Right now I have a NAS running 24/7 for some self hosted apps (p2p, *arr…) and as primary storage for my multimedia files.
This NAS has some limitations because it has a low spec hardware and the OS is “propietary”, so sometimes I have issues with docker or I miss some random feature that “standard” Linux distros have.
I work in IT and deal with the technology at home sometimes feels like a second job. I’m thinking that maybe I could simplify my home hardware avoiding NAS servers and use only my main desktop running 24/7 . This could give me a lot of flexibility (a standard OS, VMs, standard docker, better hardware, faster file operations because no LAN involved…) and less hardware to deal with.
Does anybody went this way? Any recommendations in favor or against it?
Sorry for my english.
Yeah, that is my standard way of doing things. Old desktop becomes the server, and it’s specs blow everything I want it to do out of the water, so things like file storage (and the CPU required to encrypt-on-disk), etc have no chance of ever presenting an issue. Though, I do have a pair of Pis with POE hats on them (as well as a POE switch), because I really like POE.
Then I set it up for auto-updates and proceed to ignore it. Love very simple home networking setups that still accomplish every goal.
The dedicated NAS appliances really annoy me. Every time I have had to use one I just think ‘I can just do this in Linux on any random desktop lying around, why am I learning another proprietary thing?’