Its new homelab time. And with that, potentially a new OS time too.
I currently am very happy with Debian and Docker. The only issue is I am brand new to using data redundancy. I have a 2 bay NAS I’ll use, and I want the two HDDs to be in raid 1.
Now I could definitely just use ZFS or BTRFS with Debian, and be able to use Docker just like I do currently.
Or I could use a dedicated NAS OS. That would help me with the raid part of this, but a requirement is Docker.
Any recommendations?
Unraid!
XigmaNAS
Honestly, from your description, I’d go with Debian, likely with btrfs. Would be better if you had 3 slots so that you can swap a bad drive but, 2 will work.
If you want to get adventurous, you can see about a Fedora Atomic distro.
Previously, I’ve recommended Proxmox but, not sure that I still can at the moment, if they haven’t fixed their kernel funkiness. Right now, I’m back to libvirt.
As long as you’re not relying on RAID as your backup. Don’t know why so many people struggle with understanding, RAID is not a backup. It’s a solution to ensure uptime in the face of a lost disk. I would guess most selfhosters shouldn’t be concerned with uptime. Use Borg or restic. Or if you are going to use zfs or btrfs then have a completely separate drive or pool where snapshots are stored.
Generally, I think it is better to use a general server OS like Debian or Fedora instead of something specialized like Proxmox or Unraid. That way you can always choose the way you want to use your server instead of being channeled into running it a specific way (especially if you ever change your mind).
