The opening is a broken thought
Hello everyone, I built a "small server" at home a while ago, realizing the needs of remote download, remote audio and video server, remote Windows, etc., helping me save the cost of a cloud Windows server, and it is still very comfortable to use, so let's share it briefly.
That's right, it's the small mini host pictured above that helped me achieve my "small server" needs. If you think it's a computer room or a tall scheme like the picture below, please cross it out, because it will disappoint you, this kind of gameplay will be more "low-end" in front of the big guys, but everyone can play.
After all, most of my friends, like me, are also ordinary needs, or have simple cloud server needs; Or it can also be understood as how to make your server achieve remote access, NAS storage and then achieve the goal of becoming a "home small cloud server".
Because I have long-term cloud hosting needs, and I often buy small hosts from Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud to use, install Windows systems for on-hook use, so I was born to build such a "small cloud server" at home to meet my needs, so that there is no need to renew cloud hosts.
Similarly, since it is used as a cloud server, it is natural to let it play more gameplay, in addition to the Windows system, I also made this "small cloud server" into a remote NAS, remote audio and video server, remote monitoring server, remote Docker machine, which can be described as a variety of gameplay.
For example, you can remotely use Jellyfin to connect to this server to achieve remote movie viewing, and you can also realize remote download of resources, which is very good for half a month.
So this article will share the complete process of my exclusive "small server", including the choice of hardware equipment, and why this is the reason for this choice, as well as the system selection and scheme selection of this small server, and how I made this "small server" into a remote download machine and a remote audio and video server to achieve remote viewing schemes, and how to set up and choose a remote access solution, and provide many reference solutions, friends with such needs can refer to it.
Because I am not good at writing something too theoretical, novice friends will be too tired of watching theoretical things, so combined with the practical process, to share my tossing process, I hope to have some reference, the following into the text.
Identify the hardware device
From the beginning, I decided to deploy this "small server" in my hometown, because the place where I live now has frequent power outages, anyway, it is decided by a combination of factors. Because the home network has been transformed quite well a few years ago, there are conditions for operation.
Since it is placed in my hometown, I usually go back occasionally, so this machine must meet the following conditions:
1. Support self-start of incoming calls and wake up by WOL
2. Silent, passive heat dissipation, energy saving
3, the machine is small, mini is best, I only add one or two SSDs in capacity, do not consider mechanical hard disks
Self-initiation of the call is a must, otherwise after a sudden power failure, you must call the elderly to help you turn on, more trouble, as much as possible to reduce maintenance and hands-on operation. Support for call self-start is related to BIOS, basically the vast majority of motherboards are supported, so that even if the power is suddenly cut off, a call, the machine will automatically start, do not worry about not online.
The other is WOL wake-up, which may be less used, as long as you do not perform shutdown operations in the system, if you delay the shutdown operation, you can cooperate with WOL wake-up, because I access a dandelion X1 box in my hometown network, support WOL wake-up machine, so this function is also a must, in case of a real delay in shutting down, I wake up the machine through WOL.
As for the size of the machine, consider putting it on top of the weak current box in the picture above, so it should be mini and not take up space, otherwise the old man will look at such a large machine and say, haha. Consider all solid-state, not mechanical hard disk, because I told my parents, network lag and the like directly break the main gate to restart the network, simple and convenient, if you add mechanical hard disk, sudden power failure for fear of damage, solid state then feel free to play, this is also a factor to consider.
So in line with the above principles, I went to find it, turned a lot, such as the N5105 small host, the barebones are also about 6-7 sheets, but after reading it, it is said that the general fever is large, and I gave up.
Also flipped on a certain fish, but many are heirlooms, helpless, can't find the case, I use the idle 3865U small host in my hand, the rest when playing soft routing back then, and the performance is not bad, the result of considering under my needs, after all, this processor is a garbage existence in the eyes of the big guys.
The 3865U machine can only install a sata and an msata hard disk, plus consider the solid state, so it is directly on the 1T solid state, according to my needs is enough, after all, there is a serious NAS in use where the long-term residence is, and now the solid state price is really the price of cabbage, less than 3 pieces to start, plus Dongge's own 5-year warranty, rest assured to use.
