My home-built NAS is a $100 CPU+MB combo from 2014, a dual core G3258 w/ 8G RAM. It has about 32TB connected, runs Plex, mpd, Calibre, and NFS services. It also runs a kvm virtual machine with Nextcloud, ZNC, and Wallabag. Nextcloud is handy sometimes, but most of the NFS storage is provided to it and plex for read-only access. They can't change or delete any content.
Code:
$ inxi -Fz
System: Host: istar Kernel: 5.4.0-64-generic x86_64 bits: 64 Desktop: N/A
Distro: Ubuntu 18.04.5 LTS
Machine: Device: desktop Mobo: Gigabyte model: H81M-HD3 v: x.x serial: N/A
BIOS: American Megatrends v: FA date: 12/01/2014
CPU: Dual core Intel Pentium G3258 (-MCP-) cache: 3072 KB
clock speeds: max: 3200 MHz 1: 1421 MHz 2: 1269 MHz
Graphics: Card: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller
Display Server: X.Org 1.20.8
drivers: modesetting (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
Resolution: 1920x1200@59.95hz
Network: Card-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCIE Gigabit Ethernet Controller
driver: r8168
IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
Card-2: Marvell 88E8001 Gigabit Ethernet Controller driver: skge
IF: eth1 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
RAID: No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Info: Processes: 230 Uptime: 7 days Memory: 1931.1/7413.7MB
Client: Shell (bash) inxi: 2.3.56
check
It is very stable, though the Realtek RTL8111 is crap, drops packets, so I replaced it with a $10 (in 2005) cheapo GigE NIC. I really need to swap in an Intel PRO/1000 NIC that is laying around here, but I seldom reboot that box. I don't use RAID on it, but about 50% of the storage is a periodic mirror. OS backups are network based to a different system.
It is a server, not a desktop, not a playback system either. For playback, I use raspberry pi v2 or v3 systems or Android tablets for video. For audio, I use mpd (mostly), but sometimes I'll pull audio files to a tablet using nextcloud and play them using local apps and storage. Music and audiobooks need completely different playback apps.
This system doesn't run any VPN, but my VPN has complete access into the LAN - or it used to a year ago - which was the last time I checked. We've been hold up here almost a year now - with just 5 grocery trips into the world. Anyways, I don't know if the VPN still works. Don't have any way to really validate it from home.
I'm not a fan of the all-in-one storage server idea. To me, they are too constraining, inflexible. But I can understand why someone would seek out a total solution like FreeNAS (or whatever the name is today). They see a list of features that appear to be 1-click installs, and hear lots of zealots who love their version of it. Guess I'm a zealot too - just for using the flexibility of Linux, which has no limits. But it is harder since the skills to make good choices on an unbounded solution take time to learn.
BTW, I'm looking at replacing Plex Server with Jellyfin. Going by DNS query counts, Plex Server is the 3rd most privacy sucking device on my LANs. Jellyfin appears to do all that Plex does, but it is 100% F/LOSS.
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