I just recently started playing around with an old pc as my homeserver and am curious of any recommendations for lesser known self hostable foss software that you would recommend

  • DidacticDumbass@lemmy.one
    1·
    1 year ago

    Okay. Awesome. I was seriously thinking about getting NAS or a specialized media box like an NVIDIA Shield or Dune HD, but I have plenty of older computers that can do the job, so it seems like a waste. I have Rokus that handle video playback, so I just need to set up streaming.

    I do need to get better at backing up! My computer has like, 250 GB SSD and a TB HDD I never mount, but definitely need to use for offloading all my data. Just downloading a few games really eats up my disk space. Need to get that sorted out too.

    Damn I am so lazy with computers.

    • constantokra@lemmy.one
      1·
      1 year ago

      I used a really old laptop with a bunch of USB disks for quite a while. Then I made a naskiller 4, and it was super easy to migrate because I used docker for everything. I’d recommend searching up the nasskiller builds whenever you do want a NAS. They price everything out and tell you exactly what you need and what options you have, and it emphasizes getting used hardware off eBay for cheap.

      Backing up is always a challenge. I’d suggest looking into duplicati, because it’s super easy for servers and desktops.

      • DidacticDumbass@lemmy.one
        1·
        1 year ago

        Nice! Thanks for the tip. They get so expensive.

        I believe in used hardware. Most of my computers I inherited or got at flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores. Ebay is no different, and probably significantly better if refurbished.

        • constantokra@lemmy.one
          2·
          1 year ago

          Oh yeah. I love old hardware. I’m hesitant to use desktops as servers anymore because of the power they use, but laptops in particular are great. You can get an old Dell for next to nothing and replacing their batteries is super cheap. It has its own battery backup. I even got a USB 3 card for mine. Used it for several years and when I went to migrate to my nas I found out the LCD had gone dead. Hadn’t noticed or cared.

          • DidacticDumbass@lemmy.one
            2·
            1 year ago

            That is actually a good point. I was considering getting a couple of UPS for my main computer and server, but a laptop would do the job. I should pick one up anyways.

            Yeah, power consumption sucks. I do not want to contribute to the waste culture, but I also don’t want to overspend on resources.