I would like to set up a NAS/Home Server Combination. I am not particularly experienced with networking and this general area, although I can handle Linux well enough at the very least, so I have a few questions, particularly about security, but also other things.

So, here’s what I want, to provide a general idea of my plans:

I’d like

  • Storage for my local network
  • Nextcloud
  • “Sync sources” for myself like a self-hosted RSS Reader and I guess Nextcloud counts for this too, with Calendars, Contacts, etc. (These should be available primarily to me, but indirectly through other apps)
  • Collaborative tools also accessible to others (OnlyOffice, Etherpad, etc.)
  • Plex/Jellyfin/Similar
  • Factorio/Minecraft/Tf2 server for a handful of players (not all at once)

This isn’t a comprehensive list, but should provide a rough idea

So, my questions:

  1. Is it reasonable to combine a NAS and Home Server?
  2. How do I keep it secure, especially with potentially sensitive data on Nextcloud or in general storage, if I also want others to be able to access parts of it?
  3. What price range am I reasonably looking at if I want, let’s say, 8TB (is that normal?) of storage and enough performance to run all the above plus some extra things?
  4. What are some general best practices for hardware upkeep / preventing data loss?
  5. What are some best practices for security overall?
  6. Is there anything you’d like me to know, as a total novice in this field?

I am grateful for any tips, even if they’re not entirely related to my direct questions, so please feel free to dump all kinds of knowledge and tips on me, if it’s not too much of a bother for you!

  • @anamethatisntEnglish
    4•10 months ago
    1. Yes.
    2. Separate VMs in separate VLANs for private and shared storage. Makes things a bit less convenient for you, but worth it imo.
    3. Somewhere between $1000-$2000 I imagine.
    4. RAID is great for minimizing downtime but is never a replacement for a backup. The 3-2-1 rule mentioned below is a good thing to follow.
    5. Never grant higher permissions than necessary, never open more ports than necessary. If your gaming server VMs have no need to communicate with your Nextcloud servers then setup deny rules in your router firewall to stop that traffic from being possible and so on.
    6. Get a proper physical firewall device that allows you full control. I usually use opnsense or pfsense as the software OS.
    • @[email protected]English
      4•10 months ago

      Well now I’m concerned. I have plans to do something similar, but I’m only spending a few hundred on my setup. By the time it’s done it’ll be:

      • Supermicro X9SAE Mobo
      • Xeon E3-1225 v3
      • 32gb ram
      • 2x 240gb ssds in RAID1 for the OS
      • 4x 4TB Ironwolf HDDs for media storage

      Is that not going to be enough for pretty much the same use case?

    • @[email protected]English
      2•10 months ago

      I think entirely separate VMs in different VLANs might be a bit much for a beginner to setup correctly. The Isolation that Docker and it’s networking Provides might be enough to start, no?

      • @anamethatisntEnglish
        1•10 months ago

        I guess it depends on the person. I find starting with “real” VMs and VLANs makes it easier to get an understanding for what’s going on underneath the hood, even when you start using Docker containers and the like.