Expand on your file sharing model/needs/usage pattern. .

Syncthing synchronizes specified folders. It’s quite configurable, but it’s really meant for a stable, regular syncing process. If you need more ad-hoc, it can do it but it’s not like using a network share.

Resilio Sync has a neat feature - selective sync, that allows you to grab specific files from a shared folder ad-hoc, rather than always sync all files all the time. I use it to grab media files (multi-gig) from my server when traveling.

IIRC, both have a “send only” setting for a sync job, so everyone could simply share to a specific folder, and have selective sync enabled for that folder… I think.

Both are Windows/Linux/iOS, and I think they’re both Mac.

Are the read-write speeds sufficient for a server?

Depends.

For most of us, most use-cases, yes. I have 2 externals on USB that are no slower than my ancient NAS that only does 100Mbit Ethernet (honestly they’re probably faster).

Now if you’re running a transactional database, then externals are bad for throughput, but also stability/reliability and heat.

One thing I rarely see mentioned here is that external drives lack any cooling. This is fine for most uses-cases where people will intermittently copy data to them. But of you try sustained writes you can watch the temps climb in minutes. Which is why both of mine have old, large case fans on them (duct taped in place no less). They’re really quiet especially since I run them at 5v instead of 12V.

Externals are generally recommended against of it can be avoided. But of it’s what you have, run it, just know the lifespan is likely limited, and they’re not to be trusted from stability standpoint - always have redundancy/backups for important data.

My externals are part of my local redundancy - they replicate my main data drive, which is also replicated to my ancient NAS. So I have 3 local copies of everything.

And right back to https://lemmy.cafe/comment/17371392

I’ve had little luck with Swiftfin. Last time I tried it, it wouldn’t connect to my server by IP: port.

Yawn

To add to this, SMB implementations on Linux today simply respect the archaic model MS developed for LAN Manager (Windows 3.1, 1980’s), before Windows had local user permissions (NT 3.51 mid 90’s).

MS saw share permissions as a mechanism to provide admins some level of control for the small networks.

Once NT became the standard in business, we started ignoring share permissions and just letting file system permissions manage everything (since that could be managed via domain credentials).

It’s a whole lot easier and more secure to manage Groups in the Domain than a bunch of share permissions, and they’re lots more granular.

So we’re stuck with share permissions though they’re not all that useful - so most people (everyone?) simply ignore them and use just file system perms, which you have to manage even without shares.

TL:DR Share perms are a legacy thing and can simply be set to everyone read/write

I run a 2019 Dell OptiPlex SFF desktop as my ESXi box - it idles under 20w with multiple Linux and Windows VM’s (4 are standard, besides the ad-hoc ones for testing stuff).

Hard to beat the idle combined with performance when needed. Pi really doesn’t compare.

What are you trying to do?

In the business world, this would be your business requirements. Once you have those then you can spec the technical requirements.

Without having a target, you’ll just be all over the place.

Start with one thing, get that setup, get management for it in place, backup processes, etc.

Then do the next thing.

Iceberg made a great rec - start with Jellyfin. It’s pretty easy, but touches on all sorts of stuff like storage, backups (which media is worth backing up?), etc. Plus it has a high reward - watching what you want, when you want, from almost any device.

As others have said, unless you’re going to be using those CPUs a lot, you probably don’t need the capability.

I run an old (2019) Dell OptiPlex SFF desktop as my server (I also have an ancient NAS). It runs ESXi just fine, with 2 Linux VM’s and 4 Windows VM’s, with 48GB of RAM.

At idle it consumes just under 20 watts. Peak is 80 watts (limited by the power supply).

Those VM’s all run fine - one is for file services and Jellyfin, one is for dedicated DVD ripping and video conversion.

Even when that VM is converting videos, everything else is responsive. Never get a lag on Jellyfin.

Now imagine how much more performance your server is capable of. Many simultaneous VM’s.

Oh, and it’s a really quiet machine.

I’d sooner have this or multiple mini pc’s than any kind of commercial server hardware. Completely different design approaches - servers are designed for running 24/7 with maximum cooling capability along with max performance. Power and noise aren’t really a consideration.

Sounds like you’re talking about a Mesh VPN.

