Back up pools please for the love of god". Does this not mean that, say, if I have a bunch of pools set up and I have to back up each one of them that I have ridiculously low storage efficiency? I feel that I'm not quite understanding exactly what "Backing up pools" even means.

I have most of my movies on a disk on my media server but some I have bought through the years on Google play and I play them through YouTube or google play movies. Is there any way to link those services so I can stream them through Jellyfin?

I want to get my first home server and experiment around with it. I could get a HP ProDesk 600 G3 Mini PC for 70€ used.

Specs:

• Intel Core i5-7500T 4x 2.70-turbo bis 3.30GHz 8 GB RAM
• 256GB SSD
• 6x USB
• Wi-Fi 5 (WLAN 802.11a/​b/​g/​n/​ac), Bluetooth 4.2
• 2x DisplayPort
• 1x Audio-Line-in, 1x Audio Line-out

Is it a good deal?

Edit: Does anyone know the energy consumption of this machine?

I currently have a fairly basic (I think) home server that I'm using to host just a few docker containers. Primarily Jellyfin, but also Immich and File Browser. I've also got a NAS that I mount to the server for my actual storage. I'm looking to upgrade the server to be more powerful, since it's started to show some weakness with transcoding 4k HDR content. I'd also like to get in into a Sliger rack mount case, but that's fair minor. Though if anyone has recommendations for a rack mount case then that'd be appreciated too.

The current hardware is:

• Intel Core i3-9100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor (with UHD 630 integrated graphics)
• 16 GB DDR4-2133 CL15 Memory
• Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME SSD
• Supermicro X11SCL-IF Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard

After putting it together I've realized I probably don't really need ECC memory for this, I think I was mixing it up with recommendations for building a NAS. I would really like for an upgraded version of this server to be capable of 2 simultaneous 4K HEVC streams, as that is the absolutely maximum I can see being used. I'd also like it to be relatively quick at transcoding, for cases where it can't transcode on-the-fly or transcodes too slowly for streaming. However, hardware selection is a very weak point for me when it comes to building computers, for my desktop I just went with the CPU and GPU of what my most intensive game recommended.

Thank you for any recommendations/help you may have.

Hi there!

I am looking to upgrade my 8 year old Intel to a new AM5.

This will be mostly at idle, doing basic windows functions and 4/8k serving.

Also the occasional audio recording and short 4k encode.

What is the most efficient AM5 that doesn't suck? Mostly Idle, then some single core Windows usage. I care less for full-load as I rarely go there.

https://preview.redd.it/n2re9g2ssbyd1.png?width=1469&format=png&auto=webp&s=7fa6a456d031dedbe5b8d61d852129456e92c4d1

Hi all, would appreciate some help on this build I'm planning to purchase this month. Decided on the core parts after lots of researching in this sub:

PC Partpicker List

• CPU: i5-12600K
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15
• Motherboard: ASRrock Z690 Steel Legend
• Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB DDR4-3200 CL16
• Boot/OS Storage: Western Digital 1TB SSD
• Case: Fractal R5
• Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650W 80+ Gold
• Media Storage: XTB HD from serverpartdeals or goharddrive

Use Case:

• Plex server with only blu-ray and 4k REMUX files with ability to support 5 4k streams at a time with HW transcoding
• Home Assistant
• NAS

I understand this may be considered overkill, and would love to hear more thoughts on that and power draw. Is the power supply overkill (wanted something good quality <$100)? Is this one Noctua fan enough? Are there any black friday sales coming up on these items? Thank you all!

hi there, I'm new to the home server space and looking to get some advice regarding choosing hardware. I am struggling to understand what CPU and GPU requirements are necessary to run the following. There would only be up to 3 devices at a time accessing it.

