I’ve been waiting to acquire a suitable NAS device for planned setup of NextCloud, and circumstances require that I get it operational asap. It’s been suggested to me that I can initially install on my current primary desktop workstation, and move it to NAS when that becomes available later this year. I’ve got a few questions before I decide it’s a good idea to attempt this.
My Setup: Desktop is running Windows 10, Intel Core i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz, 32gb RAM.
OS on 500gb hdd, additional internal data drives 4tb & 500gb, attached storage 10tb (always on, but not NAS).
Intended uses: Urgent use is file sharing of video files with clients, one folder per client, 60 at present, each must be uniquely password protected. Would be great if client had choice to download or stream their videos, but not critical, present platform only allows download. These files are on 10tb device. Next priority is sync of specified folders on 10tb drive to 4-6 other devices. Eventually backup function will be possible when NAS is up, but I don’t expect this from local install. NAS will have 4 bay capacity. Most everything that needs to be shared or synced is on the 10tb drive, with a few important exceptions.
Questions:
How will installing on a system in active use work out? How will performance of each be affected?
How will it work to move the whole install to an NAS later? Can I do that? (That same 10tb drive will probably end up inside the NAS)
Which drive(s) can I install to? Does it have to be on the OS drive? Can it be on one of the data drives? Is it possible, even optimal to be on the 10tb with most of the share data?
Thanks for the replies. Yes, duh, I realize I’ll have to install on Linux. I did forget that, when I started researching this I was on Ubuntu every day. Then I had a crash and had to move to Windows for the moment. The crash made it clear that SpiderOak has been near worthless as a backup solution for a complex org, downloading full archives when you need them is just not possible, the downloads are unimaginably slow and have to be done in small chunks, which frequently fail and have to be restarted. And the version history is only at the single file level. A nightmare, let it be a warning to others - and reactivated my determination to get NextCloud running.
I’ll prefer vmware to virtual box for sure, but I get the idea.
Yes, videos are all local, on my 10tb attached non-NAS storage, to be shared directly to clients.
Budget? As little as possible. I’d rather have everything local, and just a good remote backup system. Too many monthly platform expenses already, scant options under enterprise scale for any way to just own your software and pay once, remember that? I’ve got too much data, and don’t want to always feel cramped and pared down, do you know what it would cost to host 10tb?
Questions:
Is there a reason to prefer Ubuntu Server over LTS desktop? It would make much more sense for me to virtualize a fully usable OS.
I’m realizing now that Ubuntu has to be on OS drive (yes?), so NextCloud too - can it serve data from attached storage as quickly and easily as current workstation OS?
What about the issue of investing in months of setup here on my desktop, then wanting to move the whole install into NAS later? Easy, hard, or impossible?
You may consider to install the docker version of Nextcloud into a linux server in a vm, then you can just move the docker to another host if you get one - no changes needed, just move the docker and mount the storage so the docker can reach it.
I’ve got too much data, and don’t want to always feel cramped and pared down, do you know what it would cost to host 10tb?