Operating System for Home Server
Operating System for Home Server
Hello everyone, I operate a home server on Windows 8.1 with these components: Asrock H97 Anniversary Board, i3 4130 CPU, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, WD Blue 1TB HDD (mirrored). I plan to add two 2TB Seagate drives available on Newegg right now and mirror them as well. Since I’ll be offline for a while, now seems like a good time to evaluate an OS upgrade or switch. My current uses include file sharing, Plex, Ventrilo (minor), and uTorrent. I’m weighing a move to Windows 10 versus a Linux distribution. I’ve worked with Debian-based systems and run Raspberry Pi projects, with Ubuntu on my laptop. I have a few Windows PCs in the network. What OS would you recommend? I’d like to ensure I can manage the HDD mirrors and monitor them easily if needed. Thanks for your help!
You already have Windows 8.1 installed, so make the most of the money you invested.
Download VirtualBox, a complimentary virtual machine, and experiment with different operating systems. I lean toward CentOS. You can test things out without committing fully. Just aim for versions 8.1 or higher, and if needed, upgrade to 10. OS changes aren't necessary unless you're upgrading drives.
I use FreeNAS and it handles everything you mentioned perfectly. I really enjoy it. ZFS seems like the best option going forward. It's significantly more secure than traditional RAID setups if you're knowledgeable about it. Feel free to message me with any questions.
I received it at no cost through school. If I had paid, I probably wouldn’t think about changing it. I have virtual box, so maybe I’ll give that a shot. It’s not really about adding drives; I just thought it might be a good idea to clear everything out while I work on it. I’m feeling up to experimenting with it. I’ve heard a lot about FreeNAS, so I’ll need to do some research and appreciate your offer if I have any questions. Thanks everyone for your feedback!