The memory is directly on 8G, which is enough according to my current needs.
Of course, the performance of my small machine is still weak, if there is a high performance demand, it is better to be right, you can choose according to your own needs, just share my consideration direction for choosing hardware.
System scenario
The next is the system solution determined, the general server has a variety of systems, if you want to play multiple systems, of course, consider PVE, ESXI and other virtual machine systems, mainstream solutions.
I have also published tutorials such as PVE and ESXI to build AIO, and interested friends may check out the following articles.
Like me, I am used to using NAS, so I have a good impression of Synology system, and I directly decided to install H Synology to use as the underlying system. Synology also has virtual machine support, plus I only have one Windows virtual machine demand, so the virtual machine that Synology comes with is enough to meet my needs.
In addition, I am also familiar with Synology, and I usually consider deploying Docker containers remotely, which is more friendly than SSH command operations.
Of course, you can choose PVE or ESXI as the bottom layer for your small server, and it is very comfortable to use, in short, you can install any system you want to install it, as long as it meets your needs. In addition, I also considered some other remote audio and video needs, so I decided to install H Synology as the bottom layer, Synology installation guidance those I did not explain too much, interested friends can refer to my article.
Local, remote access scenarios
Of course, cloud servers have remote access solutions, like mainstream cloud servers, after purchase, there is a public IP, and remote access can be directly through the public IP.
Taking the Tencent Cloud Host I purchased as an example, I installed a Windows system and could access the remote desktop through its public IP.
BUT I AM DEPLOYED AT HOME, AND IT IS MOBILE BROADBAND, MOBILE LARGE INTRANET IS FAMOUS, NATURALLY CAN NOT APPLY FOR PUBLIC IPV4, BUT THERE IS PUBLIC IPV6 DISTRIBUTION, BASICALLY ALL NEWLY INSTALLED BROADBAND SUPPORT IPV4 + IPV6 DUAL PROTOCOL, THE COUNTRY IS ALSO VIGOROUSLY PROMOTING THE POPULARITY OF IPV6, SO, REMOTE ACCESS THE FIRST CHOICE IS PUBLIC IP, NO V4, I WILL USE PUBLIC IPV6 FOR REMOTE ACCESS.
HAS ALSO PUBLISHED IPV6 REMOTE ACCESS RELATED ARTICLES, INTERESTED FRIENDS CAN TAKE A LOOK!
Taking Windos as an example, you can install remote desktop applications such as Todesk, and in the case of V6, it is very easy to get through the P2P connection and the speed is fast.
Because I use Synology as the bottom layer, I can install containers such as DDNS-GO in Synology, plus a domain name of a few dollars a year, realize DDNS resolution of IPV6, and realize remote access to Synology backend, remote desktop and other operations at any time.
AS SHOWN ABOVE, IT IS THE DDNS INTERFACE, WHICH IMPLEMENTS IPV6 AND DOMAIN NAME BINDING, SO THAT IN A REMOTE SITUATION, ACCESSING THIS DOMAIN NAME CAN ACCESS THIS NAS, AS WELL AS ALL THE SERVICES IN THE NAS, REALIZING REMOTE, AND REALIZING "CLOUD".
Like mobile optical modem, if the whole IPV6 is remotely accessed, you can obtain ultra-secret, and turn off ipv6spi at the security-firewall behind the optical modem, so that you can realize remote access to this "small server" on the external network.
In addition, in order to ensure that nothing goes wrong, I also add a dandelion X1 networking box, as long as there is a network, to achieve remote networking and then achieve remote access, which is the last remedy, so that as long as there is a network, in the case of IPV6 failure, you can also remotely enter the NAS background for maintenance.
In addition to public network remote access, you can also consider remote networking solutions such as Zerotier and tailscale, and recommend tailscale, which often cannot be connected under mobile networks, and tailscale is very stable in comparison.
I also deployed tailscale on NAS, which can be deployed in docker or various operating systems, very simple, and the speed is not bad, I am 30 megabytes up, can run to a speed of more than 20 megabytes, very recommended.
