WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

It’s useful to have your own server for file sharing and storage, but that’s not all you can do with it. Here are some other services you might consider setting up.

RUN A MEDIA SERVER

Your server can not only store video and music files, it can present them with a user-friendly front end, and stream them to web browsers and apps across your network. There are several packages to choose from: one of the best known is Plex (plex.tv) but popular alternatives include Emby (emby.media) and Jellyfin (jellyfin. org). Remember, though, if you’re using an old repurposed PC, it might not have the horsepower to decode and stream 4K movie files.

STORE YOUR BACKUPS

We all know it’s a good idea to keep our computers backed up, and storing backups on a central server means they’re safe if one machine suffers a hardware failure. You can use your shared storage as a backup destination for Windows’ File History feature, and for Mac users it’s also possible to set your server as a Time Machine repository.

HOST YOUR OWN PRIVATE CLOUD

If you’re fed up of running out of space on Dropbox or Google Drive, you can configure your home server as a personal cloud service, complete with synchronisation agents for your computers and tablets. Two well-supported options are ownCloud (owncloud.com) and Nextcloud (nextcloud. com).

We wouldn’t recommend this for Linux novices, however, as in both cases there are some quite technical steps involved in the installation, but documentation and community support are on hand to help you out.