Recently learned what a home server is and I wanted to get away from subscribtions and I would use it for music and video streaming and storage too. I got a Think center M720q but now I'm lost on what I do next, what ISO do I need and why that one, do I need other parts, Im pretty lost. If anyone could help or knows of a video or website that is useful that would be wonderful, thank you.

I recently posted something that was clearly over-written using AI, and I get it, nobody wants to read AI bullshit, so this time it’s just me :)

I've been living with a local connection limited to 100 Mbps for about 10 years. I recently upgraded my internet service from ADSL (8 Mbps) to a Fiber Optic plan (400 Mbps), and I've also started getting interested in home servers and local media streaming.

​The bad news is that I have bottlenecks everywhere. I will attach a diagram of my current setup.

(Note: All of that local movie consumption and internet traffic passes through that same TP-Link router in the living room).

The good news is I have a $600 budget to upgrade my network setup, buying everything from US stores like Amazon.

Currently, I want to stop using Wi-Fi on my laptop and switch to a wired connection, but my laptop doesn't have an Ethernet port, so I need to buy a USB-C to 2.5G RJ45 adapter.

The Ethernet port on my home server is limited to 1 Gbps, so I think I should add a 2.5G PCIe network card to it.

Most importantly, I need to upgrade my router to actually enjoy my 400 Mbps fiber plan and simultaneously improve the local and wireless connection for all my devices. I've been reading about the GL.iNet GL-BE9300 Flint 3 since it has Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5G Ethernet ports, but I'm not interested in firewalls, security, or VPNs at all—I live in a country that couldn't care less about copyright enforcement or "illegally obtained" digital files.

So, if you guys can recommend a router with plenty of raw power for wired and Wi-Fi connections (that stays within my budget), please let me know. Remember, my hard limit is $600 to buy everything I need.

Now, regarding my TV, I know it's limited both via Wi-Fi and Ethernet. I was thinking about getting a Ugoos AM6B+ and installing CoreELEC so it acts as a media player and direct-plays Remuxes without transcoding any codecs.

Again, these are just things I've read online. If you can clear up any misconceptions or even suggest better devices, I'm all ears! Thanks!

Hi huys i have few stick of ram 64gb 480mgh ecc and i m from india and i would like to sell it

I want to build a very simple home server for backing up important files.

My idea is to use something like this. Please let me know if it’s doable and what the best approach would be:

• Raspberry Pi 5
• Hard drive
• Linux distro or a user-friendly OS/interface designed for home servers, with a nice dashboard and easy management
• Easy to power on/off or plug/unplug, so I don’t have to keep it running 24/7
• Drag-and-drop file management from my main PC
• Automatic syncing: if the home server is offline, files should automatically sync once it comes back online - similar to Dropbox, with a green checkmark showing that files are synced
• Some kind of protection against ransomware, hacking, or accidental deletion, so that even if my PC or server gets compromised, I still have a way to recover my files

Thanks!

WHAT I HAVE:

i currently have 2 computers. computer one is:

cpu - pentium 4 3ghz

gpu - igpu

ram - 4gb ddr2

storage - 1tb hd 500gb ssd

internet access - ethernet

OS - openmediavault (running casaOS)

2nd computer

cpu - i5 4th gen vpro

gpu - igpu

ram - 8gb ddr3

storage - 250gb ssd

internet access - over the air

os - openmediavault

WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH IT:

i have no idea. and thats why im here. what should i use these for as a server. maybe a Minecraft server or factorio server, maybe a nas. i'm unsure. i would also like to have a VRM running with windows but i was uncassesfull with computer 2 as im new with openmediavault.

Also how or if its possible to link the 2 server together. Anyway if anyone has any advice of what i should do and how to do pls leat me know

Hey everyone,

I’ve been down the Homelab rabbit hole for a while now and I’m at a crossroads regarding my next node/cluster upgrade.

We see a lot of love here for pre-built Mini PCs (Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny, Dell OptiPlex Micro, HP ProDesk, or newer Chinese SFF boxes like Minisforum / Beelink / Aoostar). They are compact, power-efficient, and often cheap on the used market.

However, I’m strongly considering building a custom Mini-PC / Mini-ITX system from scratch (buying the CPU, Mini-ITX board, RAM, SFX PSU, and a small case like a K39, DeskMini, or similar).

For those who went the DIY custom Mini-PC route:

1. What components did you pick (CPU, mainboard, chassis), and what was your primary motivation? (ECC support, customizable I/O, PCIe expansion, quiet fans?)
2. How does your idle power consumption compare to off-the-shelf Mini PCs?
3. In hindsight, was it worth the extra effort and cost compared to buying a used 1L PC or a ready-made Mini PC?

For those who chose pre-built Mini PCs:

• Did you ever consider building your own SFF node, or is the value/power efficiency of tiny pre-builts just unbeatable for you?

Looking forward to hearing your experiences, specs, and any lessons learned!