Hi selfhosters,

I would like to expand my server storage and I am confused now. For a bit of context, I have a mini pc running several Docker containers and I am pretty happy with it.

Right now I want to expand my server storage and after going though some options, this is my current understanding:

  • NAS: it is a real PC with its own chip/memory/OS and we can connect to the storage via network mount. Some are powerful enough to run docker containers on them and are generally not cheap.
  • HDD enclosure/docking station: it is just some enclosure to hold a lot of HDDs together and I could just plug it into my server like an USB.

I would like to ask:

  • Is my understanding above correct ?
  • Since I still have some resource left in the mini pc and want to save some bucks, is it safe to go with the HDD enclosure ?

Thank you very much and have a nice day :D

  • folekaule@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    True open source products are your best bet. TruNAS and Proxmox are popular options, but you can absolutely set up a vanilla Debian server with Samba and call it a NAS. Back in the old days we just called those “file servers”.

    Most importantly, just keep good backups. If you have to choose between investing in a raid or a primary + backup drive, choose the latter every time. Raid will save you time to recover, but it’s not a backup.