Need advice on choosing a system for self-hosting apps.
Need advice on choosing a system for self-hosting apps.
I'm seeking advice on setting up a self-hosted system for my home. I plan to host a large Plex server (currently 1TB of data, expected to grow to 8TB) and a shared file server for personal pictures and videos. This is a new venture for me, so I’m open to additional suggestions on what else I might need.
My company is covering all costs as it's related to my job and a learning experience. While I currently have a high-end system, I prefer not to keep it running 24/7.
I'm considering a NAS for this purpose, but I'm also open to other external devices with ample drive capacity.
There’s no strict budget, though I’d like to stay reasonable—up to $1,000, but my company is willing to go higher if necessary.
Any recommendations on hardware or setups would be greatly appreciated!
Other things to note:
Plex server will have up to 3 people on it.
Willing to leave my high end gaming pc on 24/7 if there is a better choice to use that instead of another system.
The advantages of a commercial NAS lie in having everything preconfigured. You simply connect it, insert disks, link it to your network, and turn it on. It operates seamlessly. If you opt for a DIY setup, you must handle securing remote access and maintaining software updates. There are plenty of tutorials available for that approach.
A mid-range commercial NAS with RAM expansion capabilities would be suitable. With affordable disk space, a two-disk NAS can offer over 14 TB of storage. Choose one equipped with a 2.5Gb or 10Gb interface.
I have used Synology products for many years. A device like the DS723+ works well.
You don't require much to set up a system.
An i3-12100 with two 16GB DDR4 modules on a mid-range motherboard with 2.5Gbps networking works well. Just connect storage drives.
It's common to start from USB and utilize all SATA or NVMe ports for data storage.
You might also consider a budget AM4 APU such as the 5600GT.
FreeNAS can be installed with Plex as an optional feature.
I would also support a commercial NAS. QNAP, for example, includes a built-in cloud function that manages access from outside your LAN. QNAP and Synology sites both offer a preview feature, allowing you to try out the operating systems for free.
Only a handful of home users would understand how to handle an iLO type out-of-band management interface. It's improbable that a typical home user lacks any direct connection to the device.
Fair but they're also constructed to a slightly higher standard since they're intended for it. If the company covers the cost, you might be better off choosing a board with some useful features you could explore. Alternatively, you could purchase a used server, which would give you similar benefits without the same size constraints.
You don't mention whether external access is expected. If it is, I fully agree with the above posters regarding QNAP/Synology despite their popularity being a potential vulnerability. It remains superior to use their systems if you lack confidence in your network security abilities.
If it's internal only, setting up your own would be a valuable learning opportunity. TrueNAS and Unraid are straightforward to install and offer many customization features. You might also explore virtualization, though I wouldn't suggest it for long-term data storage due to concerns about security and integrity.