Set up a multipurpose home server
Data Diviner

© Lead Image © Maxim Kazmin, 123RF.com
Install a home server to make your data omnipresent.
These days a server isn't something that you'll find only inside a corporate environment. With the proliferation of computing devices inside a typical home, it makes sense to create your own always-on server for your household. You can use your home server as a central media hub to stream videos, music, and pictures to other devices connected to your network. Another popular use for such a server is as a dedicated seed box for downloading and seeding content (legally, of course) such as Linux ISOs or software from the Internet Archive.
Amahi [1] is a free, open source home server solution based around Fedora Linux. It's flexible and customizable, easy to install, and has lots of pluggable apps that you can install with a single click to extend the features of the server to suit your needs. For example, Amahi includes a DLNA server and several streaming servers to broadcast all kinds of multimedia to compatible players and devices. It also includes Greyhole for pooling disks into a unified network storage medium that you can then use to create shares that can be accessed via the Samba protocol and even used as a network backup target. Amahi also comes with a free dynamic DNS name that you can use to access your files from anywhere on the planet.
Amahi has modest hardware requirements, which is why it's often touted as a solution for putting an old unused computer back into active duty. It can manage a small network from a computer with a 1GHz processor and 512MB RAM. Deployments on larger networks where multiple users are shuttling oodles of data running several different apps will require a multicore processor with at least 4GB of RAM and ideally multiple hard disks.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.