Introduction
The following details my current NAS build used within my home network for file storage, media streaming, vpn, and more.
Back in 2018, I repurposed a broken laptop I had into a server running Ubuntu Server 18.04. Attached to the laptop was a Seagate 3TB hard drive via USB. Very simple and crud setup, which allowed me to start dabbling in better understanding servers and networking. I used this server primarily for Plex, as I didn’t have much need for anything else at the time.
Fast forward to 2023, my server itch returned and I decided to redo my NAS server. Back in 2019, I built a budget PC using used components with the purpose of the system to run emulators (Dolphin, Mupen64, etc). The goal of this budget PC was to cost less than a Nintendo Switch, but allow myself and friends to play our favorite games like Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and more. Ultimately, this project was abandoned since it was not easy lugging around a ATX PC everywhere, in addition to some friends purchasing Switches.
Specs
All of the components within this build were purchased in 2019, and the hard drives purchased in 2023:
- Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 3.2GHz Quad Core CPU
- Dell 6D7TR Optiplex 990 MT LGA 1155 Motherboard
- 4 x 4 GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM
- EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB GPU
- Thermaltake 600W PSU
- Rosewill mATX Case
- 2 x 10 TB HDDs
- 2 x 500 GB HDDs
- 1 x 120 GB SSD
What I’m Running
The NAS is currently running Proxmox VE 7.3 as the host OS, with a few VM’s and containers for various services and processes. I opted to use Proxmox for this build, as I wanted to learn more about hypervisors and containerization in general. On top of Proxmox, I am running the following:
- Ubuntu 22.04 VM
- Debian 11 VM
- LXC Container
Within these various VMs, I run services such as wireguard, openmediavault, nextcloud, plex, etc.
The main advantage of using Proxmox over something like Ubuntu server is that I can isolate different services from each other for better security, as well as easily update / reconfigure without issue. For example, I can delete a VM running Plex, without affecting other services like wireguard which allow me to access the server externally.