I’m looking for some advice or alternate perspectives on what I should do with my server.

I built it in 2018 with a Ryzen 2700X, X470 Taichi, 32GB RAM, 1080TI, and it’s (now) up to around 100TB raw in storage space that I’ve been adding bit by bit in this Fractal Define R6 case. It hosts Plex, the *arr stack, Qbit, but also is used for my general purpose PC stuff like shitposting, 3d printing (CAD and slicers), retro gaming (roms and emulators), general NAS storage, etc and it all runs on Windows 10 (which is where the issue arises).

I knew long term that Windows would be an issue (but didn’t and still don’t have adequate knowledge of Linux), and it’s now to the point that things are becoming a bit unstable and I would like to split the server stuff out from everything else and put it in a dedicated machine. In addition to the above services, I also have a Pi with HomeAssistant that I’d like to migrate to the new server along with setting up Frigate to gain some object recognition with my NVR camera setup

I am wanting to do this in the most efficient and economical way but I’m not sure what the best path to choose is.

Option A) Slap a Ryzen 5xxx into my current system and migrate to another OS like TrueNAS, build something small and lightweight for general PC stuff

Pros- Less stuff to buy

Cons- data migration out of Windows (SnapRAID + Drivepool) will be an issue as I’ll need to have both the ‘old’ and ‘new’ server running at the same time to copy everything over

Option B) build a new server

Pros- can switch to Intel for the iGPU, newer hardware with more longevity and efficiency, data migration is easier

Cons- more cost, I’ll want to reuse my case so I’ll need to cobble together a solution during data migration, not sure what to do the current hardware that’s leftover as I’m not big on Marketplace selling.

Option C) ??

I’m not exactly dead set on what to run on the server for an OS or hypervisor. I’ve briefly looked at Proxmox which would be nice for my dynamic interests but as I said I’m not exactly proficient in Linux for the media OS. I recently saw a video on TrueNAS which appeared easier to setup and manage, but it doesn’t seem to be the right choice for VMs and whatnot.

And advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

  • ShepherdPie@midwest.socialOPEnglish
    1·
    3 hours ago

    I would (read: does) keep it that way. When your server inevitably goes belly up because of a misconfigured firewall or whatever you’ll thank yourself when the lights still turn on and your robot vacuum keeps going.

    I have considered that and am not 100% decided either way but would love the convenience of having everything in one place though this can also he a drawback like you mentioned and “in one place” is just a matter of opening a new browser tab even if it’s on a separate machine, so maybe not really worth it. The Pi actually boots off a SSD since I’ve been burned by faulty SD cards in the past so it should be solid.

    What’s wrong with keeping your old hardware?

    I would actually love to reuse as much as possible since a primarily media server doesn’t need a lot of horsepower. I am wanting to go to an Intel CPU with an iGPU so that I could ditch the 1080TI and I can get them for a discounted price, but another user suggested the 5700g which would allow me to keep the mobo and RAM. The case is actually fantastic for being quiet, and the PSU is a decent platinum grade from when it was originally built. So all is looking good here except for the data transfer aspect since I need an intermediary machine to transfer from but I do have a few SFF PCs, micro PCs and laptops sitting around collecting dust that might be up to the task.

    As for the OS. “Not Windows” is probably a bit intimidating at first but you seem to be pretty technical so it isn’t really an issue as long as you can read and process information.

    This is going to be another challenge as I have played around with Ubuntu in the past and have a basic understanding of CLI, but struggled with random issues and getting myself into trouble and not knowing how to get back out of it. “You don’t know what you don’t know” was really in play after stuff like an update would cause everything to come crashing down and not knowing why. With my hobbies, it seems like something I really should learn but have really struggled with. I’m sure a lot was hidden with editing magic but the video I watched on TrueNAS made it look easy to pick up with a nice GUI so that I’m not spending all my time pasting esoteric commands into a terminal.

    I wouldn’t mind a mini rack but don’t have anywhere to put it. Maybe when we move to a new house someday, that’ll be one of the first things I get.