In my last post, I discussed why I decided to move my server from TrueNAS to Ubuntu. Perhaps the largest software-based reason was the ability to use Docker to manage the software on my server. This post is a hybrid between a narrative telling how I got my server working and a guide to do it yourself. If you'd like any help with any of the stuff I list in this guide, feel free to reach out! I'd be glad to help.
In my last blog post (approximately 4 months ago), I talked about the build process and the software installation of TrueNAS, an open-source Network Attached Storage (NAS) software based on FreeBSD. Since then, I have switched away from TrueNAS to Ubuntu Server. I genuinely liked a whole lot of TrueNAS, but there were several reasons that I switched to Ubuntu:
In my last blog post, I talked about why I built a home server. I also went through the part selection process. Check it out here if you missed that post. This time, I’ll discuss the joys of actually putting a computer together and the process of installing TrueNAS, a free open-source NAS software based on FreeBSD.
Because I am blogging this after the fact rather than extemporaneously, I don’t have a ton of pretty pictures to show you of the building process. Please accept my apologies and enjoy this photo of Data intensely staring at his cat, Spot. (This is only photo I saved to my phone on the day I built my server.)
Even Androids love cats
“You must talk to him. Tell him that he is a good cat, and a pretty cat.”
- Data to Worf on how to cat-sit for Spot
Data makes the world go round.
According to the International Data Corporation, a research company dedicated to studying how worldwide data is created, 59 zettabytes of data was created in 2020. That’s a ridiculous amount of information, and it takes vast numbers of huge datacenters all across the globe to store it somewhere. I personally have a huge amount of data I’ve created since I’ve started using personal computers at age 4. Because of this ever-increasing amount of data I have created, a few years ago, I decided to sign up for the Google Drive for Business unlimited storage plan. In mid-2020, Google made the announcement that these plans would no longer be unlimited. By that point, I had uploaded near 13TB of data to Google drive and I needed somewhere to put it.
“I might be considered a digital hoarder.”
— Me, If I'm being honest