For a long, long time, I ran and operated three Windows Home Server bricks. It all began with an ACER H340, and a bit later, I acquired an HP StorageWorks Data Vault X510. The latest addition to the family was an HP MediaSmart EX495. The Acer was an Atom-based home server with a mighty 1.6 GHz Intel Atom 230 processor and 2GB of RAM—the speed demon of its time! My options for upgrading it were as limited as my patience, and once I got infected by the Home Server virus (not to be confused with a computer virus), it was clear I needed a more capable machine. So, I bought the HP StorageWorks Data Vault X510 and, because I couldn’t resist, the HP MediaSmart EX495. Both of these bad boys offered some room for upgrading RAM and CPU and were slightly more capable than the ACER. For a couple of years, the two HP machines served as the ultimate storage buckets for all our family data. The ACER? It became the playground for my tech experiments, a.k.a. “The Mad Scientist Lab.” When Microsoft announced they were giving the Home Server OS the boot, I scrambled for alternatives and landed on a SYNOLOGY DS-411J with 8TB of storage. I migrated all relevant content over to it because, frankly, I didn’t have time for playing around anymore—thanks, adult responsibilities! The SYNOLOGY has served its purpose well and is still in service today, holding videos, movies, and a comprehensive music library like a champ.
As the data monster kept growing, I decided it was time to play some hardball and separate the VIPs from the benchwarmers. So, I went NAS shopping again and bagged myself a Synology DS-923+ with a net capacity of 12 TB—yeah, go big or go home! All the critical data—documents, photos, family videos—got a first-class seat on the DS-923+, while the DS-411J was left babysitting all the media and smaller stuff. Every family member scored their own digital locker on the DS-923+ for personal data and backup duty, whether they’re Team PC or Apple Time Machine. The DS-411J? It’s still rocking out as the media mogul for the PLEX Server (but that’s another story for another laugh).
To be on the safe side, I sync all relevant data to WASABI immutable storage—yes, like the spicy stuff, but for your data! Once a month, I go on an adventure through the jungle of cables to backup both NAS systems to LTO tape. Why all the fuss? Because immutable storage is like data’s kryptonite to ransomware. On my Windows machines, I’ve got VEAM pulling backup duty, and on the Macs, Time Machine does its thing, like a little pocket watch that saves the day. I promise, I’ll write a Tell-All about WASABI soon. Here’s a spoiler: It’s as trouble-free as a cat napping in the sun, and it won’t break the bank.
So, everything was peachy and humming along nicely. No data was lost, everyone had access to their precious files no matter where they were. But I had this itch, a techie itch, one that couldn’t be scratched with my usual work gadgets.
So, I wandered the vast wilderness of the internet, hunting down what wizardry the homeserver folks were up to. I stumbled upon a carnival of Mini-PCs, and folks transforming their NAS Systems into multitasking superheroes, running docker containers and a smorgasbord of apps. But alas, despite the spectacle, nothing really tickled my fancy.
Thus, I embarked on the grand adventure of building my own mini server. Not only could I concoct a machine that met all my whims and fancies, but I could also ensure it harmonized with the rest of my home tech orchestra.
My requirements were simple yet ridiculous – it had to squeeze into a 19″ rack without an inch to spare. It should rock a sleek 1 HU case with hot-swappable drive bays like a pro. Picture this: enough power to juggle a couple of virtual machines and docker containers, stream and encode my endless binge-watching sessions of movies and TV series. Oh, and let’s not forget my dream of it hosting my Paperless NGX instance and safeguarding all my precious personal documents like a technological Fort Knox.
With all that in mind, I started hunting for the right components to let the fun begin—building my own machine after almost 10 years. If that isn’t exciting, then I don’t know what is; might as well call NASA and offer them my skills!
In the next post, I’ll spill the beans on the shopping list and the juicy gossip about the machine—because who doesn’t love a good tale about a blender with a personality?