Purpose of my home server (underlined uses are necessities)

• NAS for backup and storage
• Home Assistant for home automation
• Jellyfin Plex server
• Selfhosting
  • NextCloud
  • Photoprism

I also have some hardware leftover which I would be keen to use (if possible):

• MSI B450 GAMING PRO CARBON AC - unfortunately the RAM does not run in dual-channel, only single-channel (faulty)
• CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 16GB DDR4 3200MHz

My budget is up to £300-400, aiming to use 2nd-hand parts off ebay to make my money go further.Questions:

• A lot of places recommend an Intel CPU with integrated graphics for best experience with Plex encoding, although I'm not sure what this means. Would an AMD CPU plus GPU also work? Do the AMD APUs 4650G and 3400G offer the same benefits?
• If I go down the route of AM4 platform, should I go for a 4650G or 3200G or 3400G? What do you look for in a CPU for home servers?
• How much RAM do I need?

Hey!

I’m pretty new to servers and have learned a bit about them in school. I want to get my own server to deepen my understanding and work on some projects during the winter and in my free time.

I came across a used Dell PowerEdge R630 that has the following specs:

• Dual E-2680 v4 processors (2x 14 cores/28 threads for a total of 28 cores and 56 threads)
• 64GB DDR4 ECC RAM (2400MHz)
• No disks included

The asking price is $200. Does this sound like a good deal? Alternatively, do you have any suggestions for something more powerful that won’t break the bank, ideally in the $0–500 range?

I appreciate any comments, suggestions, or ideas you might have!

Hey everyone,

I’ve got a Dell R520 server that I hadn’t used for a few months, and now it’s not recognizing any hard disks. All the cables are connected properly, the green lights are on, and there aren’t any error signs. I’ve tried all of the basic stuff, but no matter what I do the server doesn’t recognize the disks. Could anyone help please?

Currently spare parts I have a 8700k 64 gb ddr4 and 3060 ti pc that is just laying around, but I have the cash to purchase an actual server cpu for reference

This is a 500 mods pack with about 10 people on at once. Would like this to not have any lag and be smooth as possible.

Give me your suggestions please.

Currently, i am running a barebones M1 Mac Mini (8Gb, 256gb) and it is connected to a Synology 4 bay server.

On the server, im running 4x 12TB drives, with Moveis, Shows, Audiobooks, and other files as well as the ARRs, AudioBookshelf, etc. On the Mac Mini, I'm running Plex.

Im thinking of upgrading the M1 Mac Mini to the new M4 Mac Mini and running it solely as a server that just uses the synology as a source of the data and run all the other programs on the mac.

IS this crazy to do with a brand new M4? is this crazy to just do as a setup in general? i figured take all the load off the Synology and let it just store the data and let the Mac mini. I suck at at terminal and coding, so im always looking for the most GUI friendly path i can get to make this all work. Is there anything you would suggest i do to make my life easier and the setup run smoother?

I have been reading a lot of posts here and wanted to get more specific advice on what I should buy or build for a first home server.

My use case is fairly simple. I want to stream 4K HDR content over Jellyfin, back up iPhone photos and videos easily over the network, and store other miscellaneous files that we don't need to have on on our PCs to free up space. Currently, I am using a windows gaming desktop to do all these things, but it is a hassle to constantly be turning it on and off, plug and unplug phones, move files around, etc. We just need a simpler, lower-power solution for the few things we would use it for.

Cost is definitely a concern. Also, the wife is not tech savvy at all, so ideally the photos backup needs to be very easy to use since she would be using that functionality on her own from time to time. I can dedicate a fair amount of time to setting things up, but I don't have a lot of time to be doing regular maintenance. I have been going back and forth between building a system out of my current PC (9600k 32gb ddr4) or finding used parts on FB marketplace, or getting a used synology NAS.

I know questions like these get asked a lot, but I appreciate any help you could give me. Thank you!

So I've done some research but wanted to get the thoughts of everyone.

Right now I have an older AMD A-Series PC as my main server plus 2 Rpi's running various services. I want to upgrade the main server to run it all. The main server runs Win10 using Stablebit's Drivepool and Snapraid. After the upgrade, I will run Proxmox with various VMs and containers. My question is how to transfer the data if I am going to use the same drives. I have 4 - 3 and 4TB drives in the pool and one 4TB drive as the parity for Snapraid.

Should I get an external to transfer the data to then wipe the drives for the new system? I'm not sure of any other way.

https://preview.redd.it/fu612bticayd1.png?width=731&format=png&auto=webp&s=df32faa56c93c71f132405038311c1aa7fabab3c

I have rack with free power / no noise concerns if that matters. The server comes without a power supply.

