n00b question, sorry. If I had a desktop that could hold 4 HD and 2 SSD, could I turn it into a NAS? Could someone point me in the right direction if this makes sense?

  • Possibly linux@lemmy.zip
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    10 months ago

    Yes, you can. What do you want to use it for? If its just a NAS you could use TrueNAS but if you want more services I would use proxmox.

    If you are wanting tiered storage (ie SSDs as cache) then TrueNAS is probably the right answer as it uses ZFS and is very flexible.

    • TheMurphy@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Just a question but do you use proxmox yourself? And if yes, what services would you recommend to run?

      • Possibly linux@lemmy.zip
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        10 months ago

        I’m not sure I can recommend anything without knowing your goals. For me my needs quickly outgrew my little mini PC and now I have a cluster with a few single board computers. Here’s a basic list of what I run:

        Dell workstation (proxmox):

        • Linux Mint
          • GPU and USB passed though via Virtio with a sata to USB adapter for connecting the bluray drive
          • Used as a desktop and is an alternative to my laptop.
          • It also hosts Jellyfin in a podman container
        • Docker 0
          • Nextcloud
        • TrueNAS
          • This is a TrueNAS VM with a dedicated sata controller passed though to it. Its used for storage for nextcloud and jellyfin.

        Mini PC (proxmox)

        • landmass

          • this is a simple LXC container to act as a wireguard client with a caddy proxy. It allows me to access my HDhomerun as it is in another building (long story)
        • caddy

          • this used to be for accessing my homerun but is now just for remote access via ssh.
        • outside access

          • this is a VM that connects to the VM in linode to route traffic. It runs Ngnix proxy manager and is a wireguard client.
        • docker1

          • this hosts Matrix and Drupal. Matrix is basiclly unusable for me because as soon as I start joining rooms the resource usage shoots though the roof and it sometimes crashes
        • Linode

          • I have a VM in Linode that routes traffic into outside access via wireguard. It also runs Ngnix proxy manager.
        • Friendlywrt

          • I have a Nanopi that acts as a firewall and dhcp server to isolate everything.

        This is a incomplete list and doesn’t include my firewall rules or other security measures. I also run Debian on all VMs as it is easy to setup and maintain. If you are looking for somewhere to start I would start by installing nextcloud in a docker container. Proxmox will scale the best but if you are just looking to learn I would install Debian and docker compose. TrueNAS is great for a NAS but its designed to be an appliance so it can be limiting.

        • TheMurphy@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Great rundown, thanks!

          I don’t have a background in software, but I think I’m doing okay with my Raspberry Pi’s so far.

          And I’m looking for more challenging stuff, so this was very helpful.