Alright, let’s talk about this little project I’ve been calling my “serviver series” in my head. It really started because I got tired of things just… breaking or disappearing. Lost some photos once because a drive died, and relying on cloud stuff always felt a bit iffy, you know? Like I didn’t really own my own digital stuff. So, I decided I needed to build something myself, something solid right here at home.
Getting Started – The Idea
I didn’t need anything super fancy. The goal was simple: a safe place for files, photos, maybe run a couple of small home automation bits later. I figured, how hard could it be? I had an old desktop computer collecting dust in the corner. Seemed like a good starting point. Save some cash, reuse old gear, felt practical.
First Try – The Old Desktop Route
So, I dragged that old machine out, cleaned the dust bunnies out of it – seriously, it was epic. Installed a basic version of Linux on it, something free and simple. Spent a weekend tinkering, trying to get file sharing working so other computers in the house could see it. It sort of worked? But man, that old computer was loud. And it sucked down power like nobody’s business. Plus, it was still just one computer. If that hard drive died again, I’d be right back where I started. Didn’t feel very “survivor” like.
Hitting the Wall and Rethinking
Yeah, the old PC plan wasn’t cutting it. It was noisy, probably unreliable long-term, and didn’t solve the single-point-of-failure problem. I needed something built for the job, or at least, something more reliable and redundant. Back to the drawing board. I thought about those ready-made NAS boxes, but they seemed kinda pricey for what they were, and less fun to tinker with.
Round Two – Building for Real
I decided to build something more purposeful. Didn’t break the bank, but got components meant to be on 24/7.
- Got a small, low-power computer case and motherboard.
- Put in a couple of decent-sized hard drives. The key was having two drives.
- Installed some software specifically designed for managing storage (found some good free options).
Spent a good chunk of time setting up the drives so they’d mirror each other. You know, if one drive kicks the bucket, the other one still has all the files. That felt like a huge step towards making it actually survive a failure. Then, I configured automated backups. Had it copy the really important stuff over to an external drive I keep disconnected most of the time, just in case something really catastrophic happens to the main box.
Oh, and I got one of those battery backup things, a small UPS. We get short power flickers here sometimes, and I didn’t want the server shutting down uncleanly. Plugged the server and my internet router into it.
Living With It – The Payoff
Now, this setup has been running for months. It’s quiet, sits in a corner, and just does its job. I’ve got my central file storage, access it from any device at home. I even added a little media server app on it later. We actually had a power outage a few weeks back, just for an hour or so, but the server stayed online thanks to the battery backup. Didn’t lose a thing. I also tested the drive mirroring once – pulled one drive out while it was running (scary!), but everything kept working off the other drive. Put the drive back in, and it rebuilt the mirror automatically. Seeing that work was pretty satisfying, gotta say.
It’s not some high-end enterprise system, just a practical home setup. But it feels robust. It feels like it can actually survive the common little disasters. Took some trial and error, definitely some frustration figuring things out, but the peace of mind now is totally worth it. That’s my little serviver project, basically.