Therefore, my current main remote access to this "small server" solution is IPV6, supplemented by tailscale, and dandelion networking as the last backup means, so there is no need to worry about being unable to maintain.
What a small server can do
Let's talk about this "small server" I built, what I use it for, there is really a demand, not a variety of unrealistic usage.
Usage 1: NAS storage, online network disk
FOR EXAMPLE, I CHOOSE TO INSTALL SYNOLOGY AS THE BOTTOM LAYER, AND THEN INSTALL THE VIRTUAL MACHINE SYSTEM IN SYNOLOGY, SO OF COURSE, IT CAN BE USED AS A SERIOUS NAS, SET UP REMOTE ACCESS, IPV6, ETC., TO ACHIEVE REMOTE ACCESS.
However, the uplink is only 30Mbps, which means that the remote download speed is about 3MB more (conversion: 8Mbps is about 1MB) and occasionally called and downloaded, which I think is still good, unlike a disk with a speed of more than 100KB.
In addition, if you are using other underlying layers, such as PVE or ESXI, you can also virtually install NAS systems such as Synology to achieve remote NAS functions, and all roads lead to Rome.
After all, I also use it as a remote audio and video server, so the storage requirements are also the most basic.
Usage 2: Install Win, Linux system
If you are using PVE or ESXI as the bottom layer, then you can install a variety of systems at will, like some cloud servers, common are Linux, Windows systems, can be customized to choose, when the premise of small servers is of course can install a variety of virtual machine systems, for example, you can install a Linux system, learn to use.
Before that, I bought a student host from a host provider such as Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud for 3 years, and I touched it twice.
360 yuan package for 3 years, the bandwidth is 1Mbps, which is just enough for the remote desktop to run smoothly like this, I used it to install Windows, there is a software hanging inside, it takes 24 hours to run, which is why I bought it, and by the end of this year it is almost 3 years to expire, the main reason for deploying such a "small server" in my hometown is also to consider using it to install a virtual Windows system, so that the cloud host does not have to be renewed.
So I installed Windows system on Synology virtual machine, and it was also planned at the beginning, 3865U I tested it myself, and installing a Windows system can still run, after all, the smoothness of the cloud host mentioned above is not very good, at least smoother than the cloud host.
So at the beginning, the memory was considered larger, 8G memory, 4G allocated to the virtual system, the remaining 4G running Docker and NA smooth operation is not a big problem.
I installed a Windows 2012R2 server system, which is no different from normal Windows use, and even feels smoother, because I see that most of the cloud hosts are also this version of the system, so I installed it.
Installed Windows, of course, to install remote desktop, remote desktop I did not toss too much, directly considered the sunflower or Todesk scheme, and finally left Todesk, because of IPV6, to achieve point-to-point connection, remote desktop is very smooth.
In this way, the cloud host does not consider renewal, directly use my "small server" operation, and hang up the software I need to open for a long time, running for almost a month, very stable, and the previous purchase of the cloud host use.
Usage 3: Online network disk synchronization tool
Another way to play, I use Synology's own Cloud Sync tool and online network disk to synchronize some data, although a certain online network disk speed is slow, but some information that is not urgently used, I will throw it inside, this "small server" will automatically synchronize to the local, with remote access, direct download and call, which is considered to break through the 100KB speed limit.
Because with the aforementioned remote method, the maximum download speed of more than 3MB can be achieved, and it will not be too urgent to use, maybe this kind of gameplay requires very little, but at least I use it.
Usage 4: Access monitoring
Another common usage I use is to access surveillance cameras, Synology, QNAP and other NAS systems have corresponding monitoring kits, as long as your camera supports ONVIF protocol can be accessed losslessly NAS, NAS as surveillance video storage space to use.
I connected several cameras at home to this "small server", although there is an NVR video recorder, but there is no loss in accessing the NAS, which is equivalent to a video recording of NVR, and a video file saved in the NAS, which is also a monitoring data security disaster recovery solution.
The specific camera and solution can refer to the hometown network transformation article I posted before, which is described in detail.