Chenbro RM41300-FS81 (With rails)
ASRock X399 Taichi
8x16 GB DDR4-2400 MHz (128 GB)
AMD ThreadRipper 1900X
Noctua NH-U12S TR4-SP3
Custom 4x92 fanwall (3d printet)

Its for sale for 260 USD. The server will run proxmox and give private game server to a select number of users. I was thinking it was a good deal, considering i need a higher clock speed for game servers.

I'm planning to have Mini PC server and here's the spec:

• Intel N100
• RAM: 8GB
• SDD: 128-512GB (or I could attach an external HDD for more storage)

Is it possible to have OpenMediaVault, PiHole, PiVPN and Plex (or Jellyfin) in a single Mini PC? I'm planning to install these as docker containers. How hard to setup all these things and will there be any conflict between them?

Thanks a lot

I'm transplanting a TS140 into a 15 bay Rosewill case and I am also installing an 8port LSI card. I realized today that the TS140 only has 5 internal SATA ports. I need a total of 14, for my 14 drives. It has one PCIE 3 slot that I will throw the LSI card into. And the next best slot is a PCIE 2.0 x16. Are those SATA cards, like a "10Gtek PCIe SATA Card 6 Port with 6 SATA Cables and Low Profile Bracket, 6Gbps SATA3.0 Controller PCI Express Expansion Card, X4, Support 6 SATA 3.0 Devices" - will those be sufficient for ZFS RaidZ2? Will it be slow?

quick summary, two zpools (I think that's the correct terminology, it's been a minute):
8 drives ZFS RaidZ2 on the LSI card.
6 drives ZFS RaidZ2 on ?? I'm concerned about it being slower/unreliable using one of those cheapo SATA cards.

thanks for any help!!

Hi,

I've recently begun working on home server stuff. I've had a few Raspberry Pi's including a 3, 4 and now a 5. I have Open Media Vault, Docker, Portainer, and Plex installed on the RPI, but I have been working on something bigger. I recently got a new (to me) system and started putting it together.

What I've got

At the moment, my new system is in an HP box, an Elitedesk 800 G4 SFF which cost barely more than the new RPI5. It's an I7 8700, and 32GB DDR4 PC2666. It's only using 2 slots so I can add more if I want. It's got 5 drive slots, 3 SATA and 2 M.2. Currently I have a 256 NVME, 2 1TB drives and a 4TB drive, and when I stop running plex on my RPI I will have another 1TB NVME available. the 2 1TB drives are zfs mirrored and only used for system/vm backups. I also have a DAS with 3 14TB drives. I don't feel I will need to upgrade anything for what I want to run, but for less than $50 i might double the RAM.

What I want

For now I plan moving my plex setup/library to this, I have proxmox installed and I want to run pterodactyl, a few docker apps like audiobookshelf, dns/firewall stuff, some file folders for backups/file storage/whatever, Home Assistant, thinking a batocera thing somewhere in there. Eventually going to add some cameras outside and storage for the video feed.

I'm still trying to figure out proxmox, most of the videos I see people seem to have everything installed on seperate VM's, but I was thinking it seems easier to install most on the same VM so they interact easier. I guess I could put home assistant and containers involving that on one VM, and plex/games/audio etc on another VM, etc. and just using additional VM's for testing/trying new things or completely stand alone stuff.

I'm open to any advice, tips, links to articles, videos, whatever, I already found one guy here who makes proxmox videos on youtube, thanks!

My UPS isn’t completely dumb but its software only works with windows. I brainstormed how I can get the computer to shutdown since the UPS isn’t supported in Linux. I’m not home at all moments so a manual shutdown won’t always help.

Here’s my tech macgyver solution. I made a script that pings the smart washer in intervals and if it doesn’t receive a reply after a certain amount of attemps, it will shut down the server.

I must admit this is one of the most ridiculous work-arounds I have ever come up with. I’m open to suggestions other than upgrading the UPS. Are there cheap devices that can somehow inform the computer of the power status?