Syncthing doesn’t need a VPN to function - in fact you’re better off not using a VPN as it’s own rules will see the VPN as a LAN connection and sync data across it when your Syncthing rules exclude using your data connection. Maybe that’s what you saw with Netbird’s data usage. I’d be really surprised if Netbird itself used any significant data.

I have about 20 sync jobs per phone - some are allowed to use cell data (photos), others aren’t. When I enable Tailscale on my phone, Syncthing will try to sync all the jobs because it sees the VPN as a LAN.

I run rooted and use a firewall and block VPN there for Syncthing to prevent this.

Pretty much any XMPP setup will work.

Not really.

Resilio has a Selective Sync feature, where it keeps an index at each client, and you select which files to sync in the moment. Works very well, I use it to access (mostly) all my media files (but actually any file on my NAS).

I don’t replace Syncthing with it because it’s very memory intense (keeps the index in ram) and notably harder on battery than Syncthing.

But it works very well - it could replace Syncthing if you wanted.

What are your requirements the make Syncthing not acceptable? That will help us offer other solutions.

Two other tools you can use are FolderSync on Android - it just uses standard network protocols (FTP, SFTP, SAMBA, etc), so it’s much harder on battery than Syncthing.

Resilio Sync is similar to Syncthing but works very differently. I use it along with Syncthing.

Check out Resilio.

I’ve used both for 10 years now, rarely have issues with either, and I sync (with Syncthing) hundreds of gigs between about 8 devices, with about 20 different sync jobs, every day.

You do have to configure ST exactly how you want it, and know what that means.

I’ve been able to move the config 3 times now as I’ve migrated systems - you stop the service, copy the config files (ensuring the new system has the same folder structure), then start it there. Not for the faint of heart.

I do think Resilio is a little more robust, but it’s much harder on memory/battery for mobile - so much so I don’t let it just run on my phone and only use it when I want to sync specific files over (using it’s Selective Sync feature).

Disagree all you want - ECC has no bearing outside of high-resiliency databases.

I say this having nearly 4 decades in enterprise - ECC only matters then.

OP is definitely not doing anything requiring ECC, recommending it is just wasting money.

Why do you want ECC? (Hint: unless you’re running a business database dealing with financials, you don’t need it). I’ve run Windows server on desktop hardware since the 90’s with no issues, and today’s hardware is far better than what we had then.

The reason people settle on NUCs and SFF desktops is power. They virtually sip watts.

I don’t usually recommend specifics for someone but rather ideas and ways to look at your requirements, but given your requirements (20 TB), it would be worth considering a commercial NAS, or at least a NAS enclosure running a NAS OS like UnRAID or TrueNAS.

Expansion is generally not something I’d think about for a NAS (though it can be done today). I expand my NAS once a year (swap out one drive) but I keep 3 local copies - so if it failed I can restore locally rather than from a cloud backup.

So your data lives on a NAS, and you can then either run your services there (they mostly support containers, etc these days), but I’d get a NUC or SFF to host that stuff. It makes for nice separation and gives you some flexibility.

Back to SFF and NUC - my last desktop hardware idled at 100 watts. It was visible on my power bill and used more power than my lights or just about any other single device other than heat or stove.

My SFF server idles at just under 20 watts and peaks at 80 when I’m converting videos. It currently has 8Tb of storage, but I could easily get 20 in there, it would just be expensive.

Oh, and a good NAS can spin down drives to save power when idle, which for most of us is like 90% of the time (I have an ancient NAS as redundancy that does this - it idles around 5w).

Yea, I find needing to know the IP annoying, but by no means difficult or problematic.

I do wish many devs would put some effort into discovery (with Apple stuff, Bonjour works fine, everything else there’s mDNS).

Thankfully the Jellyfin Tizen app (Samsung) at least remembers servers and shows them by name after connecting by IP.

Yep, my current ESXi box is a 2018 Dell SFF that runs surprisingly well at under 80 watts (idles just under 20).

Dell makes a 200w power supply for it - the biggest limitation is RAM - it can only do 64gig.

Fortunately I bought my storage just before the latest increase. I’ve just put my replacement cycle on pause until prices come down.

More risky for me but fortunately I have 3 local copies of everything.

Today servers can be nothing more than a $50 nuc from eBay with a larger drive in it, or an external one.

My server today is an old Small Form Factor Dell. It has no problem running VMWare ESXi, with multiple Windows and Linux VMs, ripping DVDs, converting videos and streaming, all at the same time.