After realizing IPV6 remote access, I tried to download the surveillance video file in the NAS, no problem, ran to 3.2MB/s, ran the 30Mbps uplink speed of my hometown mobile broadband, sure enough, public network access is the fastest, other non-public network solutions are only alternatives.
Gameplay 5: Remote downloader + audio and video server
Another way to play is to use this "small server" as a remote downloader and audio and video server, first of all, you can install qBit, tr and other download applications, these downloaders are also multi-platform, if you are installing other systems, there are also clients, since I am deployed on Synology, naturally I also install these download applications in the form of Docker or suite.
With the aforementioned remote access scheme, you can also enter the background of these applications at any time outside, want to watch a movie, throw the resources to the downloader and finish, let it be quiet as a downloader.
And I cooperate with Jellyfin, add nastool and other video and audio finishing tools, after these resources are downloaded, they will automatically organize and rename, and let Jellyfin video server display the poster wall of these movies and television.
As shown in the figure below, it is through iPV6 remote access to the Jellyfin video server in this small server, and it is public network access, which can run 30Mbps uplink of the full server, with real-time transcoding, easily watch 1080 resolution resources, perfect without lag.
And you can also install the Jellyfin client on the mobile phone, the broadband currently has IPV6, mobile phone data traffic also has IPv6 support, so seamless remote viewing.
The previous download application + video server works perfectly and is very comfortable.
The audio and video server can transcode, convert high bitrate resources to low bitrate, such as my mobile phone card is 3.1Mbps after the speed limit, want to watch movies smoothly remotely, directly set the movie to 3Mpbs bitrate, let the audio and video server transcode, you can remotely use 3.1Mpbs speed for smooth viewing, which is why real-time transcoding is required, as shown in the figure, even if Jellyfin converts it to 480P 3Mpbs speed, It feels that the 720P picture quality of major video sites is not much worse, and they suppress the bitrate too low.
Actual experience effect
It has been used on the machine for almost half a month, and it can be said that it is very stable. And with the remote scheme mentioned earlier, the use is smooth, for example, if you want to watch a certain total movie, find resources, and throw it into the remote qBit.
After a while, open the remote Jellfyin can watch the movie happily, whether it is on the mobile phone or computer, whether it is using V6 or tailscale remote viewing, it is very smooth, use for most of the month, very comfortable.
Moreover, even if my mobile phone traffic speed limit is 3.1Mbps, I set the quality below 3Mbps, and the server is transcoded and pushed remotely, and I can still watch movies very smoothly, mainly because the real-time transcoding capability of the 3865U is not bad, and even 4K transcoding, so it is still very good to deploy an audio and video server.
As for the most important part, I deployed the Widows system on Synology virtual machine, and using the todesk remote desktop solution, the opening was very smooth, the point-to-point connection was connected, and it was comfortable to use.
Moreover, the hanging software is also stable in the virtual Windows system, running for more than half a month is no problem, and basically no maintenance is required. At present, most of the space is also used, and I am considering whether to replace a larger capacity hard disk when I go back to my hometown next time, and it is commonly used when it is used smoothly, and the 1T space is a little unbearable.
And there is a call self-start, WOL remote wake-up, do not worry about the power off after the machine can not be connected, it can be said that as long as the broadband does not arrears, it can always operate normally.
Finally, finally
This article briefly shares the whole process of my creation of an exclusive "personal server", as well as the scheme, there is no tall computer room, only a small host that is no longer simple, and also achieved my goal, if there are multiple system requirements, I may look for a low-power small host with stronger performance, and the current 3865U small host is also enough for me.
At present, it is placed above the weak electric box in the hometown, plus the small host has a wall back panel, it is installed, perfectly hidden, and the mother will not fight when she sees it, and there will be no noise.
In short, hardware is secondary, the important thing is to find the hardware that suits you, if you build the machine room is no problem, the big guy who builds the machine room will not see this article, my plan in front of the big guys is definitely not even a family.
There is a tossing plan will continue to share, currently it is enough for me to use for a long time, like friends please like, follow, and continue to share more interesting gameplay in the future.